A web shop whose gaming license application was rejected by the Gaming Board has obtained a court order preventing police from shutting it down, Minister of State for National Security Keith Bell confirmed yesterday. Bet Vegas, one of nine gaming houses that applied for a gaming license, was mandated to close its doors on Monday, according to a statement from Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe earlier this month.
The company did not meet the “burden of proof” to be awarded a license, that statement said. However, the web shop filed for a court order on Friday against the attorney general, the commissioner of police and the minister of tourism. The order was later granted on Monday.
“They went to court by way of ex parte and got an order preventing the police from closing them down,” Bell said.
He said the matter is being reviewed by Office of the Attorney General. Meantime, Bet Vegas is appealing the Gaming Board’s decision.
Bet Vegas, along with eight other operators, which form the Gaming House Association, donated over $250,000 to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to help hundreds of Bahamian families following the devastation caused by Hurricane Joaquin.
On October 15, Wilchcombe announced that eight web shop operators were awarded conditional gaming house operator licenses. The operators granted licenses are FML Group of Companies Ltd., GLK Limited (A Sure Win); Jarol Investments Limited (Chances Games); Paradise Games Bahamas Limited; Playtech Systems Limited (Island Luck); TIG Investments Limited (Percy’s at the Island Game); The Four Point Group (Asue Draw+Spin), and Bahama Dreams Web Café Limited.
Operators had to meet several standards, including Bahamian ownership, financial stability, compliant server location, compliance with the December 2014 affidavit on premises and agents, and sufficiency of contributions required by the Gaming Act.
The Gaming Bill was passed last year, paving the way for the industry to be regulated. The move came after the majority of people who voted in a referendum on gambling in 2013 voted against the establishment of a national lottery, and the regularization and taxation of web shops.
Following the vote, Prime Minister Perry Christie ordered that all web shops close their doors. However, web shop operators obtained a conservatory order preventing the government from shutting them down. That order was later lifted by then Chief Justice Sir Michael Barnett.
In its decision affirming Sir Michael’s ruling, the Court of Appeal said the conservatory order granted by Senior Justice Jon Isaacs was “superfluous”. Court of Appeal President Anita Allen said the order can not prevent the police from carrying out investigations into whether the web shops or any business is conducting illegal activities, and it can not prevent police from making arrests.
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