Internet Gambling and International Political Economy

The Antigua versus US dispute over Internet gambling offers many insights into IPE. In structural terms both the similarities and differences between the nature and treatment of gambling and offshore finance are highlighted. In terms of agency it reveals both the space and limits of creative strategies by smaller actors, and in doing so recalibrates our assessment of negotiating capacity and measures of success. Not only does the IG case counter the notion of the offshore being nebulous, it nuances the image of vulnerability of even a tiny Caribbean state. Still, in the end, as the IG case underscores, it is outcomes not processes that matter. Through the lens of power and interests, the case reinforces the image of classic asymmetry.