There are seven to eight major web shop operators in The Bahamas, who have the "capacity to meet any conditions for licensing" if the gambling referendum is successful, according to Prime Minister Perry Christie.
"When I started off, I actually made the mistake about saying there are four web shop operators, who are major web shop operators," said Christie on Wednesday.
"Since this process began, I have seen seven or eight of them now and all of them making representations that they have the capacity to meet any conditions for licensing -- that they have store fronts; that they have the money; that they have this and they have that.
"So it is more than a limited amount of people who will make applications for licenses in this country."
Web shop owners who are eligible may qualify for licenses to operate, said Christie when asked if the government would expand its consideration beyond the four or five more prominent operators.
"It looks like there are more than four or five majors now and it is a...misrepresentation to believe there are only four," he said.
In order to qualify for a web shop license, applicants would have to meet stringent criteria, including possessing the necessary experience, integrity and expertise, Christie previously said in the House of Assembly.
He said applicants must also possess the necessary financial resources, have organizational capacity and internal controls needed to operate in an efficient, responsible and transparent manner.
His statement in November that not all current owners of numbers houses would get licenses from the government if Bahamians vote to make web shops legal, prompted criticism from the opposition.
The Free National Movement suggested the prime minister had already handpicked the web shops that would be given licenses.
However, Christie has responded that the government would consider approving new entrants into the industry, but only after his administration figures out how many participants the market could sustain.
Although he has not indicated just how many web shops could operate legally and be properly policed, Christie has said the government would place a cap on the industry, similar to the rules placed on casino gaming.
If web shop operators were to be regularized, it is contemplated that a cash bond of not less than $1 million would be paid by each licensee and annual tax of up to 15 percent on the gross sums wagered.
Christie has claimed that using conservative estimates, this could yield not less than $15 million to $20 million annually to the Public Treasury.

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