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

The January 28, 2013 Gambling Referendum Questions are: ...Do you support the regulation and taxation of Web Shop gaming? and... Do you support the establishment of a National Lottery?

Gambling Referendum Questions Revealed

By LAMECH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

THE TWO questions for the January 28th gambling referendum that will decide the future of gambling in the Bahamas were revealed last night by National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage.

In his national address to the country, Dr Nottage announced the questions in accordance with the order of Governor-General Sir Arthur Foulkes who, yesterday, ordered for a referendum on the issue to be held on January 28.

“As stipulated by that order,” Dr Nottage said, “Bahamians will be presented with two questions.”

“The first question reads as follows; Do you support the regulation and taxation of Web Shop gaming? The second question reads as follows; Do you support the establishment of a National Lottery?”

Voters, he added, in accordance with section 59 of the 2012 Referendum Regulations, must “place one cross only in the space opposite the word ‘yes’ if he supports the question, or in the space opposite the word ‘no’, if he does not support the question.”

“Fellow Bahamians, the procedures to be followed in the conduct of this national Referendum for the most part mirror those that are followed in voting at General Elections for members of the House of Assembly. However, in the case of a Referendum there are no political candidates. Instead, as indicated there are questions to which the voter is to answer either “yes” or “no”. A “Yes” vote means you support the question and “No” vote means you do not.”

“The result of the poll will be determined by a simple majority of the number of “Yes” versus the number of

“No” votes”, the national security minister said.

The Parliamentary Commissioner will hold a briefing session with Local Observers to advise them of their role in the referendum prior to the advanced poll.

Dr Nottage also emphasized that only those who were eligible to vote in last year’s general elections will be allowed to vote in the polls of the gambling referendum.

“Persons who reached the age of eighteen (18) after May 7th and all other eligible Bahamians who have not yet registered may still do so. The voters register will close on the 10th January 2012. Anyone not registered by then will not be eligible to vote.”

In last night’s address, important dates in lead up to January 28’s referendum were also touched on.

The Parliamentary Commissioner will publish notification of the Referendum tomorrow January 4. The Voter Register closes on January 10 and January 19, the Voter Register will be certified by the parliamentary commissioner.

Regarding persons interested in voting but unavailable on the day in question due to being out of the jurisdiction or other reasons, the minister said that an advanced poll will take place on January 21.

“On Monday, 21st January, 2013 an advanced poll, inclusive of overseas voting, will take place. Qualified persons who are desirous of voting in the advance poll either as an overseas voter or a special voter have until Thursday, 10th January, 2013 to submit the relevant completed application form to the Parliamentary Commissioner.”

“For those persons who reside overseas, a completed Form J must be submitted. Special voters, namely election officials, those who on referendum day are likely to be hospitalized, undergoing medical attention, etc., must complete Form K.”

While it was noted that there would be no election agents in the referendum, regulations “empower” the minister to appoint a maximum of three local observers per polling station to ensure fairness of the process “including at least two persons representing the views of those members of the public interested in the “yes” and “no” vote.”

“The appointment of the Local Observers shall be made in writing and signed by the Minister,” he added.

The minister concluded his address by highlighting the importance of the populace voicing their issue and position on the regulation and taxing of Web Shops and the establishment of a National Lottery.

“Let me remind you, that while for the purposes of the efficient management of the Referendum you will be voting within your constituency, the results of the Referendum will be determined by a simple majority of the total number of votes cast nationally for each question.”

“The Government is committed to participatory democracy and believes in the timeless tenet that public policy should consistently reflect the collective will, desires, aspirations and sensibilities of you the Bahamian people. We pledge to be guided by this fundamental ethical and democratic principle through all of our deliberations on your behalf.”

“The Government of The Bahamas encourages all Bahamians to exercise their right, to express their views freely, to conduct themselves peacefully and to be tolerant of the views of others,” he concluded.

January 03, 2013

Tribune 242 

Caribbean Blog International

If there is to be a gambling referendum, it should address the big three: ...casino gambling, a national lottery and online gambling/web shops

Is The Gambling Referendum Worth The Time?

By NOELLE NICOLLS

Tribune Features Editor

nnicolls@tribunemedia.net

THE upcoming referendum is really yucking up my vexation. I join the chorus of Bahamians encouraging the government to put a proper referendum forward; one that is worth suffering the inconvenience of going out to vote. There is no shame in doing the right thing.

My concerns, however, do not echo some of the popular discourse. I for one believe some of the complaints represent plain ole “bad mind”: grudgfulness and hypocrisy. And I have no intention of perpetuating that.

If the government is going to put a question to the Bahamian people by way of a referendum, it has a responsibility to educate the Bahamian people about the question and the premises upon which it is based. It is completely inadequate for the government to say it is staying out of the fray. Gambling in the Bahamas is a complex issue and an uninformed public serves no one.

My first point explores the issue of web shops. There is a major point that seems to be eluding the government and many observers; Web shops in the Bahamas are licensed businesses. They are not illegal operations, even though they function within grey confines of the law.

Bahamians tend to make generalised statements about gambling being illegal. However, there is a big difference between something that is illegal (meaning, something that contravenes the regulations set out in a particular statue) and something that is simply unregulated. In reality, much of what web shops now do is not illegal: They are simply not regulated.

Those distinctions may seem meaningless as Bahamians discuss the matter over the airwaves. However, they are very real in the face of the law. The legal experts employed by web shops are well aware of this, and they use it to their advantage. Let us not forget, the attorney for one of the web shops was a former member of parliament.

These businesses are not fly by night operations. They are run by astute businessmen with sharp attorneys. To date I am not aware of any successful legal challenge which resulted in a web shop license being revoked or a web shop being closed. To the contrary, web shops continue to grow and expand.

I am no legal expert, but it is obvious that loopholes in the law have enabled web shops. The real crime is not the business acumen and legal prowess of gambling bosses, it is the shortsightedness and perhaps ineptness of subsequent governments in failing to get ahead of the industry, which is surprising considering the House of Assembly is riddled with lawyers.

On this point there has been zero accountability, and it has left the Bahamian public confused and uninformed about the issues. The Free National Movement (FNM) is grasping at straws to criticize the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) led government, but neither party has clean hands.

