SOURCE: Antigua Sun

Minister of Finance Dr. Errol Cort is reporting “favourable” news following a meeting with the United Kingdom (UK) Minister for Sport Gerry Sutcliffe on Antigua and Barbuda’s “whitelisting” application.

Approval of the application would have given remote gaming operators in Antigua and Barbuda permission to advertise their services to consumers in the UK.

But Antigua and Barbuda’s application has not yet been approved.

Dr. Cort led a high level delegation to a meeting with Sutcliffe yesterday to discuss the country's application to the Gambling Commission for “whitelisting” under the UK’s recent gambling legislation.

“We are extremely encouraged by the reception we received from Minister Sutcliffe and his staff,” Minister Cort observed.

“I was happy to learn that very little stands in the way of our approval for whitelisting, and I think I can express confidence that this issue will be resolved favourably in the very near future,” Dr. Cort said.

Minister Cort and the other members of his delegation visited Minister Sutcliffe with the hope of moving the process along and ensuring that the Gambling Commission had all information necessary to complete its review and approve Antigua’s application.

The Antiguan delegation also included UK High Commissioner Dr. Carl Roberts, Deputy Administrator of the Financial Services Regulatory Commission Trevor Mathurin, Director of Gaming Kaye McDonald, Gaming Regulatory Consultant Alan Pedley and Legal Advisor Mark Mendel.

Minister Cort indicated that he had assembled the team in order to be able to address the specifics of any questions or concerns that Minister Sutcliffe may have had regarding Antigua and Barbuda’s regulatory efforts.

“We are acknowledged global leaders in the regulation of this industry,” McDonald said.

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

Minister Cort concluded by stating that he considered the mission an unqualified success.

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