Dr. Andre Rollins, Chairman of The Gaming Board says that: ... there is more to be gained from a yes vote than a no vote in the upcoming referendum

Gaming Chairman Pushes Yes Vote

By The Bahama Journal




Chairman of The Gaming Board Dr. Andre Rollins indicated yesterday that there is more to be gained from a yes vote than a no vote in the upcoming referendum.

Dr. Rollins in a press release pushed the benefits of a yes vote for The Bahamas saying that the revenue generated from taxing the activity presents greater results for the country.

While Dr. Rollins acknowledges that it has taken far too long for any government to gather the will power to take legal action against web shop gaming in The Bahamas, he claims that it cannot be argued that 50-plus years is insufficient time to know whether or not something should be regulated or taxed for the benefit of our country and people.

“Based on the long history of Bahamian participation in games of chance and the recognition that historical legal restrictions precipitated the creation of illegal gaming enterprises, it is inevitable that the demand for such activity will persist beyond January 28 even in the face of a no vote,” he said.

“The difference is that the government will be under greater pressure to use its law enforcement resources to respond to illegal gaming – resources that are scarce and themselves under increasing pressure to address the scourge of violent crime affecting parts of our country,” he added.

According to the chairman, regularised web shop gaming is critical for the country if it wishes to maintain its standing as a responsible financial services jurisdiction compliant with international anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism best practices.

“Our nation’s financial regulatory regime and the reporting requirements it imposes on businesses engaged in financial services, cannot be effective if it ignores a large group of businesses which conduct significant financial transactions,” he said.

“Our country must be seen to be continuing along a progressive path of reform not just in the eyes of the international community, but also in the eyes of our citizens. The government cannot be perceived as being guilty of engendering a culture where laws are selectively observed and applied; where law enforcement and not justice is blind,” he added.

The Gaming chairman claims that there are number of benefits for the government and the citizens alike to be gained from a ‘yes vote’ and that these ‘good causes’ must be identified.

Dr. Rollins said that regulating gaming for locals would be a new way for the government to create revenue which could be utilised for education purposes like schools and scholarships, healthcare, sports, the disabled, senior citizens, public housing and transportation, historic preservation and youth programmes.

If the outcome of the referendum is no, according to Dr. Rollins it will be an expression of the nation’s wish to deny Bahamians the right to participate in gaming, excluding those persons employed in hotel casinos.

“To continue to allow gaming houses in The Bahamas to exist without appropriate regulatory controls creates the potential for the infiltration of and control by criminal entities, which could very easily produce adverse domestic and international consequences,” he said.

“If Bahamians wish to have access to gaming as a form of entertainment it must be understood that it is unacceptable for it to continue in an unregulated manner. The position of this government must be clear: We cannot regulate the sector in part; it must be regulated as a whole,” he added.

The gambling referendum is scheduled for January 28th, with advanced voting today.

January 21, 2013

The Bahama Journal

Caribbean Blog International 

Prime Minister Perry Christie's Statements on Web-shops... and the Approaching Gambling Referendum are Very Concerning...

Prime Minister’s Statement….Very Concerning!




For Immediate Release
January 17, 2013


In a recent interview, Prime Minister Perry Christie espoused that the country would have a dilemma if the electorate vote against regularizing the web-shops. He said that if they do not regularize web-shops, people will have to go deeper underground illegally or we will have to find a way to find alternative employment for them.

In addition the Prime Minister stated that his administration will not move on closing the web-shops before the referendum and he continued by saying that it will take a lot of effort and costs a lot of money so to do. The Prime Minister’s words were, “I would not dare open my mouth and tell them they cannot be employed with the yes vote people who they are working for. I would not dare do that because no one else is helping them – social services in some instances will help with rent payments but they need jobs”. The Prime Minister went on to say that, “the government has to be prepared to find jobs and that everyone knows what the economy of the Bahamas is facing”. In this regard, may I remind the Prime Minister of his election campaign promise when the PLP convinced the Bahamian people that they had the answer to job creation.