Government regulations have simply not kept pace with the evolution of the numbers business. The failures have created grey areas in the law that makes it near impossible to regulate the industry or prosecute its players. This is particularly true as it relates to the wire transmission of wagering information (online gambling).

Bahamians are still applying an old school way of thinking about numbers to an industry that has made quantum shifts. Long gone are the dice and paper days when underground gaming houses actually pulled numbers. The business model has changed.

Technology – specifically the advent of online gaming – has given gambling bosses the ultimate opportunity to step out of the shadows onto the frontlines having no regard for the Lotteries and Gaming Act.

Web shops are some of the most technologically advanced businesses in the Bahamas. They have invested millions in technology. They purchase world class software from the same providers who supply banks and other companies in the financial services industry. They use sophisticated systems that are elusive. The laws or law makers simply did not anticipate this sort of development.

A consumer can setup a charge account with a web shop and from the comfort of their own home gamble online. Without unjustifiable invasions of privacy on the part of the government, such a practice is impossible to prohibit.

A web shop can set up a computer lab and provide Internet access to its consumers and free itself of responsibility as to what its customers do online: write a business proposal, read soap opera news or gamble online.

Online gaming has become so popular with women that they now comprise the largest share of web shop customers, according to inside sources.

It has created a completely new and extremely profitable revenue stream for web shops.

The laws that govern the gaming industry are highly technical. When online gaming exploded, it made international regulators dizzy. Online gambling houses were able to exploit a host of loopholes and grey laws.

There is still a raging global debate about how and if to regulate or prohibit online gambling. Bahamian regulators are far behind on the learning curve.

Last week, Gaming Board Chairman Andre Rollins questioned the legality of bets being waged using lotteries from in the United States. He said the government would have to look into the practice if the referendum were to pass. This investigation should not take much time.

According to industry insiders, it is perfectly legal to use publicly broadcast US lottery numbers in the way they are currently being used locally. A Bahamian, who wages a bet on the Miami lotto, for example, is not buying into the Miami lottery. They are on betting they can guess the outcome of the Miami lottery. Third parties are not permitted to use the logos, slogans or trademarks of the originating lottery. The results, however, are public knowledge, and third parties are free to use these numbers how they see fit.

International sports bookies do a similar thing when they establish bets on various national sports associations, such as the National Basketball Association (NBA). International bookies cannot use NBA trademarks, but they do not need permission from the NBA to establish a bet around which team might win any particular game.

How does this relate to the referendum? For one, it complicates the matter highly, because the Prime Minister has said, should the people vote no, he will enforce the law and shut down web shops. That sounds good, but a government cannot arbitrarily shut down a business or revoke a business license. The business has to have committed an actionable offence. If the legal experts can effectively argue that existing statutes do not regulate the activities they engage in, then the government would have no legal basis to shut down web shops. They would have to enact new laws before they could touch the web shops.

Web shops are not going to roll over and disappear. They are going to fight. I do not say this having some special insider information. It is only logical. It is a million dollar business and the industry’s financiers are heavily invested. Alternatively they will return to the shadows or take their business outside the country.

Understanding all of this, I maintained the view from before the general election that a referendum on web shops made no sense. It was an unwise populist promise. I still hold this view. Anyone with eyes to see knows well that gambling is by and large embraced by Bahamians.

There are as many web shops in the Bahamas as there are churches and liquor stores. Perhaps the Bahamas Christian Council is jealous.

I heard Mario Moxey of the Bahamas Christian Council (BCC) making asinine arguments on the radio the other day about morality and gambling. Morality is irrelevant to the public policy question at hand.

I am not questioning the BCC’s right to spiritually advise its believers about the immorality of gambling. Christians have a right to hold the view that gambling is a sin. I do not believe they have the right to impose that view on others, or to insist public policy reflect that view. But I understand the church is desperately trying to be relevant.

Walk through the doors of a web shop on any given day at any given time: There will be people standing on line or sitting in front of the computers who do not agree with the BCC’s perspective. They do not see gambling as wrong. And it is their right to feel that way.

Gambling may very well be immoral within the Christian worldview, but is that really a basis on which the government should use public policy to prohibit all Bahamians. Is there a valid case that can be made against gambling that should not also apply to alcohol or tobacco consumption? Clearly not.

The government needs no permission to eliminate the grey areas which have enabled web shops to thrive. And the law as it stands empowers the government to grant exemptions for specific types of gambling, whether a church raffle or an internet gaming shop. It is largely because of the vocal opposition of the church and its political implications that the government has not and would not act. The PLP gambled that a referendum would provide the cover to act, one way or the other.

The government has tangled itself in a real web. Should the people vote no, the government will have an even bigger mess on its hands and the potential political fallout will be far worse that what currently exists.

The tide seems to be turning against the government and not for any reasons relating to how Bahamians actually feel about web shops or gambling. The perceived backtracking on the national lottery election promise and the lack of transparency around the government’s foreign consultants is pissing the public off. It has raised suspicion of kickbacks. The public seems ready to vote no, just to spite the government. If that happens, the referendum will have caused much more problems than it is worth: unnecessary problems at that.

I am undecided about going to cast my vote in the referendum; I feel it will be a waste of my time. The referendum addresses nothing of substance and there are no stakes in it for me. I am not a gambling enthusiast, although I have patronized web shops before. So I would suffer no great loss should web shops be closed down, but I would also take no offence if they remained open. So why should I go vote?

Casino Gambling

I would go out and vote for a constitutional worthy gambling question.

The government currently upholds a policy which allows non-Bahamians to gamble inside the Bahamas, while prohibiting Bahamians from being able to do so. Is such a policy discriminatory and/or unconstitutional and should it be upheld? These issues are referendum worthy.

The current casino policy is clearly discriminatory. It was instituted during a time when Bahamians were seen as irresponsible and incapable of handling the freedom to gamble. It was enacted by the government under pressure by the church lobby pedaling the same social mayhem theory as today. It was objectionable then and it is objectionable now.

There is no way a foreigner should have the right to engage in any activity in my country that I have no right to participate in. For me, there is no other argument.

