The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

A leading web shop operator  yesterday urged the Government to clarify how many gaming house locations will be allowed to remain open, adding: “You have to start everyone evenly.”

Craig Flowers, chief executive of the FML Group of Companies, said: “The Government says to us what the starting number of locations is, and if some have more than that, then give us six months to close down and choose which of those we want to keep within the confines of the numbers.

“For those who have less then they should, they have an opportunity to increase. It has to start somewhere, in my opinion.”

Mr Flowers added: “You have to start everyone evenly. You can’t start one person way in front of the others unless you allow the others to get those numbers as well.

“If I’m going to plan my business for the next five years, I’m not going to make plans for any new stores if I don’t know how many stores I’m allowed to open.”

The Gaming Board recently confirmed in a statement that the existing gaming house licensees have been inspected and certified by independent international agencies, and officially granted licenses.

FML Web Shop, A Sure Win, Chances Games, Paradise Games, Island Luck, Percy’s at the Island Game, Asue Draw + Spin, and Bahama Dreams were all granted conditional gaming house licenses last October. The Gaming Board recently confirmed that Four Point Group Limited, trading as Asue Draw + Spin, has not renewed its Gaming House operator license for 2016-2017.

The Gaming Board said Obie Wilchcombe, who has ministerial responsibility for gaming, intends to adopt its recommended zoning regulations. It added that following hundreds of site inspections to determine the proximity of gaming houses to schools or learning institutions, places of worship, residential areas, other gaming houses and premises where pensions or welfare payments are collected, the zoning proposal proposed by the Gaming Board “envisions a transitional approach that takes into consideration the unique constraints associated with imposing a comprehensive zoning scheme upon many long­standing gaming house locations, in an environment that has been properly zoned itself”.

Mr Flowers said: “The reality is that prior to the regulations, we initiated this whole idea of regulating the industry with the Ingraham administration; myself and two other operators at the time.

“There were really only four operators in the country. After the Government made the announcement that they were going to regulate, everybody got into the business. The irony is that on Friday past, the Government issued licenses for six - maybe seven - operators. That’s a huge change in how the industry started.”