Autopsy Report on the January 28, 2013 Gambling Referendum

By Dennis Dames

The so called gambling referendum is history, and a resounding no - is the order of the day.  Punch drunk and shell shocked is the yes crew - as they ridicule the opponents of web shop gaming, and a national lottery.

Who called the game in the first instance, and why were they so persuaded that yes to their questions of legitimizing web shop gaming, and instituting a national lottery would have prevailed at the end of the day?

The intelligence of the Bahamian electorate has been underestimated once more.  It is a known reality that gambling is not a productive enterprise for the masses; especially the poor and financially struggling brothers and sisters.

The number bosses and their millions were no match for a people who are demanding a productive economy where vision, industriousness, hard work,  dedication and the work ethic are the status quo.

The proponents of the gambling referendum questions are now blaming the church and opposition politicians for their scandalous defeat at the polls on January 28, 2013.  They are simply sore losers who believe that democracy is a one way street.

The number kingpins made a dreadful error by proving a partying electorate with food, liquor and good music from start to finish.  They had also tried to use their dirty cash to buy yes votes – to no avail.

The lesson of the gambling referendum is found in the following Aesop quote: Beware that you do not lose the substance by grasping at the shadow.

Caribbean Blog International

Since the General Election in May 2012, the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and Prime Minister Perry Christie have undermined the democratic process in The Bahamas... ...We suggest the Bahamian public ignore the PLP’s pro-gambling propaganda ...and vote NO in Monday January 28, 2013 Referendum

Vote no

The Nassau Guardian Editorial

We congratulate the government on its resounding success to undermine a democratic process.  The gaming referendum has descended into a political spectacle besieged by lies and pathetic explanations.  How can we place confidence in a government that belittles the intellect of Bahamians?

The Nassau Guardian will not surrender its integrity to the Progressive Liberal Party’s campaign to swindle yes votes from unsuspecting Bahamian voters.  We give this government a vote of “no” confidence and encourage our readers to do the same and vote no.

The government repeatedly denies a position on the gaming referendum, yet it continuously retracts statements from party members.  Such blatant support by the prime minister and his party reveals not only a flawed process, but a biased one as well.

On Sunday, January 20, PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts said: “The PLP urges all Bahamians to see the broader national picture and vote yes on Referendum Day.”

Roberts went on further to say: “The PLP is now obliged to encourage Bahamians to make this bold and progressive step in the economic interest of the country by voting yes on Referendum Day.”

This was said only for the chairman to retract his party’s position later that day.

“It is well documented that I support a yes vote in the upcoming referendum and I do so proudly,” Roberts said.

“Many in my party agree; some do not.”

For a prime minister who did not want his party to influence votes, many of his party members have been vocal supporters of the yes vote in the referendum.  Christie skirts the issue of his position with forward-leaning statements on the anticipation of web shops being made legal.

“People are anticipating that it would be legal.  So when we started off and I talked about a limited amount of licenses, it will be interesting to see how many applications there will be in the event of a yes vote because there has been a tremendous increase,” he said.

But Christie meets a potential no vote with apprehension and reiterates the problems and costs of enforcement.

“Whether it’s a no vote, it’s going to be a tremendous cost.  The state will have to pay for directing resources to assist in setting up a regime to enforce the no vote and that will require a significant amount of money.  And I presume those people who [are] advocating are aware of that,” he said.

Furthermore, Christie laments the impossible nature of stopping Internet-based gaming and cites the possibility that Craig Flowers may continue operations from the Turks and Caicos unimpeded.

“Mr. Flowers, I’m advised, is licensed in the Turks and Caicos Islands to conduct gaming and I presume that he is able to do that and still conduct his Internet gaming from the Turks and Caicos,” he said.

“I don’t want to suggest anything otherwise.  What we have to deal with is how does one go about addressing Internet gaming.  It’s a very difficult subject – the impossibility of stopping people from what they want to do.  Laws haven’t been designed by man that have effectively stopped that kind of illegal or irregular operation.”

Though Christie bemoans the annoyances of a no vote above, such statements pale in comparison with his brazen comments that a no vote would lead to unemployment and higher taxes.

