By AVA TURNQUEST
Tribune Chief Reporter
aturnquest@tribunemedia.net
FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday criticised the proposed Gaming Bill as a “charter for law breakers and the select few”.
In the wake of criticisms levelled by PLP MPs, Dr Minnis charged that the Bill rewarded alleged campaign financial backers, while guarding their privilege, by restricting licence applications to an invitation-only basis for new entrants.
He called the new Bill a “violation of every principle of trust, accountability, transparency and fairness owed by a government to the people”.
“Obviously this provides a distinct competitive advantage to existing law breakers and the select few,” he said, “because the members of the Gaming Board would have no way of knowing which persons, who have not been previously involved in the illegal web shop rackets, who might now wish to become involved in the business – unless they employ a psychic to help in reading minds.”
Dr Minnis said: “Further, the Bill does not provide a statutory procedure by means of which a new, intended operator might make his intentions known to the Gaming Board, so as to receive the required ‘invitation’ to apply for a licence.”
Existing franchise holders are also given “built-in” competitive advantages under the new legislation, according to Dr Minnis, who pointed to similar restrictions on the right to apply for Gaming House Premises and Gaming House Agent.
He called the legislation an entirely new form of “institutionalised unfairness” in the industry.
Dr Minnis said the tabling of the legislation in the absence of an apology for wasting millions on the non-constitutional referendum “opinion poll” evidenced the “depths of the Prime Minister’s breach of trust and insincerity”.
Nothing was done to shut down web shops following the outcome of the Gaming referendum, and the Prime Minister’s ultimatum for the illegal businesses to close, according to Dr Minnis, who called the Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade “weak, hand-wringing and excuse-making”.
He said Mr Greenslade has given the public “every lame and sorry excuse that he could think of to not enforce the existing gambling laws”.
He charged that his party – if elected – would amend referendum laws to ensure that all referendums were binding on future governments.
“Having taken the nation through a meaningless public relations
exercise and opinion poll called the Gaming Referendum, and having
committed to respect the results of that failed referendum, Perry
Christie has shown that his word as the nation’s leader cannot be trusted,” Dr Minnis said at a press conference yesterday.
He confirmed the party’s position against the legalisation and regularisation of web shops was unchanged despite differing opinions by “any number” of members as individuals.
In spite of this, Dr Minnis charged that the Bill also created a “distinct competitive disadvantage” against web shop licensees, who will be limited to “face-to-face” interaction with domestic customers.
The Bill allows casino operators at hotels to apply for a “restrictive interactive gaming licence” so that they can market services for internet-based casino gaming to customers who live in countries where such activities are permitted.
“The same illogical unfairness is shown in the continuing prohibition of Bahamian residents,” he said, “who may be guests of the various hotels, from gambling in the Casinos or utilising the mobile gaming services which will now be offered to other, non-resident, hotel guests. “
Dr Minnis said it was “illogical in the extreme” for the government to continue to perpetuate discrimination towards Bahamians after deciding to “opt for an all-out embrace of the culture of gambling”.
The party is also against changes to the requirement for public notification on meetings of the Board to consider gaming licence applications. The existing legislation mandates that the place and time of meetings must be announced by the publication of a notice.
Instead, Dr Minnis said the new Bill only calls for the publication of each application. While meetings still will be open to the public, only a registered objector to the application will be notified of the meeting and given the opportunity to state his objection, he said.
“Obviously the government feels that the job of rewarding financial backers and the select few must take place in secret,” Dr Minnis said.
“Like the manner in which we woke up one day to learn that the management of the Harrold Road Dump site had been turned over to a foreign company, Renew Bahamas, incorporated in the law firm of Davis & Co, so the government apparently intends for the Gaming Board to secretly allocate licences and to divide up the spoils of victory among existing law breakers and the select few, and for Bahamians to find out about it after the deal is done.”
Comments
PKMShack 9 years, 7 months ago
Both seem to do for their friends and family, but the plp are more disrespectful in what they do. It appears that we still will be second class to the second class in our own country.
crabman 9 years, 7 months ago
God I love this country, where else but THE BAHAMAS, can you be a shining example of what is wrong in the world AND be in politics (in any party at any time)? Unless of course you would like to live in Syria or Iraq.
proudloudandfnm 9 years, 7 months ago
Logic would say that since Flowers has a criminal record he not be given a license....
proudloudandfnm 9 years, 7 months ago
Have to say though Minnis has stepped up to the plate. He is doing a much better of opposing now. Go dread! Still aint sure I want you to lead us into 2017 but I do see an improvement....
jackbnimble 9 years, 7 months ago
My sentiments exactly. Minnis is spot on in his assessment.
