Bahamas Christian Council President Bishop Delton Fernander said the organization finds it strange that the people who supported the council's stance against gaming in 2013 are now suggesting "pushing more gaming into the country".
"Again, that is another industry on which we have not been consulted on, but we did make a statement to the national lottery, and our position remains the same," he told The Nassau Guardian.
"We would think it kind of strange that the people who stood with us against gaming would do something to push more gaming into the country, so we would find that quite interesting.
"But, we have not heard of any new developments.
"We are concerned about the locations [of gaming houses] near schools.
"Some of the things they said they would do, in terms of addiction and those sorts of things.
"So, we wait to see what is being proposed in the matter so we can give a valid response."
In July, Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest said he thinks the introduction of a national lottery in The Bahamas is worth a serious look.
Former Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe said the introduction of a national lottery was something the Christie administration looked at.
In 2013, the government held a referendum on the regularization and taxation of web shops and the establishment of a national lottery.
The majority of people who voted in the referendum voted against both proposals.
However, the Christie administration introduced legislation regulating and taxing web shops.
The council, then headed by Dr. Ranford Patterson, called the decision the death of democracy.
The FNM, in opposition, also bemoaned the government's decision to ignore the people's wishes.
As leader of the opposition, Dr. Hubert Minnis, now prime minister, said if the FNM was successful in becoming the next government, his administration would legislate that referenda, including non-constitutional referenda, would be binding.
However, he did not outline plans for the gaming industry.
In the FNM's Manifesto 2017, a plan for the web shop industry is absent.
Fernander said the proliferation of gaming houses, particularly within inner city communities, is concerning, but there need not be more gaming options on offer.
In 2012, James Kidgell, a U.K. consultant who advised the government on gambling, outlined numerous reasons why his team reached the conclusion that a national lottery would not be commercially feasible in The Bahamas.
Kidgell, a partner in Dixon, Wilson and Co., said a Bahamian lottery would need investment from or participation from some commercial enterprises, be it the government contracting with commercial enterprises or a commercial enterprise operating a lottery itself.
Fernander also noted that it is known that some web shops are being used by their patrons as banks, storing and transferring funds through accounts as a means of paying for items or services.
He said this, too, concerns the Bahamas Christian Council and asked "who is watching that".
"It is also important to pay attention to that, because we just went through an exercise with the government where they were talking about money laundering in the churches, and you haven't really watched that in the gaming industry?" Fernander asked.

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