Hundreds flock to Island Luck job fair

As of Friday, October 27, 2017

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

HUNDREDS of Bahamians waited in line for hours on Friday hoping to secure one of the 150 jobs available at Island Luck as the gaming operator continues its effort to meet new industry regulations.

Dirk Simmons, Island Luck’s Chief Financial Officer in an interview on the sidelines of the fair, “Know Your Customer” (KYC) and anti-money laundering laws now being imposed on gaming operators has created a need for more "corporate hires."

Mr Simmons told The Tribune that more than 15 per cent of those hired after Friday's fair will fill accounting, banking and compliance vacancies now present within the company.

As it stands, the Gaming Act and accompanying regulations permit licensed domestic web shop operators to offer two types of games – numbers and interactive gaming.

This means web shops must meet numerous Gaming Board technical requirements, such as maintaining the host server in the Bahamas when it comes to interactive gaming regulations.

Additionally, web shops are required to see account holders physically, and conduct KYC due diligence involving passport, driver’s licence and National Insurance Board (NIB) numbers.

Mr Simmons said: "What we are finding is that we are having to recruit persons of a professional nature, who would fill service positions associated with this area."

He added: "So, we are trying to find persons capable of filling these vacancies and provide the company with internal capabilities to meet our end of these regulations. So your bankers, accountants and compliance specialists; those are who we are looking out for today."

Island Luck is also hoping to fill more than 100 general vacancies. Applicants in line Friday openly celebrated the opportunities being made available by Island Luck, many calling the efforts of the company a beacon of light in an often dark and desperate market.

Kaylia Albury, a 20-year-old new mother, said that she showed up early to state her case for a customer service post. Currently self-employed, Ms Albury is trying her best to supplement her income to ensure a steady monetary stream throughout the year.

She added that in her hunt for employment, she has heard nothing but great things about how Island Luck treats its employees and thought it to be the best starting point.

"Right now, I'm a self-employed worker and not all the time your job is going to be up there so you need to find a second source. So right now I'm just doing it for my baby, especially," she said.

Another applicant, who asked only to be referred to by his first name, Floyd, said he viewed Island Luck as the premier employer for anyone interested in training and advancing in the information technologies (IT) field.

The 24-year-old college student said he's been hard-pressed to find opportunities to learn and earn a living in the field, adding that many employers often demand a gambit of work experiences and qualifications that he has yet to obtain.

"Island Luck is one of the few set of people giving out jobs right now," he said. "I've had a job since I came out of school, but now I want to major in something else – I want to work in IT – and Island Luck's whole system, even down to how you put in your numbers, that is IT right there."

He told The Tribune that he is only out to get a "foot in the door" and work his way on up through the company while learning the post.

Last year Island Luck held a similar fair, hiring more than 200 persons to fill vacancies made available after the company acquired a 65 per cent majority equity stake in a rival web shop.

That six-hour fair also saw hundreds of job hopefuls gather at the Sir Kendal G L Isaacs gymnasium, all looking to fill various posts ranging from cashiers and security personnel, to operations and human resource managers.

Mr Simmons confirmed Friday that more than 75 per cent of the persons hired last year are still with the company.

More like this story

Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years ago

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JohnDoe 7 years ago

For paid propagandist like yourself I suspect it is your job to continually call these men criminals without any evidence to support your claim. And even if there was evidence it is not for you to be their judge and jury. The last I checked the industry they operate in was operating pursuant to the laws of the Bahamas. We may reasonably disagree with them as individuals, with their activities, and the even the law they operate under but it is still the law that governs all of us and it is absolutely not criminal. As citizens in a civil democratic society we cannot cherry pick which laws to follow and which laws not to follow because in that cherry picking we then sow the seeds for anarchy which, in fact, makes your comments above an abomination to both civil discourse and democracy.

We must lift the level of discourse and debate in this country if we are ever going to solve the serious national problems facing us. Stop the darn silly talk. There are thousands of young people coming out of school every year and we as a society have no jobs for them. After four to five years out of school and no jobs what does society expect these young people to do?

DDK 7 years ago

"When is the Minnis-led FNM government going to come to its senses and shut down these criminal enterprises one way or another?! "

Sadly, t's beginning to look like flying pigs, Mudda! Also right about sad-looking double standards on the part of this publication.

screwedbahamian 7 years ago

Since the New FNM Government members cannot be bribed with corrupt deals (yet) these enterprises voted down by the majority of the people are now through the use of the Media trying to convince the public that they are GOOD community members and avoid being shut down and replaced with a national lottery ( that all Bahamians can benefit from) by advertising that they are giving back 5 cents of each dollar wagered on their gambling machines back by way of temporary employment opportunities. People, stop. think of who are now the web shops consultants and top executives. Ever heard of Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival, the National plan etc,etc.