In the Bahamas it is generally accepted that the web-shop gaming is illegal. There is no legislation on this activity and there is no proposed legislation for the Bahamian people to consider. Surprisingly, the Commissioner of Police a few days ago said that he was too tolerant with this illegal activity. No doubt, if web-shop gaming was legal, we would not be having this discussion.

I am of the view that something is terribly wrong when the Prime Minister of the Bahamas uttered those words…trying to justify an illegal act! Moreover the Prime Minister was very much out of order and I dare say had no authority to make such a pronouncement. If an act is illegal, The Prime Minister does not determine if the illegal act ought to continue. It is the Commissioner of Police to act on the illegality! Now I know that the Prime Minister is in a very difficult position. The fact of the matter is that illegal gaming in the Bahamas has continued to prosper because successive governments have become “silent partners” in these entities by allowing them to operate and refusing to uphold the law of the land. But Mr. Prime Minister…right is right and wrong is wrong!

The Prime Minister of this beloved Bahamas should never be seen to condone wrongdoing. That is what our Prime Minister did. Leaders must lead by example and this is a very poor example to set. No wonder there are some persons in this country that have a blatant disregard for the laws of the land.

No doubt the international community is also watching this process and I am most concern of their perception of our Prime Minister and consequently the Bahamas as a result of the Prime Minister’s comments.

Following up on these comments by the Prime Minister, Mr. Christie is still adamant that he does not have “a horse in the race”. In my view, the Prime Minister made his position quite clear as to what he would like to see transpire on the 28th January 2013, but in any event, we as a people should know what our Prime Minister’s position is on this issue. At the very least, the Prime Minister’s constituents ought to know his position. As a matter of fact…they should insist.

Branville McCartney
DNA Leader

Caribbean Blog International

Hon. Dr. Hubert A. Minnis - Free National Movement (FNM) leader says that the gambling referendum is a "royal mess"... and that The Bahamas has once again become "A Nation for sale!" ... ...IF YOU DON'T KNOW, VOTE NO!

Free National Movement

Press Conference

Wednesday January 16th, 2013

Final Position on the Gambling Referendum

LISTEN ON YOUTUBE

January 16th, 2013

In a Press Conference held at the FNM Headquarters today, FNM Party Leader, Hon. Dr. Hubert A. Minnis stated that the referendum is a "royal mess" and that The Bahamas has once again become "A Nation for sale!"

Dr. Minnis has charged that the PLP government has made no reasonable efforts to answer the dozens of questions posed by the Free National Movement regarding the referendum, and that despite their stated position of no horse in the race, everything the Prime Minister has said has suggested otherwise. He said that the government has also failed to produce the draft regulations on gambling which were promised, but has instead kept the people in the dark.

Dr. Minnis: "Perry Christie is another Otis Redding, singing DREAMS, DREAMS DREAMS TO REMEMBER! The PLP sold a dream on mortgages, dreams on national health insurance, and dreams of employment. Perry Christie and the PLP, sold Dreams Dreams Dreams to remember!"

Dr. Minnis stated that the referendum process is being rushed and is flawed. In the absence of the necessary information, The Free National Movement party recommends that Bahamians vote NO on BOTH questions on the upcoming referendum.

IF YOU DON'T KNOW, VOTE NO!

LISTEN ON YOUTUBE

The gambling debate / Referendum 2013:... ...Michael Burke, a reformed gambling addict, who was disbarred after stealing nearly $2 million from his clients ...recently warned that up to 30,000 Bahamians could develop a compulsive gambling problem ...if the numbers racket is legalised in The Bahamas

Make Web Shops Contribute Towards Gambling Treatment- Reformed Addict Speaks Out

By Rogan Smith
The Bahama Journal



The Christie administration is being advised to get an agreement from web shop operators stating that they will contribute a percentage of their revenue towards treatment for gambling addiction if Bahamians vote to legalise gambling this month.

Michael Burke, a reformed gambling addict, who was disbarred after stealing nearly $2 million from his clients, recently warned that up to 30,000 Bahamians could develop a compulsive gambling problem if the numbers racket is legalised.

The Michigan resident, who wrote the book, “Never Enough: One Lawyer’s True Story Of How He Gambled His Career Away,” said the government needs to lock in an agreement before issuing any licences.

