Today is gaming Referendum Day in The Bahamas, and, as the sun sets, either we will continue to doze in the depths of denial or, like Rip Van Winkle, we will awaken to the reality of the bold new world that awaits us. Either way, a decision will be made today as to whether we will languish in the imbroglio of inertia or finally emancipate ourselves from mental slavery.
For far too long we have mimicked the proverbial ostrich, which, by burying its head in the sand, sees nothing and believes that it cannot be seen. For decades, we have pretended to mask the reality that many thousands of Bahamians play "the numbers" and participate in online gaming, either in web shops that are publically accessible or in the privacy of our homes. In an effort to understand the web shop gaming phenomenon that has become prolific, there are those who would seek to petrify us by proffering certain myths about our ability to extricate ourselves from this quagmire.
Therefore this week, we would like to Consider This... what are some of the myths that have been advanced by detractors of the web shop industry?
The myths:
Myth one
The argument has been advanced that we do not know enough about what we are voting for and, therefore, we will vote no. Simplistically stated: "If you don't know, vote no." In other words, we should revel in our ignorance and let it guide us.
The more enlightened approach should be that, if we do not know, then we should educate ourselves about that which we are ignorant. The Vote Yes campaign has sought to do precisely that - to educate the public about the reasons why we should at long last remove the blinders from our eyes.
The Vote Yes campaign has sought to quantify the size of the industry in The Bahamas, including the number of web shops and their annual turnover, the number of employees which is pegged at approximately 3,000, the payout to gaming participants, the annual profits of the industry, the actual or estimated contributions to national insurance, public utilities, and salaries, and the value of potential taxes that will be paid to the government.
The campaign has also sought to estimate the cost of voting no, to the society, the economy and the government. That cost has been estimated to be in the range of $20 million to $30 million annually. The cost to the government will also include increased unemployment benefits for the 3,000-plus terminated employees and the cost of policing an illegal industry, not to mention the exorbitant cost associated with jurisdictional risk.
On the subject of the national lottery, it has been suggested that we do not have enough information about the national lottery which will be implemented by the government. That is true. We have not been able to conclusively determine whether a national lottery is sustainable, how it will operate, who will manage and regulate it, or how much money will likely be raised and paid out.
However, we are not being asked to certify the details of that national lottery which will require considerable research and investigation. It seems that the more logical approach would be for the government to first ascertain whether the people believe that we should have a national lottery at all before spending scarce resources on such an activity. After having gotten approval from the people to proceed, the government can then engage consultants to advise which model is best suited for The Bahamas.
The public discourse that has ensued from the consideration of the questions that are the subject of the referendum has stimulated wide public dialogue on what we can expect from this exercise. Considerable information has emerged because of the debate of those in favor of and opposed to this proposition. There is no reason for anyone who has been paying close attention to this national discussion to claim they don't have enough information to make an informed decision.
Myth two
Web shops are illegal. This is a bold-faced lie, and anyone who maintains such a view is either a liar or ignorant. The government of The Bahamas has licensed web shops. In fact, many of us recall a gift of $100,000 to NEMA by one of the major web shop companies under the Ingraham administration, which was used for disaster relief. Surely, Ingraham's government, which always prided itself on being squeaky clean, would not have accepted such a gift if it believed that its donor was an illegal entity.
Myth three
It has been suggested that this referendum exercise will only benefit a few web shop owners. Nothing could be further from the truth. There has been absolutely no conclusive indication from officialdom as to how many licenses will be granted.
In direct contradiction to its detractors, the web shop owners have voluntarily and unanimously agreed that they are prepared to offer shares in their companies to the public. Such public offerings will force greater accountability and transparency of these companies and will ensure that best management and business practices and corporate governance will be implemented to protect the public and shareholders.
Myth four
It has been suggested that the web shop payouts will decrease. Again, there is no evidence to corroborate the veracity of this assertion. Payouts will be market driven and the web shop owners have maintained that they have no plans whatsoever to decrease the payouts to gaming participants.
Myth five
Detractors have suggested that crime will increase from a yes vote. This is a non-sequitur and the evidence suggests that crime will likely increase in an unregulated environment, because, without such regulation, anything goes.
Myth six
The argument has been advanced that gambling addiction will increase, resulting in a greater burden on society. There is not a scintilla of evidence to support this assertion. In fact, at a recent public forum on this subject, Dr. Michael Neville, a clinical psychiatrist, observed that there is no evidence to suggest that this is true. In a regulated environment, it would be infinitely easier to track the incidence of addiction and to create a fund to assist in addiction rehabilitation.
Myth seven
It has been asserted by a few misinformed "men of the cloth" that gambling offends God. They have maintained this erroneous view without a single shred of biblical evidence to support their claim. Thankfully, the more enlightened, educated and exposed persons have rejected their theologically baseless utterances and misguided antics that are contrived to terrorize their "flocks" into submission.
Conclusion
Now that we have debunked the myths surrounding this referendum, perhaps we can engage in a dispassionate discourse that is based on the facts, with the objective of determining the truth of the matter, which, at the end of the day, will expose the charlatans and facilitate a debate that is rooted in education and devoid of obfuscation.
More importantly, once we have obliterated the misinformation swirling around this issue, everyone will be able to make the best decision for the nation and its future as they exercise their right and obligation as a citizen and vote in this important and significant poll that has the potential - with an overwhelming yes vote - to reshape the future of The Bahamas.
o Philip C. Galanis is the managing partner of HLB Galanis & Co., Chartered Accountants, Forensic & Litigation Support Services. He served 15 years in Parliament. Please send your comments to pgalanis@gmail.com.

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