Western Union Closes Sites in Antigua & Barbuda

Western Union offices across Antigua & Barbuda have been closed for the past week, with many arguing that this due to pressure by the United States government.

Antigua & Barbuda, the small Caribbean islands that host a disproportionately high number of the world’s internet gambling companies, have been embroiled in a World Trade Organization dispute with their behemoth of a neighbor to the north.

Several years ago, Antigua & Barbuda appealed to the WTO to argue that the US violates international trade law by prohibiting its citizens from partaking in internet gambling on websites based on non- US soil.

Now, according to Antigua & Barbuda internet gambling officials, the United States is using its power over American companies that operate on the island to extract its revenge. Since many internet gambling site customers pay using Western Union, the closing of all Antigua & Barbuda offices may be simply a means to impede the internet gambling sites’ ability to operate to full capacity.

Consultant and former Director of Offshore Gaming Ron Maginley said that he could not imagine a satisfactory explanation for Western Union’s actions, other than in the context of the WTO internet gambling dispute.

“I don’t know whether or not this is because of gaming, but certainly questions arise as to why Western Union would have taken a unilateral decision to only shut down offices within Antigua & Barbuda in light of our continued action at the WTO.”

Maginley said that this action, if it was in fact taken to impede the islands’ internet gambling business, is illegal from the WTO’s standpoint. He hopes, he said, that the government of Antigua & Barbuda would once more stand up to the United States on the internet gambling issue.

“I certainly think the government [should] raise this as simply the latest issue of pressure being put on the part of the US on companies that provide services to companies conducting legitimate business in Antigua & Barbuda and should insist that Western Union, if it has been providing services to gaming companies, be allowed to do so.”

Western Union company spokespeople issues explanations that did little to shed light on the reason for their Antigua & Barbuda actions. Western Union’s Director of Communications in the US, Lori Varsames, told reporters that the company periodically reviews its sites and “we identify certain circumstances, which require further attention.” “[This closing is] part of our ongoing routine review with our entire agent base and we are working to complete the review now and it would be inappropriate for me to characterize our findings until the review is complete,” said Vargas, somewhat cryptically.

Nor did the company give a solid reopening date, or assure the public that they would reopen at all on the islands. “The date for service restoration has not yet been fully determined, but we are working to restore that service.”

It is unclear whether the closing of the Western Union stores have truly affected the internet gambling sites, since this is only one of very many payment options offered to internet gambling customers.

Western Union Closes Sites in Antigua & Barbuda
January 12, 2006
Western Union offices across Antigua & Barbuda have been closed for the past week, with many arguing that this due to pressure by the United States government.

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