“My suggestion is, get an agreement beforehand, before any of the licences are issued so that they can set aside part of that money for the treatment of the individuals in the families who will be destroyed because of this activity,” he said.

“If you do it before the licences are granted, I guarantee you the people in the [web] cafés will say ‘fine, we’ll pay it, we want to help those people out.’ But, if you wait until after the licences are issued they will never speak to you again. All they will say is ‘we’re paying our taxes; we’re doing what we’re bound to do.’ You want to get this done before this is signed into law. Once it’s signed into law this aspect of it is finished because you must accept what’s coming next.”

Burke predicted that if Bahamians vote to legalise web shop gaming the number houses will be transformed into mini casinos.

“Somewhere down the road this is what happens once you bring gambling into your community,” he said.

“For the small amount of people who are going to be affected, my God, do something for them up front. All they have to do is get an agreement to take two or three per cent of the cafes’ revenue from the lotteries and put it aside.”

He urged the government to follow Louisiana’s lead. The US state implemented CORE, Center of Recovery. CORE was conceived in 1998 with the sole purpose of providing treatment for those whose lives have been adversely affected by gambling.

Gambling addicts can go to CORE free of charge.

Burke said while he understands that the government does not want to raise taxes, taxing web shops is a “regressive tax.” He noted that poor Bahamians will mostly be impacted.

“The government doesn’t have the will or the stomach to raise taxes. Because of that, you’re going to have a growth of gambling that is going to be unbelievable.”

On January 28, Bahamians will decide whether they want games of chance legalised.

The church is divided on the issue. Some claim its “destructive” while others believe the government could benefit from the increased revenue that taxing web shops would bring.

“I’ve always felt the issue of morality belongs to the churches. I know you have strong churches in The Bahamas and I’ve read some things that are troubling where some churches say that this is no longer a bad activity,” Burke said.

“Governments use it as a way of raising money. As long as the people of your community tell their politicians ‘we don’t want to pay anymore taxes; you’ve taxed us to death’ they’ll find ways like gambling to raise the money. The government is going to do what it needs to do to raise funds until the people get back to the point where they say, ‘this isn’t how we want to pay for our services; tax us all equally and we’ll pay’.”

Burke’s gambling addiction not only cost him his reputation, it cost him his career.

The author comes from a family of attorneys. His grandfather was an attorney and a judge at the Nuremberg War Crime Trials after the Second World War. His father was also an attorney and headed the State Liquor Control Commission for the state of Michigan.

In his book, he details the ugly side of his addiction. He forged his wife’s signature to remortgage their home and he stole money from 15 of his law firm’s clients.

Some of those clients have since been paid back in full, thanks to the insurance company, which paid close to $1 million to make amends. He now owes that amount to the company.

He also served time in Jackson State Prison, the largest walled prison in the world.

There, he shared space with “some of the most terrible people you’d ever find.”

At the time of his sentencing each of his victims was allowed to make a statement.

“As I was putting the book together I decided that one way I could show respect for my victims was to begin each chapter of the book with a quote from one of the victims taken from the sentencing transcript. That afternoon, I sat in a courtroom where I had practiced law for 25 years and listened to my clients explain how my actions had affected their lives,” he said.

“I cannot describe the pain it brought to me and the pain endured by my clients. Following is the quote from Chapter 1. ‘I’ve known Mike and his family for 15 years. Our daughters are good friends. We have common friends in this courtroom right now and it really pains me. I’m sure his family feels the same devastation my family has felt. But….when I look at Mike I don’t see him as a victim of gambling addiction. I see him as a cold, calculating criminal’.”

While Burke says the vast majority of people can gamble without any harmful consequences.

Studies have shown that only a small percentage of people develop a compulsive gambling problem.

“Unfortunately that small percentage of the population turns out to be a large number of people. And that number has a staggering effect on family and friends. I strongly suggest to my friends in recovery for substance abuse (alcoholism) that they should never gamble. The vast majority of compulsive gamblers I have met come from a substance abuse background, either themselves or somewhere in their family history,” he said.

He can be reached at neverenough@w5.com.