A layman’s reading of the constitution, specifically Article 26, which deals with how the constitution defines discrimination, suggests that the existing casino policy is not unconstitutional. It seems the crafters of the constitution fashioned a specific clause (26.4e) to satisfy the church and casino lobby. (Thanks to Dr Ian Strachan for opening up the discussion on this issue).

The clause prohibits discrimination except where the law makes provision for “authorizing the granting of licenses or certificates permitting the conduct of a lottery, the keeping of a gaming house or the carrying on of gambling in any of its forms subject to conditions which impose upon persons who are citizens of The Bahamas disabilities or restriction to which other persons are not made subject.”

In essence, it seems the discriminatory practice existed prior to the drafting of the constitution, and this clause was included in the constitution to secure the status quo and to protect against any legal challenge to the establishment.

The clause does not, however, obligate or compel the government to support the policy, which quite clearly discriminates against Bahamians. It only provides legal cover to the government if it chooses to support such a policy.

Should the government support a policy that discriminates against Bahamians gambling in casinos? No. If the government wished to have a referendum to affirm the will of the people on this particular issue, it would certainly be a vote worth casting. Why? Because it affirms a basic yet fundamental principle of freedom and sovereignty.

The government would show real leadership by putting this question to rest.

If Bahamians had more access to gambling opportunities there are obviously risks, but the social mayhem theory being pedaled is a fantasy. The gaming industry should not be a free for all. There should be government regulation and protections put in place to address the social concerns. But history has shown the futility of prohibition and wisdom compels us to err on the side of freedom of choice.

I will discuss the national lottery issue in detail next time. For now, I will say the government’s actions have raised serious questions about transparency and due process. It makes no sense to start the argument with questionable evidence that concludes a national lottery is not feasible. A referendum is needed to establish the will of the people. If the Bahamian people desire a national lottery, then the government should undergo a rigorous and transparent process to create one. It has been done before in comparable jurisdictions and unless we are inept a national lottery can apply here.

There is obvious interest in a national lottery and the government’s actions fly in the face of the public. As I understand it, there may be a new announcement coming as early as today addressing the government’s position on this.

I will end where I started: There is no shame in doing the right thing. If there is to be a referendum it should at least address questions worth suffering the inconvenience of going out to vote. If there is to be a referendum, it should address the big three: casino gambling, a national lottery and online gambling/web shops. The government has kicked the bucket down the road for too long. Let us not waste anymore time.

November 12, 2012

Tribune242 

Caribbean Blog International

...the Bahamian government has got its gaming policy wrong ...it should implement a National Lottery rather than look at legalising web shop operations (“personal rackets") - says international regulatory expert and mayor of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago - Louis Lee Sing

Gaming Expert: Government Wrong To Legalise 'Rackets'

By NATARIO MCKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

An international regulatory expert yesterday said the Bahamian government had got its gaming policy wrong, arguing that it should implement a National Lottery rather than look at legalising web shop operations he described as “personal rackets”.

Louis Lee Sing, mayor of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago’s capital, told Tribune Business that gaming must be operated or managed by the state, not left in the hands of a few select citizens.

Mr Lee Sing, a former chairman of Trinidad’s National Lottery Control Board, who was instrumental in helping to reform the gaming business in that country, was a presenter at yesterday’s session of the Bahamas Institute of Chartered Accountants (BICA) accountant’s week seminar.

Mr Lee Sing, who made it clear that he had no vested interest on the outcome of the December 3 referendum on whether or not to legalise web shop gaming, told Tribune Business: “The Trinidad and Tobago lottery has proven to be a success story.

“Between 2010 and 2012 it has generated roughly $5 billion T&T dollars. The highest contributing game to it is a number game we used to call Whe Whe, which we turned into a game we call Play Whe. All of this is online, and it provides the kind of transparency needed in something like gaming.

“Gaming in any society must be operated by the state. If it is not operated by the state it must be managed by the state, and so the question is not whether to regulate it but how to regulate, when to regulate and where to regulate.

“If you approach it from that perspective, the question really answers itself. In Trinidad and Tobago we have allowed the online games to grow, to prosper and it has given every Trinidadian the opportunity to participate without any hanky-panky, corruption or fraud.”

Mr Lee Sing further added: “What you have here, I suspect, is something different than we have in T&T. My fear is that you are about to legalise something that ought not to have been in the first place. People can’t be allowed to run their own rackets, as it were.

“I sense that the Government, rather than go the way of legalising the web operators, should be moving as it were to introduce a National Lottery.

Of course, the web operators could be a part of a national lottery because if they are taking bets now for other kinds of games, they would be permitted to take bets for the lottery by putting in a terminal, but they would not have ultimate control over the terminal."

“My argument is that the all the men who currently run web shops or internet cafes should be asked to continue running Internet cafes and, if they wish, they could apply for a lottery terminal and they would be playing by the rules of the state. They would not be able to do hanky panky and money laundering.”

The Christie administration’s consultants, Dixon, Wilson & Co, ruled out a National Lottery for the Bahamas on the grounds that there would not be enough interest, especially given the competition from Florida.

But Mr Lee Sing said that it was in the best interest of “countries, the people and economies” to legalise and regulate gaming.

“It’s important that the Government of the Bahamas take control of the lottery,” he said. “In taking control of the lottery the Government must ensure that people across the Bahamas are allowed to play the lottery simultaneously.

“If those fellows who are running these Internet cafes want to be a part of the dance, let them buy the ticket and come in. Let them buy a lottery terminal that can be placed in the cafes, so that they can have a chance to be a part of the process, but you cannot leave it in the hands of a few select citizens at the expense of everyone else.”

Outlining some of the benefits of legalised gaming, Mr Lee Sing said: “If you legalise gaming you are going to create employment and organise sustainable employment at varying levels.

“You would be making varying contributions to the state. You are going to be given an opportunity to do clearly defined good projects. You will ensure the collection of fees and taxes. You will ensure that there is transparency.”

November 07, 2012

Tribune242

Caribbean Blog International

The government may not include the question of a national lottery on the upcoming gambling referendum ...after consultants had expressed concerns over the feasibility of such a scheme ...says Prime Minister Perry Christie

Lottery question may not make it to referendum

TANEKA THOMPSON
Guardian Senior Reporter
taneka@nasguard.com

The Christie administration may not include the question of a national lottery on the upcoming gambling referendum after British consultants expressed concerns over the feasibility of such a scheme, Prime Minister Perry Christie revealed yesterday.

