The Tribune

WHEN THE Perry Christie-led PLP lost office in 2017, they did so for reasons that have hobbled a succession of Bahamian governments: lack of jobs and persistent economic challenges, the propensity to throw parties out after one term, and a disdain for unaccountable, arrogant politicians.

Still, the magnitude of the loss was personal. The PLP was reduced to small numbers in the House of Assembly. Mr. Christie became the first and, thus far, the only head of a major party to lose his seat.

Many lost faith in the affable Christie. Many were tired of his blather and blunders. The country seemed adrift. He had taken both the Bahamian people and the residents of Centreville for granted.

There were two betrayals that factored into the backlash against Mr. Christie: First, the prime minister most associated with Junkanoo introduced a foreign carnival experience to The Bahamas.

When he giddily announced the idea with his breathless relish, it was evident that he had little in the way of a comprehensive vision for Carnival or for heritage promotion and cultural development. In conflating Junkanoo and Carnival we risked doing great damage to the genesis, history, and potential of Junkanoo, especially in the minds of younger, more impressionable Bahamians.

Ten years after Carnival was introduced, a March 2025 story in The Tribune noted what has become of it.

“Introduced with great fanfare in 2015, Carnival in The Bahamas was meant to establish itself as a staple on the country’s cultural calendar. Now, opinions on its future are split, with many seeing it as a fading experiment that never fully took root in Bahamian culture.”

In the years to come we’ll see the degree to which Carnival survives.

We don’t have to wait that long, however, to understand the devastating effects on Bahamian society of Mr. Christie’s second--and worst--betrayal of the Bahamian people and the common good: the legalisation and subsequent granting of a near monopoly to gaming and web shop barons.

In 2012, then Prime Minister Christie gave a communication in the House of Assembly, entitled, “Bahamas National Lottery and Web Shop Gaming Referendum Communication”.

“My government,” Mr Christie promised, “pledges to ensure a free and fair national referendum in which the Bahamian electorate will exercise their democratic right to freely vote on the question of web shop gaming and a national lottery.

“It is for the Bahamian people to decide. My government will respect, honour, and abide by the result of the referendum, be it Yes or No to the question of web shop gaming and a national lottery.” He further noted in the communication: “All gaming activities should be undertaken fairly with appropriate player protections.”

Two years later? The democratic wishes of the Bahamian people was abjectly ignored. He disrespected and dishonoured the will of the people.

Though there was greater support for a national lottery, Christie and the PLP instead gave a few operators much of what they wanted at the expense of a fairer gaming system that could have benefitted more Bahamians.

The Bahamas is one of the few jurisdictions in the world with a fully privatised lottery system. Christie could have introduced a hybrid system. His failure to do suggests the depth of his betrayal.

It is a betrayal that has increased the pernicious effects of gambling on individuals, families, and communities. Democratic societies committed to political, economic, and social equality, always struggle to rein in excessive power and monopolies.

Christie’s betrayal unleashed a monopolistic grab for political and economic power by web shop operators whose outsized influence is corrupting our society and politics. The flow of money to buy votes and influence has worsened.

Now, one of the richest web shop owners has entered frontline politics, with his sights on direct political influence (and possibly becoming prime minister.)

The selfish genies Christie helped unleash are getting their three wishes and more, while many citizens are getting their wishes dashed while spinning. And the majority of Bahamians are not getting their wishes and needs fulfilled through receipts from a national lottery that could benefit hundreds of thousands.

Belize has approximately the same population as The Bahamas. The country has had legalised games of chance for a number of years. In November last year, the Government of Belize made an announcement.

“Prime Minister John Briceño has announced a major revenue milestone following the government’s takeover of the Boledo (a popular, state-run lottery game) and Sunday Lottery.

“Government officially assumed control of the national gaming operations on November 14, 2023, after the previous private contract was terminated. Since then, the prime minister says the returns have vindicated the administration’s decision to bring the lottery back under public ownership.

“He explained that the revenue performance reflects stronger oversight, improved compliance, and the elimination of leakages that had previously affected the system...

“The prime minister added that these earnings are now returned directly to the Belizean people through the Consolidated Revenue Fund, helping to support national programs, primarily the National Health Insurance scheme.”

Last year, a number of the gaming operators (though notably not Craig Flowers)  greedily asked for a 25-year – quarter of a century! – moratorium on the issuance of new gaming licences.

The request was another example of the greed, hubris, and arrogance by certain web shop operators flaunting their excess and reach, which includes large construction projects, lucrative government rentals, and burgeoning real estate holdings.

With the attainment of a seat in the House of Assembly and possibly a higher seat by Sebastian Bastian, the combination of political and economic power is becoming even more dangerous and perilous for Bahamian democracy.

We’ve seen throughout history and in the world today, the ill effects of such power on nations. In an editorial last October, The Nassau Guardian outlined a number of the dangers.

“For too long, the interests of the web shop bosses have been politically and commercially entrenched to the point that they are treated like royalty. Their continued dominance of the financially lucrative sector has gone unchecked by politicians who have been the beneficiaries of the industry’s largesse.

“At best, the ask [for a moratorium] is a cynical act of attempted self-dealing by a handful of already wealthy and well-connected individuals to lock up a national industry for another generation, guaranteeing their own enrichment while denying opportunity, competition, and innovation for everyone else.

“More disgraceful than the boldness to make such an outrageous request is that the request was kept secret from the Bahamian people by the Davis administration.

“To date, not a word of it was shared publicly by any policymaker in the government. It lies in the face of the values this administration has long claimed to represent. At the same time that ordinary Bahamians struggle with high costs, stagnant wages, and limited opportunities, a small, protected class seeks to use its proximity to political power to further enrich their own circle of wealth and power.”

This concentration of wealth and power will only increase if we do not address the effects and the grave threat to our democracy, social fabric, economic well-being, families, and way of life.

Does Mr. Christie, who is a Bahamian patriot, and who has given service to our country, have any regrets?