The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

The deputy prime minster yesterday said a casino licence for the South Ocean area will have “no difficulties” in receiving approval from the Gaming Board (GB).

Chester Cooper, also minister of tourism, investments and aviation, and who is responsible for the Gaming Board, told reporters ahead of the weekly Cabinet meeting that while he does not want to pre-empt the regulators work it is reviewing applications for new casino licenses.

“The proposed buyers of the Grand Lucayan resort have indicated to us that they have a world-class, world-renowned casino operator that they are in active negotiations with to take over the casino at the Grand Lucayan on their behalf,” he added.

“As it relates to casino licences, I can tell you that there had been a previous licence in the South Ocean hotel. I would think that the Gaming Board would have no difficulties in issuing another licence in that area. As for how many licences might be available in New Providence, I believe that there is a distance requirement between casinos. I suspect that’s a matter of technicality that will be really guided by the Gaming Board based on the applications that they receive.”

The long-standing gaming strategy for New Providence has been that there will be three licensed casinos permitted on the island - one at Paradise Island (Atlantis), another at Cable Beach (Baha Mar), and the third one at South Ocean once the resort achieved a particular room count. However, that threshold has never been reached, and the South Ocean property has now been sold to the Albany developers who may well have different plans for the site.

Mr Cooper said the Government will continue to “monitor” its COVID-19 measures, noting that the “world has moved on” from the pandemic. “Many countries are treating COVID as a common cold. We still have some protocols in place. We will keep those protocols until the science warrant us removing them,” he added.

“There is a call for the removal of masks, and there is a call for the removal of inbound testing and certain other protocols, and we will work along with the Ministry of Health and the physicians to ensure that we are doing what’s best for the economy and the Bahamian people.”

Mr Cooper continued: “We listen to our stakeholders, but we make decisions that are in the best interests of the Bahamian people. We make decisions that balance what’s good for tourism and the economy with the public health and safety of the Bahamian people.

“So I, as minister of tourism, would co-ordinate often and directly with the minister of health. We will assess all the data; we will listen to the experts. And we will make decisions on the basis of the data and the experts. Like I say, we listen to our stakeholders. But we are hired by the Bahamian people to protect their interests and that is what we will do.”

The Bahamas has 16 island destinations, with the majority of COVID-19 cases concentrated in New Providence. While there is an ongoing surge in infections, Mr Cooper said: “We send the message to the world that we are a relatively safe place to travel.

“The CDC (US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention) has increased its rating [of The Bahamas] to a ‘level three’ recently. This, of course, is some concern as this is watched particularly by groups, event planners and corporates in the US. It should have a modest impact. If it gets to Level 4, it will have some impact on our overall arrival numbers.”