Christie spoke to The Nassau Guardian minutes after he and Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe, who has responsibility for gaming, ended a conference call with the consultants in London.

He said the advisors expressed worries that a national lottery catering to a small country like The Bahamas might not be as attractive as larger games of chance with higher cash prizes in the nearby United States.

“The consultants have a number of concerns about the feasibility of a lottery in the sense of whether or not there is a sufficient market here to sustain a lottery as opposed to web shop operations,” Christie said, after Cabinet broke for lunch. “Again, we indicated that what we have to do is determine whether the lottery would be a lottery of 300,000 Bahamians or five million visitors that come to The Bahamas or if it’s on the Internet whether there is anything to prevent people in Florida from being a part of the lottery that takes away from Bahamian winnings.

“One of the considerations obviously is that we give very careful consideration to whether or not we want to proceed with the lottery as opposed to the web shops.”

When asked if the question of a national lottery might no longer be included in the gambling referendum, Christie said he was unsure and is awaiting more guidance from the consultants.

“It could be, I’ve indicated the question,” he said. “I don’t know, I’ve asked for a specific advice. It came up in our discussions and you rightly asked the question, the response is they had some concerns about it and they expressed those concerns. The concerns had to do with whether or not it could be a sustainable activity in The Bahamas. So we’ll look at it very carefully moving ahead.

“I said I would bring complete focus to it after the by-election.”

The prime minister said the consultants also spoke of the “urgent” need to regulate web shops due to the large sums of money passing through the establishments unchecked.

“. . .In looking at the web shop operations they have given us some reasons to consider why there is some urgency in being able to regulate them. That for really good order in the country and for consistency in terms of how you regulate people who have access to large sums of money that there is an urgency behind this whole thing that we weren’t quite aware of but now we’re bringing focus to it.”

Christie has previously said that the planned referendum on gambling will ask voters to legalize web shops and/or establish a national lottery. A date for the vote has not been set, however, the prime minister has said that he hopes the referendum would be held by the end of the year.

Christie added that the consultants indicated that government needed to tweak draft gambling legislation left in place by the Ingraham administration.

“So we have been reviewing now who we should really retain to assist us with the drafting of what can be a set of complex regulations to monitor and account for these operations,” he said.

Last week, Christie said he received the consultants’ initial report. He has now requested that the advisors present a more detailed report so that the public can have as much information on the issue ahead of the referendum.

Oct 10, 2012

thenassauguardian

Caribbean Blog International

The referendum is about whether or not we have a national lottery ...whether or not we legalize the web shop gambling ...Full stop. ...It’s not about whether Bahamians gamble in casinos,” ...says Prime Minister Perry Christie

Taking it to the people

Casino question to be absent from ballot, but heavy considerations loom

By Candia Dames
Guardian News Editor
candia@nasguard.com

The government may be making a bold move in putting the controversial gambling question to the people, but it is not prepared to go the whole hog and possibly reverse a decades old discriminatory law that prohibits Bahamians from gambling in local casinos.

Although Prime Minister Perry Christie had previously made it clear that casino gambling will not be up for consideration when a referendum is held, some people still appeared surprised to hear him repeat it last week.

“The referendum is about whether or not we have a national lottery, whether or not we legalize the web shop gambling. Full stop. It’s not about whether Bahamians gamble in casinos,” Christie said.

There were those who questioned the logic behind the government’s decision to leave this discriminatory law as is, but instead allow Bahamians to vote on whether to legalize numbers houses and establish a national lottery.

As the government prepares to encapsulate the complexities of the gambling issue into perhaps a few simply worded questions, the age-old debate on gambling is already reaching fever pitch.

Church leaders are doing battle; numbers bosses have formed a coalition and pledged money for an education campaign; talk show hosts and journalists can’t seem to get away from the topic and everyday citizens are debating the issue on the streets, in bars, restaurants, on editorial pages and everywhere else.

A referendum on gambling was inevitable no matter who won the recent general election, as the Progressive Liberal Party, the Free National Movement and the Democratic National Alliance all promised to put the question to the people.

Just how widespread illegal gambling operations are is unknown.

Back in 2006, Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe reported that there were at least 45 illegal gambling houses in New Providence and 12 in Grand Bahama, and 60 percent of the population was spending anywhere from $1.8 million to $2 million locally and abroad on games of chance each week.

Kenyatta Gibson, who at the time was chairman of the Gaming Board, reported that The Florida Lottery had conservatively estimated that Bahamians playing the Florida Lottery were spending US$100 million every year.

It is not clear whether ahead of the 2012 referendum the government will make public in very specific details how a legalized gambling industry would work, or wait to provide such details if a majority of voters vote in favor of legalization.

The opinions of members of government are also unclear as the government seems determined to remain neutral, at least for now.

When the Ingraham administration revealed in 2010 that it was considering legalizing the numbers business, Christie, who at the time was leader of the Official Opposition, said the PLP’s parliamentary caucus did not have a formal position on the matter.

“The Opposition has always up to this point treated gambling as it did with capital punishment where it’s a vote of conscience...We have members who are church members in a meaningful way in our grouping in the PLP, who I know flatly will support the position of the church and there are others who will take a different point of view,” he advised.

All that is clear now is there will be a referendum at some point and that casino gambling will not be on the ballot.

Historical perspective

Gambling has existed in The Bahamas “for forever”, in the words of former parliamentarian George Smith, who said the law that still prohibits Bahamians from gambling in local casinos is steeped in racism.

“When they thought of putting casinos in prior to 1967 we have to remember that many of the tourists who came to The Bahamas at the time came from segregated states in the United States where people of the different races didn’t comingle, and when they came here there were segregated hotels,” Smith explained.

“Blacks couldn’t go in the British Colonial at one point and there were hotels, over-the-hill hotels, boarding hotels where blacks went.

“…Primarily at the time it was not about keeping the tourists separate from the high-end, wealthy Bahamian or the senior British and other civil servants or foreign people working for the hotels and other work permit holders.

