The Bahamian Lottery (BL) Hypothesis Publication White Paper with seven
key policy proposals for the Commonwealth of The Bahamas - By Dr. Kevin
J. Alcena-Turnquest, Ph.D. in Developing Economics
According to
an article written by Rabbi Dr. Louis Jacobs and republished by the
Oxford University Press, “That there are no references to gambling in
the Bible can hardly lead to the conclusion that this activity, found in
all cultures both ancient and modern, was unknown in the biblical
period; although it can be concluded that gambling was not widespread
enough to constitute a social evil, otherwise its condemnation would
have been recorded somewhere in the biblical records.”
Efficient law enforcement against illegal operators is the primary means to protect the Bahamian Consumer
The
Bahamas, 21 July 2012, - BL, the umbrella organisation of national
lotteries in The Bahamas, has made public its White Paper on a sound and
sustainable gambling policy for the benefit of society.
Protecting
Bahamian consumers against illegal operators that flood the
Bahamian markets with dangerous products should be the first and
foremost aim of any action in The Bahamas at a national level. Ahead of
the publication of the proposed Bahamian Commission’s Action Plan on
Gambling expected for this year, BL outlines seven key proposals for the
Bahamian Institutions and for the Commonwealth of The Bahamas that can
contribute to achieving this goal.
We have heard on numerous
occasions from religious leaders, the Bahamian people and ministers at
large that if gambling is going to be a profitable business in the
Bahamas they it needs to be regulated and properly controlled. This is
just a proposed referendum for the Prime Minister and Bahamians at large
to recognize the call loud and clear that the protection of Bahamian
consumers should be the primary aim of any referendum or policy action
in the field of gambling. We should stand firmly committed to
supporting the Bahamian referendum that all Bahamian number houses
should be monitored by the Gambling Board and pay their fair taxes in
order to fight against the illegal operations of gambling houses that
are not benefiting directly in regards to tax collection. "That paper
money has some advantages is admitted. But that its abuses also are
inevitable and, by breaking up the measure of value, makes a lottery of
all private property, cannot be denied." (Thomas Jefferson, Letter to
Josephus B. Stuart, 1817)
According to the Public Gaming Research
Institute date July 3, 2012, the Right Honorable Prime Minister Perry
G. Christie stated that "The major parties agreed that they will put it
to a referendum; and that is significant because we cannot continue to
institutionalize hypocrisy in the governance of The Bahamas,".
Therefore, if the referendum is passed in favor of establishing a
national lottery and taxing number houses for Bahamians, then the BL
expresses the following key demands towards the Bahamian Gambling
Institutions around the Commonwealth of The Bahamas:
1.
Cooperate to fight illegal operators: The Bahamas Government should
establish a Gambling Council and its Working Group that should study
and make proposals for the forms of gambling that will work in
conjunction with financial intelligence and the Gaming Board through
information exchange and administrative coordination between to fight
illegal gambling.
2. Effective law enforcement to protect
consumers: The Bahamas Government need to put in place law enforcement
mechanisms against illegal operators, such as blocking of illegal
websites and placing illegal operators on a publicly accessible black
list if they do not have a license .
3. Unfair operator
principle: The Bahamas Government is to act in coordination and
refuse licences to operators that are breaking the law in another
Caricom countries, Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa and the United
States of America. There must be bi-lateral agreements with the US
Federal Governments, State Governments, and the Caribbean community.
There should be a strategical reciprocity agreement from all member
states so that at the end of the day the Government will benefit from
all wins if they occur outside the Bahamas. In other words if a Bahamian
wins anywhere else in the law there should be a tax levy against their
winnings so that the Government will still benefit.
4. Extend the Anti-Money Laundering Directive to all forms of online gambling.
5.
Preserve the Integrity of Sport: The Bahamas and Caricom Member of
States as well as the US Federal Government need to take strong actions
against sports fraud.
6. Recognise the primary competence of
Caricom Member of States in the field of gambling: The Bahamian
Institutions, mainly the Gambling Board, the financial intelligence, the
compliance commission, the office of the Attorney General in particular
need to establish its forthcoming Action Plan for Caricom in order to
clearly recognise Member States’ primary competence in the field of
gambling, in particular with regard to protecting public order and
consumers.
7. Furthermore, BL demands that the sustainable
contribution of lotteries to society is taken into account in all
discussion at Caricom level, therefore a it is imperative that Caricom
establishes a Caribbean Council of Gambling.
"Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat." (Sun Tzu)
Proposal For The Government White Paper On The National Lottery
The Government can regulate the distribution of funds from the National Lottery in the following areas:
1.
A National Lottery will help to fund the areas of health, sports,
education and environmental projects. In other words funding from
midweek draws will assist with the Government in paying for after-school
clubs, IT training for teachers, the fight against obesity, create jobs
for the unemployed, Urban Renewal programs, the elderly and the
handicapped in the various communities.
2. Greater accountability in the way Lottery cash is shared out.
3.
A National Endowment Fund for Tourism projects, Eco-Tourism, Cancer
Research, AIDS Prevention promotions, teenage pregnancy, Child Abuse,
Geriatrics Research, The Teen Correctional Facilities, Research,
National Heritage, Libraries, Religious Tourism, Sports, Technology and
Science, Forestry and Agriculture, which will be independent of the
Government.
4. A panel to assist Lottery watchdogs, maximising cash
for good causes and advising on the award of the lottery contract to a
non-profit making organisation. The Government should establish new
legislation for financial intelligence Unit or the Compliance Commission
as well as the Gambling Board to lobby fines for operators who breach
the lottery license.
My View
"You’re neither right nor
wrong because other people agree with you. You’re right because your
facts are right and your reasoning is right-and that’s the only thing
that makes you right."(Warren Buffett)
I write this for the love
of my country and my Government so that the Bahamian people can be
guided on a systematic implementation on a proposed Hypothesis White
Paper that they can draw from, understanding and system thinking on how
to establish the intricacies on gambling in the Bahamas and the
bilateral agreements that must follow any legislation if the Government
is successful in its proposed referendum. According to Stephen Bubb,
chief executive, Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary
Organisations, “"The national lottery has given an incredible injection
of cash to good causes. They have received nearly £13bn since the
lottery began. The voluntary sector needs to get behind the new
distributor to make sure that all our good work can continue, and that
the public knows about it."
Everybody knows what the National
Lottery is - how it is played, how big the prizes are - but not so many
of us understand what it does.
“Little else is requisite to carry
a state to the highest degree of opulence from the lowest barbarism but
peace, easy taxes, and a tolerable administration of justice: all the
rest being brought about by the natural course of things.” (Adam Smith)
According
the online Wikipedia, “The first recorded signs of a lottery are keno
slips from the Chinese Han Dynasty between 205 and 187 B.C. These
lotteries are believed to have helped to finance major government
projects like the Great Wall of China." (Wikipedia)
“Adventure
upon all the tickets in the lottery, and you lose for certain; and the
greater the number of your tickets the nearer your approach to this
certainty.” (Adam Smith)
“The first known European lotteries were
held during the Roman Empire, mainly as an amusement at dinner parties.
Each guest would receive a ticket, and prizes would often consist of
fancy items such as dinnerware. Every ticket holder would be assured of
winning something. This type of lottery, however, was no more than the
distribution of gifts by wealthy noblemen during the Saturnalian
revelries. The earliest records of a lottery offering tickets for sale
is the lottery organized by Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar. The funds
were for repairs in the City of Rome, and the winners were given prizes
in the form of articles of unequal value.
The first recorded
lotteries to offer tickets for sale with prizes in the form of money
were held in the Low Countries in the 15th century. Various towns held
public lotteries to raise money for town fortifications, and to help the
poor. The Dutch state-owned Staatsloterij is the oldest running
lottery”. (Wikipedia)
“All money is a matter of belief.” (Adam Smith)
It
is proposed that The National Lottery will be established by Parliament
to raise money for worthwhile causes. Out of every dollar spent on the
National Lottery, 30 cents goes to the good causes. So each good cause
gets a portion.
In all, it is estimated that the Bahamas can raise
atleast $1 billion dollars or more for the good causes once it is
established in order to improve the quality of life for everyone by
building or strengthening communities throughout the Commonwealth of The
Bahamas.
The Office of the National Lottery (OFLOT) will be
established under the National Lottery Act. It should be headed by the
Chairman of the Gaming Board, who will regulate and license individual
games. The Chairman’s duties will be to protect players' interests,
ensure that the Lottery is run properly; and maximise the proceeds to
the good causes supported by the Lottery.
"Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too." (Voltaire)
"Bull markets are born in pessimism, grow on skepticism, mature on optimism, and die of euphoria." (Sir John Templeton)
