APNewsBreak: Antigua pursues sanctions against US

(AP) Antigua & Barbuda will pursue trade sanctions against the United States as a result of its online betting ban.

Antigua Finance Minister Harold Lovell told The Associated Press on Sunday that the Caribbean country has had its back pushed right up against the wall. He says it intends to pursue $21 million in annual sanctions on U.S. goods unless a last minute settlement is reached.

Antigua's access to the U.S. gambling market was effectively blocked by a 2006 U.S. law barring banks and credit card companies from processing payments to online gambling sites outside the country.

In 2007, the World Trade Organization awarded Antigua the right to target U.S. services, copyrights and trademarks.

The WTO ruling capped the annual trade sanctions at $21 million per year.