“They didn’t really have them in mind but they couldn’t well say ‘Okay, we’re going to have a policy where the average Bahamian couldn’t gamble, but the Bahamian from the Eastern Road could’.  So they said, no Bahamian, no resident, no work permit holder.  It was reflected in the gaming and lotteries legislation.  So that was the genesis of the policy.”

Smith opined that the time has long passed to do away with the discriminatory legislation like the law against casino gambling for Bahamians.

“We have to address it,” he told The Nassau Guardian.

“Now when we talk about what kind of society we want, we have to decide whether in 2013 (the 40th anniversary of our independence) we want a society that still permits a facility of this country that nationals of the country cannot enjoy.

“If we want an enlightened nation, then we have to approach these things with the facts up front and we cannot say that if we have lottery in The Bahamas or legalize the numbers business it’s going to cause crime, that prostitution is going to go up.  There is no evidence to support this.”

He noted that the constitution has a savings clause that saved into law all acts that were in existence prior to July 10, 1973.  The gaming legislation was one of those acts that were saved.

The gambling debate, as noted, is not a new one.

In a December 20, 1974 position paper titled “A Christian response to the proposal of the Bahamas Government to assume control of the ownership of casino gambling operations in The Bahamas”, Pastor Rex Major took a detailed look at the issue and laid out a case for why gambling goes against Christian principles.

His position is not unlike that being taken today by many clergymen.

Major pointed out that on November 28, 1974 the Pindling government announced on the floor of the House of Assembly its intention to assume ownership and control of casinos in The Bahamas as of January 1976.

Major argued that the philosophy of casino gambling denies the ideals of a new nation.  The Bahamas at the time was just over one year old as an independent nation.

He further opined that gambling condones a lifestyle in which economic considerations are more important than moral ones.

“Gambling encourages a reckless parasitic approach to life in which one human fleeces another with no genuine personal regard for his neighbor’s welfare,” he wrote.

Major wrote that it is “not morally right to fleece foreign brothers so that our coffers can be full, by allowing them to pursue a course of action within our nation, which we deem demeaning for our own people.

“Such an attitude denies the genuine principle of the Christian faith that each of us has a responsibility to allow only the best and noblest for our fellow creatures…To promote casino gambling, therefore, as is intended, is to promote an exploitation of the worst kind.”

He also wrote that the expansion of casino gambling was an act of “blatant hypocrisy” when one looked at the position of “seemingly alert and concerned leaders” relative to the numbers racket.

Over the decades, casino taxes have been an important source of revenue for the Bahamas government.

Prime Minister Christie announced recently that a new casino will open in Bimini in December and will provide 300 new jobs.

Enforcement

While Bahamians cannot legally gamble in local casinos, many are gambling online already in the comfort of their homes, and many web shops have a casino style element.

While opponents of gambling dismiss the enforcement argument as a lame excuse to push for legalization, it is not possible for the government to stop Bahamians who want to do so from gambling.

Prime Minister Christie, however, has promised that the laws against gambling would be strictly enforced should a majority of Bahamian voters say “no” to legalization.

A commitment to enforcement of course has huge implications.

Assuming the political will exists, the police would have to find the necessary resources to crack down on these illegal operations and the police themselves — who following the government’s lead have for many years turned a blind eye to illegality — will have to find the will to enforce the law.

Additionally, several thousand people would be out of work, thereby worsening unemployment, and that would have a trickle down effect.

It is doubtful the Christie administration would have the political will to strictly enforce the laws by shutting down illegal operations and putting so many people out of work.

Advancements in technology create further challenges for enforcement.

Views

While casino gambling will not be on the ballot, owners and operators of the few existing legally operating casinos in The Bahamas have been careful not to wade too far in the gambling debate.

But they are not fearful when it comes to expressing their views.

President and Managing Director of Kerzner International Bahamas Ltd. George Markantonis said the Paradise Island property is obviously conducting its operation according to the country’s laws.

Markantonis said, “We’d be delighted if there was a method to allow locals to participate in games of chance in the casinos, but realize that there are reasons why the rules are in place today. So we will wait and see what shows up in a national referendum and what the public debate leads to in the future.”

Asked if having locals gamble in the Paradise Island casino would be good for business, he noted that it would be beneficial for the company.

Baha Mar executive Robert Sands advocates limited relaxations of casino gambling regulations, although he did not go into great detail when he spoke with The Nassau Guardian.

“I believe that gaming regulations as written today do not put The Bahamas in a very competitive position and require a major overhaul if we are to level the playing field certainly in The Bahamas and be competitive with other jurisdictions…in North American and Europe and Asia,” Sands added.

Although the government will not have to consider the implications of Bahamians gambling in casinos — at least not this time around — establishing a national lottery and properly structuring a legal numbers industry would require great effort on the government’s behalf.

A “yes” vote would be just an initial step ahead of the real work; a “no” vote could strain the government’s commitment on the enforcement question.

July 16, 2012

thenassauguardian

Caribbean Blog International

Bishop Neil Ellis urges members of the Christian community to “stand firmly” in opposition to the Christie administration’s planned referendum on illegal gambling and a national lottery

Bishop Ellis: Christians must stand firm against legalized gambling

Royston Jones Jr.
Guardian Staff Reporter
royston@nasguard.com

Bishop Neil Ellis of Mount Tabor Full Gospel Baptist Church is urging members of the Christian community to “stand firmly” in opposition to the Christie administration’s planned referendum on illegal gambling and a national lottery, so that “there would not be blood on our hands” if it is ultimately passed.

Ellis was one of several pastors who commented on the referendum promised in the Speech from the Throne read by Governor General Sir Arthur Foulkes at the opening of Parliament on Wednesday.

In its Charter for Governance, the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) committed to holding that referendum within its first 100 days in office.

Ellis told The Nassau Guardian that while the country might experience some financial gain as a result of regularizing gambling, Bahamian families are likely to suffer in the long run.

He said that in the past, many Bahamian families “lost everything” due to gambling.

He was referring to the Hobby Horse Hall, a horse racing venue where betting was legal decades ago.

“If we vote in favor we may benefit with the country gaining some type of revenue from it but we have people like those a while ago who lose everything and still have to come back to social services and drain the government,” said Ellis.

