It has been nearly a year since the government held the controversial referendum on gambling.
Although voters overwhelmingly rejected both questions on the ballot, little appears to have changed in the day-to-day operations of "illegal" web shops.
The referendum was hard fought by the Vote No campaign, made up mainly of a group of religious leaders who oppose gambling for moral reasons, and the Vote Yes campaign, which was backed by web shop owners.
The church argued that legitimizing web shops would lead to further social decay and the breakdown of the family.
Several web shop bosses, who for years were reluctant to speak publicly about their businesses, came out of the shadows and urged the public to support the referendum.
Days before the vote, more than 1,000 Vote Yes supporters, web shop owners and workers marched in front of
o Remains, page L5
Parliament.
They insisted they were legitimate businessmen who contribute to the economy through employment and charitable donations.
However, their arguments did little to sway the electorate.
On January 28, about 45 percent of registered voters turned up at the polls. Voters were asked if they supported the regulation and taxation of web shops and the creation of a national lottery.
Results from the Parliamentary Registration Department show that 17,000 more people voted no on the question of web shop gaming than those who voted yes.
The numbers show that 46,961 people voted no to a national lottery and 33,170 voted yes.
Before the referendum, Prime Minister Perry Christie repeatedly stressed that his government "had no horse in the race" and pledged to abide by the outcome of the vote.
The referendum was initially scheduled for December 3, 2012 but was pushed back due to criticism that the government was rushing the vote.
The government also needed to delay the vote to pass legislation that would amend the Constitutional Referendum Act, to allow a referendum that would not alter the constitution.
Despite the delay, many felt that the government fell down on the education process, leaving voters with unanswered questions about what would happen if the referendum was successful.
Some detractors also denounced the referendum because the government chose not to include the question of allowing Bahamians to gamble legally in local casinos.
Before the referendum, battle lines were also drawn across the political divide.
The opposition had urged voters to vote no if they were unsure about the questions.
For months, the Free National Movement hammered the government for taking too long to release the referendum questions and not providing the public with enough information to make an informed decision.
Less than a week before the vote, former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham announced that he planned to vote no to both questions and urged voters to do the same.
A day after the vote, Christie released a statement ordering web shops to shut down their gaming operations or face arrest. He also warned patrons of web shops that they could face criminal charges if found gambling.
"In keeping with my government's commitment to abide by the will of the electorate as expressed on Monday's referendum, it has become necessary to effect the closure of all web shop gaming operations in The Bahamas," Christie said.
However, attorney Wayne Munroe quickly launched court action on behalf of Island Game, Island Luck, FML Group of Companies, Asue Draw, and Chances to block the government from shutting them down.
Attorney Alfred Sears also filed court papers on behalf of Paradise Games.
That court action has not been resolved and web shops remain open and some brands have expanded their businesses this year.

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