15 January 2013

Jones Bahamas

Caribbean Blog International

The upcoming gambling referendum is not about PLP or FNM... ...It is about country first... ...The way to box the choice on January 28 is to vote NO on web shop gaming ...and to vote YES on a national lottery

For sake of country: Vote no on web shops
Front Porch

BY SIMON


The biggest loser in a yes vote to “support the regulation and taxation of web shop gaming” will be the Bahamian people.  It should be noted that while that is the language of the proposed referendum question, the issue is really whether to legalize what is currently a criminal enterprise.

The chief honchos of a yes vote on web shops want a no vote on a national lottery: Just about everybody wins with a national lottery, while only a few win with the legalization of web shops.
For the sake of country, Bahamians should vote no to the greed of a few who may literally laugh all the way to the bank, if not seek to open a bank, to deposit their jackpot of profits galore.
The crap game to allow for the legalization of web shops has generally been promoted by a coalition of self interests bent on maximizing personal gain and greed at the expense of the broader interests of the vast majority of Bahamians.

The big winners in a yes vote may be a briar patch of certain criminal enterprises and their paid agents, alongside a wheel of fortune of certain politicians in hock to their paymasters.
Then there are certain reverend gentlemen who are delighted to have the money changers right up front in the sanctuary of the temple.  The love of money may be the root of certain evil inasmuch as it may be the root of hypocrisy of biblical proportions.

The legalization of all forms of gambling is opposed by some.  For others, various forms of gambling are not inherently unethical.  For the latter, the ethical and policy questions concern what forms of gambling and how gambling is to be administered, regulated and taxed.

These ethical and policy questions involve what kind of lottery system would be best for the country in terms of who would receive the greater benefit of funds generated by a lottery.

Initiatives

With a national lottery, most of the funds should go to the Public Treasury, utilized for public purposes like a greater number of scholarships for students, more financial support for culture, sports, youth programs and other initiatives of social good.

A concern and caveat: It remains uncertain what the government means by a national lottery, who will run such an enterprise, and how profits are to be distributed.

But, if there is a majority yes vote on a national lottery, it can be redeveloped into a more progressive lottery over time if the current administration fails to develop the type of national lottery more beneficial to the greater good.

In voting yes for web shops, the bulk of the millions would be jammed into the already overflowing coffers and overstuffed vaults of a few to be used for their private pleasure, making some people wealthier while starving the public purse of badly needed funds needed to empower working Bahamians.

In saying yes to web shops, voters would be saying a resounding no to the needs of the children and future generations of Bahamians.  In terms of social justice and the needs of the poor and working class Bahamians, a government-owned national lottery is overwhelmingly more in the interest of the country.

The intense yes vote drive for web cafes has littered the country with billboards, t-shirts, broadcast commercials, social media efforts, jingles, giveaways, rum-soaked parties and other means of enticing and inducing voters.

Was any of the largesse for this slick campaign from illegally-derived funds?  What does it say about our democracy if the funds for certain campaigns related to the yes vote are not from legal sources?  And how much have they spent?  Millions?

Does the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) have reason to investigate the source of funds being used to run certain broadcast ads?

Unseemly

The yes vote extravaganza has a democratic right to engage in such an orgy and frenzy of enticement and inducement.  Yet it has mostly been unseemly.  Some of the activities coincided with the Christmas season, mocking the spirit of gift-giving by raffling gifts more out of seeming self-interest than true generosity.

In many lower income neighborhoods there are signs encouraging poorer Bahamians to vote yes to further enrich numbers bosses secure in gated enclaves where they may count their many millions in splendor and comfort.

What will help to educate and empower greater numbers of poorer Bahamians will be the greater amount of dedicated funds from a national lottery rather than the lesser amount of taxes derived from the proceeds of web shops.

It is nauseating to watch as some pretend to be Robin Hood, though they more resemble the Sheriff of Nottingham, who happily banked the wealth of the poor to enrich his pocket and ambitions.  And, make no mistake, the web shop millions are made up of the dollars of many Bahamians who can least afford it.

The ratings group Moody's Investors Service recently “downgraded its sovereign credit rating for The Bahamas by one notch to Baa1, citing limited economic growth prospects”.

