In a long-expected final ruling in the complaint filed by Antigua and Barbuda, the World Trade Organization has ruled that the United States is a big fat cheater. Antigua has been involved in a long-running complaint against the US that US restrictions of online gambling is a violation of WTO policies.

At the heart of the WTO complaint is the hypocricsy inherent in US policy, and that is what Antigua is challenging. Horse Racing and Lotteries are legal in the United States, as long as they are run by US-based companies. Internet poker, casino games and sports betting are illegal in the US, regardless of where the companies are based. The argument is that since the US allows some types of internet gambling, it must not infringe upon the abilities of other countries to make money off of degenerate gamblers.

So the US has three choices in this matter: ignore any ruling the WTO makes and continue to behave like a swaggering bully, outlaw internet horse racing and lotteries entirely, or allow online gambling in the US. Before people jump to too many conclusions about the potential for the third possibility, please remember the US government's tendency to enjoy walking around like a swaggering bully. And then take a look at the fact that Antigua is a tiny island nation with no real exports except for hot chicks and internet gambling.

But if Antigua wins, the door is open for a European Union complaint of the same nature, since the major publicly-traded gambling firms are based in Europe, and those companies have lost a bundle since the UIGEA went into effect. An EU complaint may actually pack enough punch to give the bully a bloody nose.