“You’d effectively be taking revenue in the front door and its goes out the back door. It’s going to be really important for the church community to lay its agenda clearly and concisely on the table so that if this is passed there would not be blood on our hands. But the government in its wisdom wants to bring some resolution to it and I applaud them for it.”

Bishop Reno V. Smith, pastor of Mt. Gilead Union Baptist Church in Eight Mile Rock, Grand Bahama, told The Guardian that while he was pleased the Christie administration thought it “proper and fitting” to put the issue to the Bahamian people, if the outcome was favorable, players of “games of chance” should not be permitted to be a further burden on the government.

“Should those people lose their houses, their homes, their incomes etc., I don’t think they should be allowed as gamblers to go to the Department of Social Services to be sustained by people like me and others who pay taxes,” Smith said.

“If the people decide that they wish to gamble, then that’s up to them. However, I would like to see all gamblers – players of games [of] chance – to be registered so that they would not be a further burden to the taxpayers of this country.”

The issue has been a prickly one for successive governments, as members of the Christian community have strongly objected to any hint of legalizing gambling for Bahamians.

Christian Council Treasurer Bishop Gregory Minnis of New Jerusalem Kingdom Ministries said that although he believes gambling is wrong from a biblical standpoint, he understood why so many people turned to the industry as a means of “pulling in a dollar” in light of the current state of the economy and unemployment.

“We (Christian Council) are strongly against gambling, but if the people speak and they desire for it then we as the church will have to say to our people to be mindful of how you accomplish your goals now, and how you accomplished all that you have before gambling came in,” Minnis said.

He also said that a national lottery would promote organized crime if it were not implemented properly by the government, and could further criminal activity in the country.

He added that the Christian community would be called upon to make its position “resoundingly” clear, and said he believes more people are opposed to legalizing gambling than are those who support it.

May 25, 2012

thenassauguardian

Caribbean Blog International

Gaming advocates want full gambling reform

By NOELLE NICOLLS
Tribune Staff Reporter
nnicolls@tribunemedia.net:


GAMING advocates are applauding the government for its decision to consider legalising the popular Bahamian pastime of playing "numbers".

However, some are of the opinion that government should go even further and reform the Gaming and Lotteries Act to also legalise casino gambling for all Bahamians.

"I think legalising the numbers game is a step in the right direction of course, but it is just one step. As an international person myself I have a lot of friends and guests who come here and go to the casino. It is embarrassing as a law abiding citizen to have to walk through the casino with my hands in my pockets," said Lincoln Bain, equal rights advocate, media personality and entrepreneur.

Mr Bain said the Bahamian public should not be fooled into thinking a referendum is needed to decide this matter.

He said Section 67J of the Lotteries and Gaming Act, which states that the minister responsible has the power to "make regulations regulating and restricting the admission of persons on premises licensed under this Act", is proof of this.

"The minister can wake up and say Bahamians can gamble. Only people making $50,000 per year can gamble; only Bahamians who have never been bankrupt, or Bahamians who have not been diagnosed with a gambling problem. He can also blacklist persons who are deemed unfit," said Mr Bain.

Last week the Free National Movement said the its council and parliamentarians favoured legalising gambling as it would bring major financial benefits to the government.

Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham said the government was consulting on the matter, although no final decision has been made.

Local advocates, like the Bahamas Gaming Reform (BGR) agree. In a press statement, the committee noted the new regulations could generate thousands of jobs and millions in incremental revenue for the government.

"In spite of the heavy sighs of relief from many quarters of the country, anything short of complete reform (permitting Bahamians to be stakeholders and players in our casino) will be an affront to Bahamians and only deepen the social divide as foreigners will again be afforded more privileges in this country," said Sidney Strachan, BGR spokesperson.

"With any progress there is going to be adverse affects. Hotel developments have a negative side. Progress always brings that. I am waiting on someone to show me any other country in the world where the entire moral fabric of the country was broken down or where there has been less productivity as a result of gambling. I am not sure where those people are getting their data from," said Mr Strachan.

The GBR has not been granted an audience with the prime minister, although representatives said they have spoken to Minister of Tourism and Aviation, Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, the minister responsible for gaming.

While the Bahamas Hotel Association (BHA) supports the concept of a national lottery and the legalisation of the numbers business, it is maintaining its opposition to total access to casinos for Bahamians.

"The BHA believes that gambling can and should be supported and expanded. We have presented a variety of positions to the competent authorities in government on gambling.

"The primary areas would have a direct incremental impact on the competitiveness of our business and allow access to new games and items present in international markets," said Robert Sands, BHA president.

Some of the recommendations made by the BHA relate to the Gaming Board's approval processes and initiatives to allow junket representatives, entertainers, and permanent residents with a certain level of net worth to gamble.

Mr Bain said there should be one moral standard for gambling. He said if the churches believe gambling is wrong they "should be in front of the casinos picketing".

"There should not be a law that allows some people to gamble but not all. There would not be a law to allow tourists to smoke marijuana and prohibit Bahamians, or for tourists to run the red light and not Bahamians. The whole law is ludicrous and reminiscent of the 1950s and 1960s segregation area," said Mr Bain.

April 21, 2010

tribune242

Bahamas Blog International

Time to be realistic about gambling

tribune242 Editorial:


TO GAMBLE or not to gamble, that is the question.

Former prime minister Perry Christie believes that to legalise "the numbers business" in the Bahamas would have "enormous implications" for the tourism industry as well as "deep social implications."

Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham has met with the Christian Council, which really represents the Baptist voice, a voice that is rigidly against gambling in any form -- as a matter of fact it is a tenet of their religion. However, there are other churches -- the Catholics in particular -- that use a benign form of gambling - bingo and raffles -- to raise funds to help operate their schools and various other organisations.

From time to time the police have raided the various numbers houses -- including the largest one of all, the Flowers enterprise-- vowing that as long as gambling remains on the statute books they are going to enforce the law and stamp it out.

And then there are the people, who are making a fool of them all. The numbers game has become a part of their religion, and police or no police, law or no law, they intend to play the numbers. Why even police officers have been seen at the numbers window waiting to take their chance. And we know of Baptists who have asked for birth dates, hoping that playing those dates will flip a few extra coins in their pockets.

