Antigua reports White-List progress

In the UK, the exclusion of Antigua from the Gambling Commission’s ‘white-list’ of approved online advertisers could be overturned following a meeting between ministers of the two nations last week.

According to the Antigua Sun newspaper, Errol Cort, Minister of Finance for the island nation, stated that he believed the chances of a reversal in the decision as “favourable”.
The Minister headed a delegation that met with Gerry Sutcliffe, the British Minister of Sport, in the hope of moving the process along and ensuring that the Gambling Commission had all the information it needed in order to complete its review and approve Antigua’s application.

“We are extremely encouraged by the reception we received from Minister Sutcliffe and his staff,” said Cort. “I was happy to learn that very little stands in the way of our approval for ‘white-listing’ and I think I can express confidence that this issue will be resolved favorably in the very near future.”

Minister Cort stated that he had assembled a team that included well-known legal advisor Mark Mendel and Trevor Mathurin, Deputy Administrator of the Financial Services Regulatory Commission, in order to be able to address the specifics of any questions or concerns that Minister Sutcliffe may have had regarding the Caribbean nation’s regulatory efforts.

The Antiguan delegation also included UK High Commissioner Carl Roberts and Director of Gaming Kaye McDonald. “We are acknowledged global leaders in the regulation of this industry,” said McDonald.

“Our standards are the highest in the world and we view the ‘white-listing’ as important to demonstrate our commitment to the highest standards in the supervision and oversight of this dynamic industry.”

“This meeting shows what governments can accomplish by working cooperatively and openly to resolve issues between them,” said Cort. “We appreciate Minister Sutcliffe’s interest in this matter and look forward to concluding this matter shortly.”