Antigua and Barbuda has seen a tremendous increase in the number of online gambling operators expressing interest in becoming licensed by the small Caribbean island nation. The independent state of only 84,500 people was added to the UK Department of Culture Media and Sport’s “white-list” in late-November, which means that remote gaming operators based in the country could advertise their services to consumers in Great Britain.

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”.

Departing on a flight to Washington for further talks on the WTO struggle with the US Trade Representative last, Antigua’s Finance Minister Errol Cort digressed sufficiently to tell reporters that he was surprised and disappointed by the UK government decision not to grant advertising whitelist status to his country. Last week the British government’s Department of Culture, Media and Sport declined to give Antigua and Kahnawake whitelist status...