Meanwhile, crime grows in our communities and society needs protection. There are not enough police officers to go around, so the Christian Council will have to make up its mind and face reality. Do these men of the cloth want the police to chase the numbers man, and his patrons, or the gun-toting criminal who breaks into their homes, steals, rapes and murders? A realistic choice has to be made.

The Council is adamant that gambling should be stamped out, rather than legalised and controlled. The numbers racket has been allowed to go on far too long in this county, so long that even a police state would find it impossible to suppress it. If government listens to the Council, nothing will be done and the street corner numbers racket and Flowers' more sophisticated operation will continue to flourish. The people will continue to make a fool of the law, and the police will be stretched thin in trying to chase both the harmless and the vicious criminal. It is now time that the Christian Council faces reality.

In discussing the matter in the House of Assembly this was Prime Minister's Ingraham's realistic view of the situation:

"Now, Mr Speaker, this society on a Sunday morning, you go to the gaming houses, to Flowers and those places, and it is like a bank on payday - government payday. They are set-up like a bank, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of places. Well, either we believe that it is illegal, or we believe that it should be legal," said Mr Ingraham.

"I told the commissioner of police last week, that it seems to me that we are unable to enforce that law, and that I was going to give consideration to legalizing the numbers business. Of course he didn't support me in that thinking, but the reality is that it is not an enforceable law. And the society is doing it everyday. There is webshop here, and a webshop there, all over the island," said the prime minister.

The phenomenon of webshops - gaming houses - have now spread across the Family Islands, noted Mr Ingraham, to places such as Abaco, Exuma and Bimini. He said of the phenomenon, "it's nationwide."

As it cannot be controlled, then manage it, and tax it to the point that its revenue can benefit all of the Bahamian people. Education, the medical facilities and sports all desperately need an infusion of funds to improve their services to the nation.

In Barbados, for example, the national lottery is made up of the Barbados Olympic Association, the Barbados Cricket Association, the Barbados Turf Club and the National Sports Council.

It was announced that GTECH Holdings Corporation has a management agreement to operate and manage the Barbados Lottery. During the 18-year agreement GTECH expects to generate revenues between $80 and $100 million.

Can one imagine what government could do with such funds?

The Bahamian people have already decided the issue. Regardless of the law, they intend to play their numbers. It would be better for all of society if this game of chance were decriminalized, taken in out of the cold and controlled by the laws of the land.

April 19, 2010

tribune242

Bahamas Blog International

The Bahamas needs tax and spending reform

By Youri Kemp:


I was listening to the news just recently, where Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, who also is the Minister of Finance, said something to the effect that he would not lean against anyone broaching the issue of taxing the illegal numbers racket in The Bahamas, by virtue of taxing the internet cafés that are reportedly "fronts" for internet gambling businesses.

However, I'm not quite sure how easy it is to tax the numbers racket through internet cafés in The Bahamas. For starters, you have to have them recognize that they are, in fact, running illegal gambling out of internet cafés -- considering that the authorities have not been able to produce solid evidence in order to prosecute anyone allegedly gambling in these establishments.

Secondly, what about the internet cafés that are legitimate internet cafés? Can't tax them... can you? Lastly, if I am running an illegal gambling racket through an internet café, then why would I want to pay taxes to the government for something I have been getting away with for so long?

Even if you put the work out for companies to bid on a national lottery, you still would be left at square one with the internet cafés that run the numbers racket and their subsequent prosecution.

It is no easy task and good luck to the persons tasked with sorting it out.

More importantly, however, if we have come to a point where we are speaking in open forum about taxing the numbers racket, seriously, it signifies that the government feels that The Bahamas is at a juncture where it needs meaningful tax reform for government revenue; the government, clearly, is not generating enough internal revenue in order to meet its obligations now; and that the prospects of meeting the debt service, is very bleak with the current system of taxation.

To be very blunt: the government has to tax. However, the term "tax reform” isn't necessarily supposed to have a negative connotation or stand for a pejorative slight of hand.

The word "tax", does evoke personal sentiments for obvious reasons and the word "reform" -- especially used by politicians -- is a code word of sorts for the refocusing of entitlements and simultaneously as a buzz word for business persons, which signifies more and unnecessary regulation. Which to business people means more time away from their business and more time dealing with a governmental agency with mentally challenged employees.

To be fair, government employees aren't mentally challenged -- although some who look like they shouldn't be makes one wonder -- and everyone doesn't understand what reform signifies -- either which way -- and no one wants to pay more taxes.

The truth is, however, The Bahamas government is in debt to over 40 percent of GDP -- with a widening deficit. Another clear fact is that The Bahamas doesn't have any streams of government revenue, other than from import taxes (where it gets over 50% of its revenue), National Insurance contributions, revenue from public corporations and government agencies and also through forms of public service charges and real estate; i.e., vehicle registration and real property tax.

Conversely, the Bahamas's tax to GDP ratio is about 18 percent. Which isn't that bad, considering Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad is at 32, 27 and 38 percent respectively. But, The Bahamas isn't just like any other Caribbean country -- we do things a little different.

Firstly, we don't produce many agricultural products for mass consumption in The Bahamas, neither do we have a large export sector in terms of people involved in exports, away from the concentrated profits some firms make.

Another concern that compounds the lack of efficient and beneficial dynamism in the market place as it relates to an optimal and targeted tax mix is the reliance of import tariffs for government revenue.

While The Bahamas does not produce over 80% of what it consumes, and with the tax system as basic as it is, it has to tax imports heavily. As a consequence, this puts consumers and more importantly, low income consumer, at a disadvantage as the tax burden is disproportionate to what they spend on taxes in relation to what larger corporations and high income earners pay. For example, a 50 percent flat tax on all consumer goods means more to someone who makes $20k per year than someone who makes $100k per year and a flat rate for business licenses, means more to the small business person than it does for a large corporation.

Moreover, large industries such as banking and shipping, are virtually untouched as it relates to taxation -- no capital gains or corporate tax. Even the export of fisheries products is untouched as they relate to export taxes.

Some may argue that these low taxes are the reason why these industries are so dynamic and successful. However, there is more to a successful enterprise than just low taxation -- location, barriers to entry and diversification, comparative and competitive advantages, come first and foremost for a successful enterprise.

