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NewsAsia, 23 Nov 04
Bahamas' laws help contain social
problems arising from gambling
By Wong Siew Ying
The Bahamas has hit the jackpot in terms of tax revenues with its
casinos but only foreign tourists are allowed through their glitzy
doors. Our reporter went to the sunshine paradise to see what lessons
Singapore could learn to help alleviate grave social concerns.
The four casinos in the Bahamas contributed US$23 million to the government's
coffers last year, its highest windfall from gaming taxes in over
30 years. And nearly all of that came from some of the 5 million tourists
who visited the country.
Obediah H Wilchcombe, The Bahamas Tourism Minister, said: "It would
have been sad to generate this economic activity for the Bahamians
to earn money and they take what they earn and put it back into the
casino and the family suffers. It's really a social legislation."
Bahamians caught gambling could face a US$500 fine or 6 months' jail
or both. The government is also looking for ways to curb illegal gambling
in the Bahamas. The Bahamas Gaming Board keeps a close watch on the
casinos. There are also annual reviews by experts from London.
However, many locals hope the authorities will revise legislation
barring them joining in the fun. "We have a lot of gambling houses
in the Bahamas that are illegally run, and people gamble, I think
it would be better to have it regulated but how can you arrest people
for gambling when you have big multi-million dollar gambling houses
set up on Paradise Island and Cable Beach strip," said one Bahamian.
"It's about letting them decide do I want to invest this $20 on a
table game or go and buy food and I think as Bahamians, we are conscious
people, we can make that decision, we don't need it to be made for
us," said another.
Such legislation may insulate the community from the negative impact
of gambling but analysts say it's unlikely for the same kind of legislation
to be introduced in Singapore. Song Sen Wun, Regional Economist, GK
Goh Research, said: "Singaporeans spend on average something around
US$900 million annually in terms of jumping on to cruise ships to
gamble and off shore gambling, so that's half per cent of GDP." And
it's these affluent Singaporeans that would be one of the major draws
for casino developers. - CNA |
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