With the need for increased revenues relative to the government’s annual deficit and the country’s overall debt, a national lottery would generate a greater amount of funds dedicated to various areas of the national budget, especially those areas that are likely to be the first victims of spending cuts.

A national lottery is no panacea on issues of deficit and debt.  But a national lottery may better help to address both more so than legalizing web shops, from which the country would generate less critically needed revenue.

Those uncertain as to whether they will vote, have a self-interest and a patriotic obligation to vote.  In abstaining from voting, one may very well help advance the narrower interests of some.

The upcoming referendum is not about PLP or FNM.  It is about country first.  The way to box the choice on January 28 is to vote no on web shops and to vote yes on a national lottery.

thenassauguardian

• frontporchguardian@gmail.com
www.bahamapundit.com

Caribbean Blog International

I support a national lottery, web shop gaming and casino gambling for all and sundry... ...The upcoming January 28, 2013 referendum is shamelessly flawed in the absence of the casino gambling question...

By Dennis Dames



As I listen to the various perspectives on the January 28, 2013 referendum questions, a few thoughts continue to come to mind.  The first one is: it appears to be all about satisfying web shop owners.  The next is: the lottery question looks to be a smoke screen, or a get out the vote tactic to ensure that the web shop question successfully receives the desired YES votes result at the end of the day.  The last is: The casino gambling question for natives is noticeably absent from the proposed ballot.

The latter thought is where the beef exists for me.  It is black Bahamians telling the electorate that Bahamians are not cultured enough to gamble among tourists.  They say that we do not know how to behave, and all we would do is harass the other guests.  How insulting and wicked our black leadership – after forty years of independence could be?

How could the black leadership in The Bahamas today continue to discriminate against the masses?  It is unconstitutional to provide casino gambling in The Bahamas for visitors and not Bahamians.  It would have been a golden opportunity to resolve this matter once and for all on January 28, 2013 – when the number kingpins hope to get their prize.

I support a national lottery, web shop gaming and casino gambling for all and sundry.  The upcoming referendum is shamelessly flawed in the absence of the casino gambling question – in my view.

With this in mind, this voter is not motivated to go to the polls on referendum day – January 28, 2013 - to make Flowers and company happy; and leave discrimination in place in regards to the casino gambling question for the Bahamian masses, who are primarily black people.

Caribbean Blog International

There are numerous benefits that can be derived by voting YES in the impending January 28, 2013 referendum

Why vote? Why vote yes?


BY PHILIP C. GALANIS



This year, as we begin to celebrate 40 years of independence, the Christie administration is determined to focus the nation’s attention and get its input on several important matters that have either been present in our lives for the past four decades, or that may become an important part of our future.  In order to accomplish this objective, Mr. Christie has foreshadowed three instances in which his government will invite the populace to express its views on issues of national importance.  The first will be a non-constitutional referendum on regulating and taxing web shop operations and establishing a national lottery on January 28 of this year.

Secondly, a constitutional referendum is foreshadowed sometime before we celebrate our 40th independence anniversary. The government also plans to conduct another non-constitutional referendum on the issue of whether or not to permit oil exploration in our pristine waters sometime thereafter.

This week we would like to Consider This… in the upcoming referendum on January 28, should Bahamians vote and how should they vote?

An historical first

This month’s referendum will be the first time in Bahamian history that a non-constitutional referendum will be held.  We have heard the objections of some who ask: Why do we need a referendum on these matters?  The simple answer is that a referendum is not really required.  However, unlike his predecessor in office, the current prime minister is a consensus builder, a quintessential democrat who believes that such fundamental policies should be informed by public discourse, debate and deliberation, not just the Cabinet or prime ministerial directive.

The religious argument

There are some in our society who have sought to reduce their opposition to the regulation and taxation of web shops and the establishment of a national lottery to Biblical precepts.  However, they are hard-pressed to support their tenuous positions.  There is not a single, direct Biblical text which posits that participation in gaming activities is either sinful or offensive to God.  Not one!  Sure, there are some references that can be “interpreted” as tangentially supportive of such an hypothesis, but as regards a specific divine prohibition, the Scriptures are silent.  The infinitely more learned theological scholars who head the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Methodist congregations in our community have themselves resisted such an untenable translation of the Holy Scriptures.  It would be instructive for the uninformed to read the pastoral letters that were recently issued by the Roman and Anglican prelates on this subject.  So much for a firm basis for a religious argument against the subject of the referendum.