TalRussell 9 years, 7 months ago
by TalRussell
MaLambee 9 years, 7 months ago
He should shut up!!! because they do it too. Yes the PLP is probably more blatant for whatever reason, but trust me we all know that those two parties do it and its a crying shame that they get away with it over and over and repeatedly. At the end of the day they each point fingers instead of effecting real change or finding a solution. That man should be the last person to talk and the FNM will never ever win with him at the helm... sooner they realize that, the better
killemwitdakno 9 years, 7 months ago
Damn straight
"By 1998, the Antigua based online gambling industry had revenues of over $835 million." and they only have 100,000 ppl. "The Antiguan economy experienced solid growth from 2003 to 2007, reaching over 12%" https://www.cia.gov/library/publicati...">https://www.cia.gov/library/publicati... http://books.google.com/books?id=keuy...">http://books.google.com/books?id=keuy...
"Antigua and Barbuda relies on online gaming for a significant proportion of its foreign currency earnings as it seeks to lower its reliance upon the tourism sector." http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4...">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4...
"The global online gambling industry is reported to have clocked revenues of $20 to $50 billion in 2011 with 20,000 to 30,000 active online gambling portals."
"The popular Angry Birds game had 500 million downloads in 2011 with revenues of over $100 million." http://www.animerica.com/blog/banning...">http://www.animerica.com/blog/banning...
Case study overview http://calvinayre.com/2012/09/06/legal/">http://calvinayre.com/2012/09/06/legal/antigua-v-usa-online-gambling-trade-war-goes-thermonuclear/
"If online gambling is illegal in your area, and authorities discover that you've won money, your winnings could be forfeit." http://entertainment.howstuffworks.co...">http://entertainment.howstuffworks.co...
Obie bout $25 million in the next few years , he talkin Fuck.
see them set up https://www.islandluck.com/Default.aspx">https://www.islandluck.com/Default.aspx google trend http://www.google.com/trends/explore#...">http://www.google.com/trends/explore#...
The US is now also shutting down their internet cafes. "Ohio, Florida and Mississippi passed laws in 2013 banning Internet sweepstakes cafes, and similar bans are pending this year in Connecticut and California." http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/na...">http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/na... "More than $10 billion in revenue a year is the incentive to stay in business for these storefronts, numbering in the thousands"
http://www.turnto23.com/news/local-ne...">http://www.turnto23.com/news/local-ne...
Emac 9 years, 7 months ago
This is very useful information killemwitdakno! It is amazing how uninformed the dummies we have for leaders are regarding this market.
killemwitdakno 9 years, 7 months ago
retweeted by Ryan Pinder https://twitter.com/ifcreview/status/...">https://twitter.com/ifcreview/status/... who's also rushing us to WTO probably because Antigua and Barbuda filed a claim with the WTO for USD $3.4 billion in trade sanctions against the United States, along with a request for authorization to ignore U.S. patent and copyright laws. Operating as a base for numerous online gaming companies Antigua started to make serious revenue from their activities and by 2000 this amounted to $1.716 billion. Although WTO is the worst thing for us now and Antigua was awarded just awarded the island US$21 million. http://www.caribbean360.com/business/...">http://www.caribbean360.com/business/... US stakeholders after the WTO decision painted Antigua as a pirate nation bent on stealing US IP rights, despite the choice of cross-retaliation being fully authorised by the WTO dispute panel.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/markgibbs...">http://www.forbes.com/sites/markgibbs... Does Ryan Pinder not know that americans play online games for money anyway and fighting to make their law legal would work against us. There's something called an ip switch that people use all the time, most gamers don't even know web gambling is illegal and it's impossible to enforce. WTO for online gaming protection is definitely not how to do it, there's alternatives.
Much of the hundreds of millions or few billion may come our way all regulated by Obie alone. On top of that , the banks can't take their money so they require a separate bank http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_g...">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_g.... This needed a board.
where's a plan like Loretta's that gambling tax would reduce vat ??????????
