The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

A Cabinet Minister said yesterday that ‘plenary’ or absolute web shop operator licences are “about three months away” from being granted, although concerns remain over ongoing legal disputes and how they might affect the process.

Obie Wilchcombe, who has responsibility for the gaming, told Tribune Business that the Gaming Board was now ensuring that the eight operators were fulfilling the necessary requirements before the granting of plenary licences.

Those companies include the FML Group of Companies Limited trading as (t/a) FML Webshop; GLK Ltd t/a A Sure Win; Jarol Investments Ltd t/a Chances Games; Paradise Games Bahamas Ltd t/a Paradise Games; Playtech Systems Ltd t/a Island Luck; T.I.G Investments Ltd t/a Percy’s at The Island Game; The Four Point Group Trading t/a Asue Draw + Spin; and Bahama Dream Web Café Ltd t/a Bahama Dreams.

“We’re just ensuring that all the things we asked them to have in place, be in place, and we will proceed with granting the licences,” the Minister said.

“That includes internal security controls because we are very concerned, as we must be, about money laundering. That’s a major issue, so we have to make sure that the systems are in place. We have to make sure that everyone on the properties are properly licensed, that they are conforming to the zones we put out there.”

Mr Wilchcombe added: “Many are in areas that are 100 feet from a school, a business community and close to playing facilities for children.

“We want to make sure that that does not exist. We understand that in the case of some they might have rented a place, and so we have to allow for the lease to expire. I think we are about three months away from conclusion.”

The Minister added that a significant difference remained between the Government and the web shop industry over mobile gaming.

“The only issue that has come before us is mobiles. They believe that they should be able to utilise their mobiles,” he said.

“That’s the only issues we have on the table right now that they have talked about. We are looking at it, and our consultants have told us to not move on that at the moment, but we can look at it down the road.”

The Gaming Board, in a recent newspaper advertisement on the reduction in the number of domestic gaming premises, said that proximity to educational institutions, places of religious worship and residential areas is a key consideration for licensing such locations.

The Gaming Board also called for the police to “affect the overdue closure” of Bet Vegas, the only operator not to receive a conditional license.

Anthony Brown, Bet Vegas’s president, slammed  the Gaming Board’s latest pronouncement. He has long argued that Bet Vegas was the only web shop chain established after the sector was legalised.

Bet Vegas is seeking a Judicial Review of the Gaming Board/Government decision not to grant it a licence, and obtained a December 18 court Order that stayed an earlier decision overturning the block on its closure.    

Also, as reported by Tribune Business last October, the Government had been urged not to grant a gaming licence to Craig Flowers’ FML Group of Companies, due to the eruption of a legal battle between shareholders of a rival web shop chain it acquired.

That plea came from Albert Rahming,  who had alleged that the sale of the Noble Stakes Ltd/Fantasy web shop group to FML was improperly consummated with him not receiving payment. His former business partners, have, however, dismissed his claims.