The economic argument

If we accept the assertions of experts in The Bahamas, the gaming industry here is just that – an industry.  The web shops, by their own admission, account for an annual turnover of $300 to $400 million and employ more than 3,000 Bahamians, arguably our third largest industry after tourism and financial services.  This revenue, however, remains outside the real economy because we have chosen, like the proverbial ostrich, to bury our heads in the sand and quietly pretend that it does not exist.  The unfortunate reality is that such denial has the effect of criminalizing the activity of at least 50,000 participants, keeping it in the “underground economy”, unregulated and untaxed.  The same can be said for the operators who have personified an entrepreneurial spirit.

If we conservatively accept that the taxes that we do not collect from this industry represent at least $10 million annually, an extremely conservative estimate by any stretch, then, since our independence 40 years ago, the government has failed to collect a minimum of $400 million in tax revenue during that period from this underground economic powerhouse.  Imagine what could have been accomplished by having that kind of revenue stream in our public coffers over the past four decades.  Imagine what kind of good could be done for our future by introducing that kind of revenue stream now.

This injection of revenue does not include other benefits such as payroll, contributions to National Insurance, telecommunications and electricity income, rental income and stamp taxes from financial and real estate transactions, just to mention a few.

The ethical argument

There are ethical considerations that should be factored into the gaming equation.  The current state of affairs criminalizes persons – both operators and participants – who engage in such gaming activities.  On the one hand, because of the existing legal construct, we have accepted that it is perfectly permissible for Bahamians to participate in lotteries and other gaming activities when we travel abroad.  However, the minute we return to our shores, we are instantaneously morphed into criminals if we wish to engage in the very same activity in which we participated abroad.  This reality represents the highest form of hypocrisy and is symptomatic of a severe case of national schizophrenia.  Such behavior results in a form of national insanity that borders on the idiotic.

Why vote? Why vote yes?

There are numerous benefits that can be derived by voting yes in the impending referendum.

• A yes vote will legally recognize a reality that has been an integral and ingrained part of our community and culture for many decades.

• A yes vote will positively contribute to our national coffers by providing additional revenue that is presently beyond the reach of the government.

• A yes vote will enable us to truly diversify our economy.

• A yes vote will foster a well-regulated industry that will emerge from the shadows into the light.

• A yes vote will open a new industry not only for the present operators, but also for those who qualify for future operations.

• A yes vote will open this industry to also include groups of entrepreneurial Bahamians as well as companies who could finance their gaming enterprises by offering shares to the public, making this industry truly open and owned by the public.

• A yes vote will enable the government to have additional funds to allocate for education, sports, culture and public health initiatives.

• A yes vote will open the possibility of creating a school of entrepreneurship established by these Bahamian entrepreneurs who can also impart their industry experience by mentoring young Bahamians.

• A yes vote will prevent us from having to continue to expend exponentially large funds in policing an illegal and unregulated industry.

• A yes vote will enable us to prevent the possibility of falling into the trap of having our country blacklisted by powerful forces beyond our borders who will surely insist that we are contributing to money laundering and the funding of terrorist activities.

Conclusion

In the upcoming referendum on January 28, it will be important to exercise our right as citizens to be heard when our government asks our opinion.  If we do not use this, our very first opportunity to be heard in this manner, we endanger ever being asked again.  This is an expensive exercise that government will not likely undertake again if the citizens do not respond.  Should the turnout be small, history will see this as a setback to the broader and more inclusive new democracy we are being offered with this referendum.

On referendum day, it will be important for us to vote and to vote yes.

• Philip C. Galanis is the managing partner of HLB Galanis & Co., Chartered Accountants, Forensic & Litigation Support Services. He served 15 years in Parliament.  Please send your comments to:pgalanis@gmail.com

January 07, 2013

thenassauguardian

Caribbean Blog International