TalRussell 9 years, 7 months ago
I totally disagree with the PM and his cabinet colleagues on bucking the voting "NO" voices of the people but let us not forget there were also red shirts candidates who accepted campaign monies from numbers operators - that's what makes leader Minnis words like a joke. Comrades how can there be even one Bahamalander, regardless of the party's colour of shirt you wear, who is not willing to forcefully speak-out, when your elected by the peoples government is about to pass a Bill in the Peoples "Honourable" House of Assembly, allowing for what is basically calling for expunging the law-breaking activities, all done in the wide-open, by the very people they are about to 'regularize." Yet, we have many of our citizens with maybe lesser minor offenses on their police records that is preventing them from obtaining the paychecks they seek and deserve. Have you in all your years seen anything so overflowing with shamefulness? PM YOU MUST KNOW your flawed "regularizing" of this numbers thing. does gives reasonable people cause be asking serious questions - could it be possible this is in some way closely tied to the PLP party's 2012 General Election campaign?
by TalRussell
NoNoNo 9 years, 7 months ago
What a mess.
http://s04.flagcounter.com/mini/kfoW/..." style="display:none" />
birdiestrachan 9 years, 7 months ago
Dr: Minnis is again talking from both sides of his mouth...He has no sense of logic ..But surely there is no reason to attack the Commissioner of Police. Attack Politicians if you must, but not the Commissioner. Who is not a politician. It is the wrong thing to do. But then again Dr: Minnis seems not to know right from wrong. He appears to be a man who resides in a wilderness of confusion..
killemwitdakno 9 years, 7 months ago
isn't the requirements for the license part supposed to be scrutiny? but instead newcomers will have to bribe Obie. real smart to make it hard for the next angry birds and all those ready for itunes app store who might even be foreign experts who's professional reputation could build our online games. There's tech giants who lose key members because their residency isn't straight, maybe we could have an exception to "bahamians only licenses" when it's in start up fields that will need their diverse audience to initially grow. Isn't that what Baha Mar is going to get? we're so backward that online gambling are the most advanced websites here these mix up residents use, so much for a bait to encourage folks into technology. "invitation-only basis for new entrants", you know they're lying to all those minions about possible entry to casinos then if they don't even want let the qualified game builders or web casino hosts register to possibly be approved. y'all could go right ahead and mess this up then. haven't even got to the lotto part, or the other parts yet idiots but the bill finish. hey i'm not getting consultant fees or finders royalties and ain't no resume submit http://bahamalandhosting.com/applicat...">http://bahamalandhosting.com/applicat... and probably not an invite should i ever actually find a reason to want one ( perhaps due to starvation from vat on food) , and the people said no ( thinking they'd lose due to winnings being taxed), nor do i condone gambling recreationally sooo... enough thought on this complete BS. probably shouldn't help all the other eager islands reading.
killemwitdakno 9 years, 6 months ago
Updates. nice http://www.thenassauguardian.com/news...">http://www.thenassauguardian.com/news...
Well_mudda_take_sic 9 years, 7 months ago
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
killemwitdakno 9 years, 7 months ago
They never got that far . If FNM was dong the referendum , we would have had much more info about it before hand and it would have been a different outlook. The no vote was not to do with people being against gambling. And the FNM's introduction of this wasn't mainly about locals. It would have been more about the lotto than webshop internet games.
PKMShack 9 years, 7 months ago
New Leadership is what we need. Only thing I have no idea where to start. All of their hands are dirty, have to choose the worst of 2 evils. Who screws the country the least. New blood is needed in every area. PM on down. Can't get any worst
digimagination 9 years, 7 months ago
Everybody bickering about gambling... Easy come easy go, well, how about encouraging people to try doing an honest day's WORK instead?
John 9 years, 7 months ago
The best way to stop the gaming conytovesy is to stop gaming
killemwitdakno 9 years, 7 months ago
What about conditional tax that we should only be taxed if the debt/gov revenue ratio is x ? ( and debt could also include a budget for prospective projects) . Or are we to expect it to keep growing and never to go back to lenient tax? why isn't anyone talking about ways to pay off the current debt since it will only grow? what's the point of anyone helping, or anyone accepting vat or any government revenue plans if there's no fiscal reform which is a aim to minimize debt and the affects of tax! No tourist wants to visit and expensive places that also has tax. No foreign supplier wants to be entangled with vat.
SP 9 years, 7 months ago
"Former Haitian president placed under house arrest on corruption charges"
http://www.winnfm.com/news/regional/9...">http://www.winnfm.com/news/regional/9...
Where does the PLP & FNM fit into this picture?
killemwitdakno 9 years, 6 months ago
When Perry regretted having to say Haitian Aristede was wrong for being a crook
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