The newest draft of the Gaming Bill would prohibit web shop owners from allowing foreign visitors to gamble in their establishments and would also prevent foreigners from gambling from other jurisdictions through websites operated by web shops, The Nassau Guardian can reveal.
Casinos would have the exclusive right to foreign players, both locally and online, according to the amended bill, which the government plans to soon table in the House of Assembly.
Web shops would be permitted to legally engage in cash betting transactions only, on the numbers games only and with domestic players only, the bill says.
The new bill defines the "domestic player" who could legally gamble in web shops, but not casinos.
The 'domestic player' refers to anyone who is ordinarily resident in The Bahamas; is the holder of a permanent residence certificate; is a work permit holder or the spouse of any of these people.
Under an early draft of the bill more than a year ago, the government had proposed that while Bahamians would still be prohibited from gambling in casinos, permanent residents and work permit holders would be able to do so.
Following the uproar caused by that bill, the government tabled another bill in the House of Assembly last October, continuing the discrimination on casino gaming for those groups as it exists in the Lotteries and Gaming Act.
But that October bill did not make any provisions for the regulation of the web shop sector.
The newly amended Gaming Bill now provides for several licenses for web shop operators: A gaming house operator license, a gaming premises license and a gaming house agent license.
The new bill also mandates web shop accounts be established by the license holder in the name of the domestic player on a "face-to-face basis".
This essentially blocks web shop owners from establishing online accounts for foreigners.
The web shop operators must first verify "with reference to valid documentary proof, that the account holder is a domestic player".
The account would be required to always hold a credit balance.
Like the bill tabled in October, the amended bill provides for hotel-based casino operators to hold several licenses.
Those licenses would permit gaming in areas of the resort outside of casinos. This includes gambling over the Internet.
People in permitted foreign jurisdictions would also be able to gambling through the websites of the casino operators.
Casino operators have long pushed for the new legislation, saying they have been losing their competitive edge to other jurisdictions that have modernized their gaming laws.
Under the new Gaming Bill, web shop operators may apply for a license "only in response to a formal invitation to apply for such licenses issued by the [Gaming] Board and advertised in the prescribed manner in the Gazette".
The bill also states that all gaming and betting transactions entered into on premises in respect of which a gaming house premises license has been granted shall be conducted in Bahamian dollars only.
The government has projected that it will collect $12 million annually from web shops.
The government's decision to amend the gaming bill to provide for a regulated web shop gaming goes against the results of a gambling referendum held last year during which time the majority of people who voted, voted against the regulation and taxation of web shops and the establishment of a national lottery.
The government is not now moving to establish a national lottery.
Prime Minister Perry Christie has said his decision to go against the results of the referendum came after he was informed by the Central Bank governor about concerns relating to an underground banking sector connected the unregulated gaming.
*For more details on the new Gaming Bill see the National Review section.

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