Tourism Minister Dionisio D‘Aguilar speaks in the House of Assembly. Photo: Terrel W Carey/Tribune staff
By KHRISNA RUSSELL
Deputy Chief Reporter
krussell@tribunemedia.net
TOURISM Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar yesterday insisted it would be impractical to close the door on a national lottery, acknowledging that it was better to tax and heavily regulate web shops than to completely outlaw them.
Mr D’Aguilar was responding to the Christian Council’s disappointment over the revival of public discourse concerning a national lottery. He told The Tribune the religious body’s stance was simply “not a practical solution”. Last week, Bahamas Christie Council President Bishop Delton Fernander said he was “shocked” that two government ministers publicly supported the creation of a Bahamian national lottery, adding it was the council’s expectation for the government to either tighten the existing legislation or repeal the law.Yesterday, Mr D’Aguilar said to outlaw web shops would simply place the country in the same position it was in prior to the Christie administration making them legal after Bahamians voted against making them lawful enterprises.
“I perfectly understand their view,” the minister told reporters yesterday. “Their view is that there should be no gaming at all – whether it’s a lottery or not a lottery. I can’t believe that they would agree with the status quo. I would presume that they don’t like the status quo. They don’t like the lottery. They don’t like anything and that’s fine and I understand where they are coming from.
“I get it, but that’s not a practical solution.
“We now have gaming on the ground and we have to deal with it.
“We can’t outlaw it completely because we were in that situation and it didn’t work. So there has to be some sort of compromise. I intend to be practical. I understand their religious point of view and the view from which they’re coming from and if I was the good bishop I would say exactly the same thing but I’m not the good bishop and so I have to come up with a practical solution.”
The Free Town MP said in this situation the government could not please everyone, as he blamed the former Christie administration for placing the government in this position.
He was speaking of Bahamians’ overwhelming vote against legal gaming in a referendum on January 28, 2013. Despite this, the Progressive Liberal Party legalized web shops in 2014.
He said: “The people did vote no but the previous government decided not to abide by that vote. We are now in and we have to deal with the current situation on the ground.
“Personally I voted for the referendum. I have always said that I have never ran away from that. My belief was that it was against the law and it was pervasive. Everybody was doing it so outlawing it was not solving it.
“My position is its better to tax and to heavily regulate. That’s a much better situation to be in because if you outlaw it they just go underground and do it anyway.”
The tourism minister told Tribune Business last week that a national lottery is “front and centre”. The comments followed Deputy Prime Minister K Peter Turnquest’s comments in July that he believed the introduction of a national lottery in the Bahamas was worth a second look.
The comments did not sit well with Bishop Fernander, who told The Tribune he was shocked by the Minnis administration’s turnaround on the issue.
“We take great note that these were the people who stood with the church against gambling and as soon as they get in power no less than the deputy prime minister and the tourism minister have put forth that they have to go to gambling as if there is no other solution to the problems we are facing,” Bishop Fernander said last week.
Bishop Fernander maintained the BCC would not support a national lottery.
Comments
birdiestrachan 7 years ago
You just go ahead Mr: Washes you, presses you and hang you out to dry. The Bahamian people Voted for you folks. do what ever you see fit.
banker 7 years ago
How does it feel to get out from the under the pee shower that the Pee Hell Pee rained down on you?
Alex_Charles 7 years ago
I disagree with the BCC when the PLP held the referendum/opinion poll, and I disagree with the BCC now.
We should have supported a national lottery when Mr. Christie gave the people the opportunity to do so. But I am a minority and the majority voted the opposite of what I did during that referendum/opinion poll.
bogart 7 years ago
Cannot tax and regulate a systen that was voted unconstitutional by a nationally held referendum.
Cannot, not stop it since it will go underground is flawed because if every voter can be found to register in every jook jook corner and cay is ridiculous anyone can be gound. Everypne can be found in Nassau to vote, everyone doing illegal gambling can be found. Ask the Punch.
Our Police can find anybody if the conditions are right and everyone knows this and can perhaps offer some advice when it is difficult. Do not underestimate the majority of God fearing law abiding Bahamians. They have always been in the majoroty.
jackbnimble 7 years ago
Actually, I agree with Mr. D'Aguilar. We have to be practical. You cannot outlaw something that's going to happen anyway. Webshops make hundreds of billions per annum so since Bahamians who gamble will continue to gamble anyway, why not have some of it go into a national lottery instead of into the hands of the numbers boys in an industry that currently is poorly regulated.
banker 7 years ago
So you start a national lottery with bigger jackpots, more winners and you tax the living shiite outta the webshops until they close their doors.
DDK 7 years ago
That's the stuff and the profits go to The People. No tiefin. WIN WIN situation!
bogart 7 years ago
Webshops have laundered money for how long into a small island economy and now eight families with monopoly for 10 years is not fair to the real estate market and unfair to businesses who have followed the law. What happens if they went into the Laundry Washing business with all funds they are generating from their already ecpansive businesses.? Or started law firms, or medical businesses or accounting agencies ? Or lobbying firms to lobby politicians ?
birdiestrachan 7 years ago
Who owns the shipping companies and how long is their monopoly?? CHECK OUT Arawak CAY The shipping Port the FNM Papa built for them
John 7 years ago
So on whose horseback is d'Aguilar riding with his lottery campaign? The Bahamian people voted against it and they will not let d'Aguilar force it on them as the PLP did with the web shops. The web shop owners invest many millions in their businesses and paid hefty taxes tobe licensed and regulated. Vince the washer man needs to get off his high horse and maintain the status quo about the webs shops. To force them back underground will be a dangerous thing...financially. And attempting to tax them out of existence will cause it to happen.
bogart 7 years ago
The shipping companies or some 19 Bay st investors ponied up 1 million each to move into the new port with some 40z% ownership amd preference shares with guarranteed 11% interest to have some 25 year monopoly and no other harbour to be built within some 20 miles area and still keeping properties on Bay St but at the same time plans were done for port in Northern Abaco and canal to be dug to recreate previous canal the lumber company filled in some 100 years ago so the fishes can go back to theor habitat.. Really how many fishes around there still remember they used to swim in some canal between little abd big Abacu. Loan for some 65 million was borrowed from the ChineseMind ypu funding for the Arawak port was done by giving interest free loans ftom the Public Treasury to govt employees to buy ordinary non voying shares. Perhaps with this as prescedent BEC employees getting loans is ok.
sealice 7 years ago
If these BCC fools listened to what they said over the course of years they got more flips and flops then a bloody porpoise - they wanted it before cus the numbers men needed them, no the numbers men are bigger then the churches and don't need em so no more money comin in and all of a sudden the BCC don't like the numbers houses..... sadly the history of our existence as Bahamians .... what you gat for me???
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