The Tribune

By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

WEB shop operator Bet Vegas has been ordered to “shut down all” operations by Monday, December 7, according to a statement from the Gaming Board.

Bet Vegas was one of nine gaming houses that applied for a gaming house operator’s license, however its application was rejected and the business was ordered to cease operations in October.

At that time, Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe said the company did not meet the “critical standards and benchmarks” that related to “each applicant’s qualification and eligibility to hold a gaming house operator license,” as well as “attributes central to the current and prospective financial viability of the applicant”.

And, by virtue of its disqualification, Bet Vegas was also found lacking the “capacity to create and maintain employment and generate tax revenue”.

Bet Vegas was originally ordered to close on October 26.

However, one week later, the web shop filed court documents against the attorney general, the commissioner of police and the minister of tourism, preventing the police from closing them down.

Yesterday, a statement from the Gaming Board said the Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the court order filed by Bet Vegas to be “set aside with immediate effect.”

“On October 26, 2015, Justice Roger Gomez handed down an ex parte order giving Bet Vegas Casino liberty to operate until the hearing of an appeal application and suspending the Gaming Board closure notice dated October 19, 2015,” the statement said.

“On Tuesday, December 1, 2015 upon hearing a motion to set aside the October 26, 2015 injunction filed by the Attorney General’s Office, it was ordered that the ex parte order be set aside with immediate effect. The principal of Bet Vegas, who was present when the ruling was handed down, has since been advised by the Gaming Board to cease its operations by Monday December 7, 2015.

“Further, the public is advised that as Bet Vegas is not licensed to conduct gaming transactions, they should not engage in any gaming activities at any Bet Vegas locations and should seek to retrieve any and all funds held on account with the company.”

The web shop operators granted licenses are: FML Web Shop, A Sure Win, Chances Games, Paradise Games, Island Luck, Percy’s at the Island Game, Asue Draw + Spin, and Bahama Dreams.

Mr Wilchcombe previously said that the annual license and monitoring fees would be $250,000 per operator, $2,000 per premises and $1,000 per agent.