“We are going to have a real situation that we would be confronted by for a no vote, because yes these people will either have to go deeper underground illegally or we will have to find a way to find alternative employment for them,” he said.

The proliferation of illegal gaming operations has allowed for the employment of numerous people.  However, for the prime minister to indicate that a Bahamian voter who votes no is responsible for this possibility of unemployment is unacceptable.

It is absolutely astounding that the prime minister can claim no position when he continues to reiterate the problems of a no vote.

Christie as prime minister of The Bahamas is being less than honest with all of his utterances on the referendum other than for his outright preference for a yes vote.

Since the election in May 2012, the PLP and Christie have undermined the democratic process in The Bahamas.  We suggest the Bahamian public ignore the PLP’s pro-gambling propaganda and vote no on Monday.  Misleading statements inherently breed distrust and this government has made a mockery of the referendum process.  The Bahamas needs more than ever a prime minister who upholds his position and leads Bahamians.

January 24, 2013

thenassauguardian editorial

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

2013 Gambling Referendum Issues: ... ...since we are dealing with gaming ...the question as to whether Bahamians and permanent residents ought to be allowed to gamble in the casinos of The Bahamas should have been a consideration by way of the impending January 28, 2013 referendum

Democratic National Alliance (DNA) Press Release: Christie Government....A Missed Opportunity

Three weeks before the Referendum on Gaming, the Christie Administration has revealed the questions to be posed on the 28th January 2013. In a National Address to the nation last night, the Honorable Dr. Bernard Nottage said that the two questions are: Do you support the regulation and taxation of web shop gaming and do you support the establishment of a National Lottery?

There are concerns with these questions as presented.

Firstly, are the two questions going to be on the same ballot or will there be two distinct questions? This has to be clarified and we ask the government to clarify their position as soon as possible.

Secondly, in connection with the question…Do you support regulation and taxation of web shop gaming, this question presupposes the legalization of web shops. The question should have been, “Do you support the legalization, regulation and taxation of web shop gaming?” The question for the Christie Government is what about the legalization of web shops and its operations? This concern seems to have been overlooked by the government.

The fact of the matter is that no matter how you vote in connection with this question, there is a predetermined position. If you vote yes…then regulation and taxation would be in place. If you vote no…then web shops and their operations would remain in the same position as they were prior to the referendum. I ask the government to kindly answer this particular concern. What happens to the web shops if there is a no vote for its regulation and taxation?

In addition, what regulations are we, the Bahamian people voting for? This government has not informed the Bahamian people of this information. Do they intend to do so before the referendum? I think it is necessary. Further, how would taxation be effected? We have no answers to this! If it is regulated, are there going to be any sanctions placed on those who were operating unregulated for all these years? What would be the preconditions to those who wish to be regulated?

In connection with the question on the establishment of a National lottery, what has caused the Prime Minister to change his mind on this question? You would indeed remember that during the election campaign the Prime Minister said that they would hold a referendum on whether there ought to be a national lottery. After the election, the Prime Minister said that he consulted with a foreign entity and was advised that a national lottery would not work in the Bahamas. This certainly is indicative that the Prime Minister did not do his research prior to the election and during the campaign said certain things for political expediency! Now the Prime Minister has placed the question of the National Lottery on the ballot. The question we, as Bahamians, would like to know is what changed the Prime Minister’s mind. We have not todate seen the report as mentioned previously, we are not aware of how much we, the Bahamian people, had to pay for the said report and no explanation has been given to the Bahamian people as to why the Prime Minister is now rejecting the conclusion of the report. The Prime Minister was elected by the Bahamian people to act on their behalf and in the best interest of the Bahamian people. We are entitled to know the answers to these questions!

Finally, since we are dealing with gaming, the question as to whether Bahamians and permanent residents ought to be allowed to gamble in the casinos should have been a consideration by way of referendum.

The government has a lot of questions to answer and again has missed a prime opportunity to properly enhance our democracy!


Branville McCartney
DNA Leader

Caribbean Blog International