The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

A SURE Win does not intend to lay off workers from its web shop operation, Human Resources Manager Kimberly Bodie said yesterday.

Ms Bodie expressed commitment on behalf of her company to work with the government in ensuring the success of the web shop industry despite the regulation compliance costs that some have said are too high.

Her comments – at a $2,000 cheque presentation to the Community Leadership Centre (CLC) to help with its after-school learning programme – come amid concern about job security in the industry as web shops deal with regulations in the wake of the Gaming Act that was enacted last month.

A Sure Win has about 170 employees, Ms Bodie said, and has 17 stores in New Providence and 15 throughout the Family Islands.

“We did not have any layoff exercise and we are not about to have any,” she said. “We’ve kept 90 per cent of our staff complement throughout the year of our existence and so in terms of going through that layoff process, we did not have a need to.

“What we did, because we knew that (the Gaming Act) was (coming) on stream, was be proactive in our approach and so from the outset, from July 1 we were ready. We had initiated a compliance programme with our employees who are trained in terms of KYC (know your customer), in terms of anti-money laundering and so we prepared our employees for what’s to come and in so doing we also prepared our customers (for changes).

“In terms of the process towards obtaining a licence, this has been ongoing for us. We don’t just find ourselves stuck trying to get everything off the ground now, but we have initiated a lot of programmes and we rolled out new rules and policies to ensure that we are in full compliance with the regulatory bodies.”

Among the rules, Ms Bodie said, is one requiring customers seeking to withdraw funds from their accounts to present proper identification in keeping with know-your-customer standards.

“Any individual that comes to withdraw funds then needs to present the valid identification which is your valid passport, your valid driver’s license or the new National Insurance Board (NIB) photo card,” she said.

When asked about the compliance costs associated with the new gaming regime, she replied: “One of the things we’re very glad for is that the government lived up to its promise in terms of regulating the web shops and so we want to join in and we want to adhere to all that is required. In terms of our fees, this is something that we are going to continue on with so whatever regulation initiatives or implementations or rules we have to abide by, A Sure Win is prepared to go ahead and abide them.”

As for the company’s donation to the CLC, Ms Bodie said it is a part of the company’s efforts to give back to the community.

Chet Pratt, director of CLC, expressed excitement at receiving the donation, adding that the money will expand the programme’s suite of learning software.