Dear Editor,

I supported the legalization of the web shop industry. In fact, I support the full legalization of gambling for Bahamians. We are being discriminated against under the current laws. Sadly, full legalization was not under consideration by the last government. So we Bahamians only got half of what we should have gotten. That said, I did not expect there would be this many web shops after the industry was made legal. There are web shops next to churches. There are web shops near schools. There are web shops in Downtown Nassau. They are everywhere.
Do we need the hundreds and hundreds of web shops that exist? Should they be open late into the night as they are? Should people be able to gamble online all day and all night, every day? It seems as if the last government took the position that the web shop industry needed no regulating. Bahamians could gamble as much as they wanted to with there being no concern for restraint. Well, that PLP government is gone now for making bad decisions. I hope the new Minnis-led government takes a serious look at regulating web shops. And I hope they take a look at this soon.
Gambling is okay as a recreational activity from time to time for people who have the discipline to control themselves. It is dangerous, however, when few to no rules are placed on the sector and as much as possible is taken from members of the public. We need a regulator that is looking out for the poor and vulnerable. We can't just let everything be taken from them. Bahamians must also be educated about responsible gambling. You should not think you can win your rent money betting on numbers. You should not think you can win your child's school fee money betting on numbers. You should not think you can win your mortgage payment playing numbers. Too many Bahamians think this foolishness. They are delusional. Gaming should just be for fun. You should know you are likely to lose more than you are likely to win when you play. What you wager should just be for the thrill of what might happen if you are lucky. This means that you should only wager an amount that would not hurt you when you inevitably lose.
Good luck to the new prime minister trying to get this web shop mess straightened out. Perry Christie left many messes, so the FNM has plenty of work to do. There being fewer web shops and there being limitations on the hours of play would help bring order to this chaotic situation The Bahamas faces today. Web shops should not be banned, but they should not be more common than food stores.

- Darwin R. Luther

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