Porcupine 7 years ago

I can think of no more certain way to destroy a country than what is happening now with the web shops, and the complicit Bahamian governments being so blatantly sold out. "The People' Time" would suggest that our "people's representatives" would listen to the people. Do they or did they? No, they did not. No, they do not. This FNM administration, by way of their dealings with the web shops alone, show clearly that they are no different than any other failed set of so-called leaders in this country. A society so overloaded with selfishness that it permeates every facet of our being. As far away from a Christian nation as could be possible. Minnis is as compromised as the rest. From my reading and understanding, The Bahamas, despite our history of physical bondage and economic slavery chooses, with eyes wide open, to enter this era again of our own accord. Almost beyond unbelievable. Bahamians, your new masters are people such as Flowers, Bastian, Minnis and the others who have illegally accumulated so much power and money that they now can buy your government, your businesses, your churches and your livelihoods. Bahamains, we are owned again.
The bottom line is that the whole of The Bahamas has now entered into this new phase whereby what was once done with a wink and a nod is now done in the open, with the praises of those who are blinded by the money. Which seems to be most everyone. No morals. No sense of what is happening to our work ethic. No concern for the doomed generations to follow. No concern for the poor who have nowhere else to turn than to sing the praises of this despicable new money regime that has grown like a cancer. The idea of education, the benefits it provides to an individual and the society, is to prevent exactly what is going on here today. True education is not just a trade school, or a meal ticket. True education is meant to train people to think. To allow their minds to develop in such a away that they are able to make good decisions for themselves, and for the good of the nation. I cannot express how sad I am that The Bahamas has failed. Yes, FAILED. Our country has failed. A strong statement which I can back up with facts. .

JohnDoe 7 years ago

You guys, and by that I mean Mudda and his alter egos, are really full of it. You would have us believe that the web shops are the source of all of our problems when before the webshops 1% of the population owned more than 90% of the wealth in this country. That is the definition of economic slavery and it did not start with webshops. How long do you think it took for a certain class of our society representing less than 1% to own 90% of the wealth in this country. This inequality has been around for over 100 years and growing and you/Mudda apparently ain't gat no problem with that. Well, I have a problem with what the 1% is doing with that wealth. I voted no in the referendum but the difference that I can see between the webshops profits and that 1% is that one group is re-investing in our country and the other group is sending their money to Switzerland. For all the nonsense talk about webshops taking money out of the economy the real money that has been taken out of the economy is much of that 90%.

Stop the silly talk and if your are serious let's talk about the real problems, of which gaming may be one, and the real solutions so that we as a society can create good jobs for our children after they graduate from school.

Reality_Check 7 years ago

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JohnDoe 7 years ago

Am not advocating anything about who should rule us, I am just stating empirical facts that you too can read in the Central Bank of the Bahamas quarterly Digest. Why are you guys so ashamed of the fact that you have accumulated so much wealth off of the backs of average Bahamians? Own it because the facts do not lie. I am not calling anyone nasty names or calling anyone out by race I am just stating the facts which obviously are inconvenient to you/Mudda paid propaganda. You may choose your opinion but not your own facts.

Homeboy, all I want is for us to turn this country around and create some jobs for these young children when they come out of school because if we don't God help us. The nonsense and silly talk from you/Mudda is nothing but a distraction that I feel must not be left unchallenged.

Porcupine 7 years ago

JohnDoe, My final response to this issue. I have no other posting here. I do not know mudda, or anyone else who posts here. You are right that web shops are not the only problem. In fact, it is merely a symptom of the sickness. We are not special. The 99% the world over are getting screwed. It is up to us to fix this. I would prefer a civil dialog. However, I want radical change no matter how. We celebrate and thank the veterans who gave their life for a cause. What greater cause than to stop and reverse the obscene disparities between rich and poor? I don't care how it gets done. If it takes violent revolution, as it did to end slavery in the US, so be it. My question is, what will it take to get us off our asses and do something about these problems? Time's a wasting, just a talkin.

JohnDoe 7 years ago

I respect that and in that respect our interests are aligned. Why more Bahamians cannot see that we are about to drive off a cliff of no return is beyond me. We have about a couple of years to turn this thing around or our way of life as we know it will be lost forever.

sheeprunner12 7 years ago

This underground, parallel banking system is going to drive the Canadian banks from the country .......... Maybe that is with the unwritten, silent consent of the Bahamian Government ..... But the Minnis Government is going to be judged based on its relations with the Numbers Cartel.

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