More importantly, inequitable or no taxation, can be more destructive than high taxation. For political reasons, the need to keep such high-end entitlements incentivises corruption. Also, with regard to adequate funding for social programmes, people wishing to engage in such specialised enterprises face high entry costs that the consumer and subsequently the state ultimately must pay for.

Those additional barriers,decrease the tax base as persons begin to spend more of their disposable income in an effort to obtain the training and skills necessary to compete in and for what the marketplace offers, in addition to the high cost of private investment into such specialised enterprises.

What makes it worse is if the perception of risk through sacrifice made by individuals does not facilitate for the full cycle completion on endeavours. Or, the high cost for entry is private market based (cost for capital investment and cost for private education), where the government does not have a progressive, optimal tax mix and that tax mix model is not synergised to assist with the equitable development of the industry at all levels.

When such market failures occur, the government must spend on socio-economic policies that develop infrastructure and human capital.

Through all of this, I must state that the issues are more complex than just taxation. We need more bang for the buck and a re-engineering of our socio-economic programmes, in addition to doing more with respect to meaningful tax and spend policies that encourage economic growth, as well as lowering the private and public entry barriers to enterprise and skills training.

Before we begin the discussions on what forms of taxation we should have -- VAT, excise taxes, etc... -- or what types of spending we must endeavour, we must begin to frame the minds of citizens and add to the conversation of what the economic importance of tax and spending reform is and what that means to us all, as I hoped this article addressed.

April 19, 2010

caribbeannetnews

Bahamas Blog International

Bahamas: Committee looking at gambling for legal residents

By Keva Ligtbourne ~ Guardian Senior Reporter ~ kdl@nasguard.com:



The committee formed to comprehensively examine the country's gaming laws may be leaning toward recommending that legal residents be allowed to gamble in The Bahamas, according to Minister of Tourism Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace.

"In particular there is a group of people who are in The Bahamas whose income does not derive from The Bahamas, but they are residents in The Bahamas without the right to work," he said.

"In very many respects they resemble a visitor. So they are now prohibited under section 50 of the Lotteries and Gaming Act from engaging in gaming in The Bahamas. So that is something that we are taking a look at the possibility of enabling those persons to be considered, but that is not a final decision. A great deal of thought is still going into all of the amendments we have to make."

Bahamian citizens and permanent residents are prohibited from gambling under the current law. However, tourists are allowed to gamble.

Last year, Bahamas Hotel Association President Robert Sands said the BHA supported a national lottery and the amendment of the gaming laws to allow permanent residents to gamble in casinos in The Bahamas.

However, the BHA does not support extending casino gambling to Bahamians.

For years, the debate over whether Bahamians should be allowed to gamble in The Bahamas has been a hot topic across the country. There are those like the religious leaders who are adamantly opposed to the idea. Many of them believe it would contribute to the breakdown of families and the society.

Then there are others who say legalizing gambling in The Bahamas for Bahamians would help fund sporting activities, culture events and education, etc.

Over the years, successive governments have been reluctant to address the issue.

Vanderpool-Wallace insisted that the committee has not considered or made any suggestion or recommendation with regard to allowing Bahamians to gamble legally.

As the committee considers what laws should be relaxed as it regards gaming in The Bahamas, a group called Bahamas Gaming Reform continues to push to end what it says is discrimination.

The group's chairman Sidney Strachan, said: "In response to numerous calls and speculation that the government may be in the process of initiating changes to the current gaming laws, Bahamas Gaming Reform (BGR) applauds any move by the government to reform the country's [archaic] gaming laws. However, BGR stresses that it must be done right and not stop short of ending the blatant discrimination against Bahamian residents."

He said Bahamians are excitedly hoping that what has long been a national pass time — the numbers game -— may finally become legal.

"Bahamians will no longer feel threatened, terrified or harassed while harmlessly queuing up at local web cafes," Strachan said.

"In spite of the heavy sighs of relief from many quarters of the country, anything short of complete reform (permitting Bahamians to be stakeholders and players in our casinos) will be an affront to Bahamians and only deepen the social divide as foreigners will again be afforded more privileges in this country."


April 07, 2010

thenassauguardian

Bahamas Blog International

National Lottery for The Bahamas Later rather than Sooner

The Introduction of a National Lottery is not on the Front Burner in The Bahamas

Study Completed On Nat’l Lottery

By Candia Dames

candiadames@hotmail.com

Nassau, The Bahamas

30th June 2005

The Gaming Board has completed a report on the feasibility of a national lottery, but its Chairman Kenyatta Gibson indicated on Tuesday that it’s not something that’s likely to become a reality anytime soon.

"We’ve looked at it, with regards to the introduction of a national lottery," he told The Bahama Journal.  "That report for all intense and purposes is completed, and soon as we make it available to Cabinet, we would thereafter come and let the general public know exactly what’s going on with it."

But he said, "That’s not an issue on the table right now in any event, and I think once the time comes for the nation to deal with it, we would deal with it in earnest."

It is no secret though that Mr. Gibson is a strong supporter of a national lottery.

He has in the past pointed out that The Florida Lottery conservatively estimates that US$100 million is spent every year by Bahamians playing the Florida Lottery.

"This is money that we can keep here in The Bahamas," Mr. Gibson has said.

He has also suggested that the taxes from a national lottery could be used to fund universal free tertiary education for every qualified student.

In matters as contentious as this one, the most qualified forum to decide definitively on the issue must be the people, Mr. Gibson said in one of his speeches to the House of Assembly where he touched on the issue.

"On moral issues such as these, national referenda are necessary to discuss, assimilate and decide on various courses of action that must be taken on the gaming issue," he said.  "I believe that governance, real true democratic governance, is about adhering to the will of the people…The Bahamas cannot be standoffish."

Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe, who is responsible for gaming, also supports the introduction of a national lottery.

He has already revealed that 60 percent of the adult population of The Bahamas spends anywhere from $1.8 million to $2 million both locally and abroad on games of chance each week, and that there are at least 45 illegal gambling houses in New Providence and 12 in Grand Bahama.

"Our choices are very clear," Minister Wilchcombe has said.  "We must either strengthen the penalties for this illegal activity or we must find the formula to introduce a national lottery."

Mr. Gibson said on Tuesday that he expects that the new report will soon be made public.