Number-Houses Should Pay More
The Bahama Journal Editorial
By way of this commentary, today we insist that those who make it their business to sell numbers or any other games of chance should have their businesses taxed.
Revenues earned by the government could then be made available for socially useful projects. We believe that such a move would go a long way towards helping our society move forward.
While there are Bahamians who think otherwise, we say to them that there is no reason – morally or otherwise based – that would support the conclusion that the views of one fragment of this society could ever become the commonsense and law for the majority.
And so today we reiterate a point previously made when we suggested that, “…Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Hubert Alexander Ingraham is surely to be applauded for saying… that his administration might be minded to bring legislation forward that would legalize gambling…”
As we suggested then, “…Such a move would bring an end to an “illicit” industry that makes tens of millions of dollars a year and which employs hundreds; but which contributes little to the general good of the Bahamian people…”
When asked about the effectiveness of laws on the books concerning lotteries and gambling, Mr. Ingraham indicated that, “…The reality is that it is not an enforceable law… There’s a web shop here and a web shop there, all over the island. Abaco is now like a city. [There] are web shops in Abaco, web shops in Bimini, web shops in Exuma. It’s nationwide."
The prime minister also noted that in 1998, the Commission on Crime considered it to be a national scandal that while some of these laws remain on the book they are notoriously flouted.
The prime minister said there are many casinos in The Bahamas – and he wasn’t referring to the one on Paradise Island, the one in Cable Beach, or any of the other legally operating casinos in The Bahamas.
"The reality is, Mr. Speaker, either change the law or you enforce it."
We agree.
We go further by suggesting that, gambling – whether legally or illegally conducted – is big business in The Bahamas.
It is also a fact of life in The Bahamas that there are people who do not and will not gamble whether every legal impediment is moved now, later or never.
This is so because they consider the matter wrong and not in their best interest. Interestingly, this logic applies to other types of morally wrongful behaviour.
Here we might use as an example that steamy sin that comes with the label adultery. The truth is that while this activity is sinful, it has not been criminalized; and we say, rightfully so.
By the same logic, those people who wish to gamble should be able to do so without fearing that they might – on some given day- be locked up.
In addition, there is no gainsaying the fact that, gambling – as it currently exists – does not provide the government as much money as it might.
It is also a fact of life in this country and in a slew of others around the world, that gambling is a national past-time. For some Bahamians, playing numbers has become a most welcome past-time.
We are told that there are clergy, police officers, lawyers, teachers, secretaries and a host of other so-called ordinary Bahamians who just love to gamble.
Clearly, most of these people wager for the fun of it all.
And so, the fact remains that, once given even half a chance, there are very many people who are prepared to spend some of their hard-earned money on gambling and games.
Some of these people play these games for the sheer fun of it; while there are some others who play to win; but no matter why they do so, there are people who pay –as they say- to play.
Popular lore is rife with anecdotes concerning how this or that person struck it rich after playing their favorite number or who might have won a little fortune by playing the Power-ball.
But even as we take note of these facts of life; there are other stories that turn on some of gambling’s supposedly deleterious side-effects; with these supposedly inclusive of any number of challenges facing families as they try to balance their family budgets.
In addition, we know it for a fact that, there are some religiously inclined Bahamians who decry this national past-time; this because they believe that it is a bane and an outright evil.
While these people do have a right to their views; they should also reason and thereafter understand that, they too are called to recognize that, Caesar is to be paid in his own coin.
And for sure, Bahamians who wish to gamble away some of their money should be allowed to do so.
November 11th, 2010
The Bahama Journal Editorial
A political blog about Bahamian politics in The Bahamas, Bahamian Politicans - and the entire Bahamas political lot. Bahamian Blogger Dennis Dames keeps you updated on the political news and views throughout the islands of The Bahamas without fear or favor. Bahamian Politicians and the Bahamian Political Arena: Updates one Post at a time on Bahamas Politics and Bahamas Politicans; and their local, regional and international policies and perspectives.
