Raymond Culmer's Jarol Investments Ltd. - trading as Chances Games - has applied for new gaming house premises, but since the gaming house zoning regulations under review have yet to be made public, it is unclear how objectors can be expected to provide the feedback requested in the Gaming Board notice.
Meanwhile, Minister responsible for Gaming Obie Wilchcombe told Guardian Business yesterday that "several of the houses have applied" for new premises.
"The gaming board is now reviewing those applications and requests," he said.
Chances has applied for new premises licenses at East Street, Bay Street, Robinson Road and Miami Street in Nassau; Queen's Highway and Pinders, Mangrove Cay in Andros; Charles Street in Green Turtle Cay, Abaco; Queen's Highway in Alice Town, Bimini, and Queen's Highway and Rosetta Street in Deep Creek, Eleuthera.
In October 2015, Wilchcombe announced that provisional licenses had been issued to Culmer's Jarol Investments, Sebas Bastian's Playtech Systems Ltd., trading as Island Luck; Craig Flowers' FML Group of Companies trading under the name FML Web Shop; the Four Point Group, trading as Asue Draw and Spin; Bahama Dreams Web Cafe Ltd.; GLK Limited, trading as A Sure Win and majority owned by Leander Brice and Garvin Newball; Kevin Albert Knowles' Paradise Games Bahamas Ltd. trading as Paradise Games, and Pete Deveaux's TIG Investments Ltd. trading under the name Percy's at The Island Game.
He subsequently told Guardian Business the zoning regulations - under construction as early as November 2015 and intended to curb the proliferation of gaming house locations primarily in residential areas, school zones and near churches - would be rigid and mandatory.
Yesterday, regarding Chances' application and the others, the minister said, "Any and all requests must meet the zoning requirements.
"Again, fundamental to what the Gaming Board allows is predicated on the stated and clear position to reduce proliferation. We have significantly reduced he number of outlets. The board is guided by that commitment," Wilchcombe said.
K. Quincy Parker
Guardian Business Editor
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