The questions were put to the Bahamian people by the Government of the Bahamas, and the answers of the majority of those who voted on January 28th, 2013 in the non-binding referendum were “NO” we do not support the regulation and taxation of the gambling ‘webshop’ industry and “NO” we do not support the establishment of a national lottery.
The official numbers are expected to be released on Tuesday, but what was also clear on Monday was that a significant proportion of the voting population were not particularly interested in participating in the process.
Church leaders in New Providence, who in large part through the Christian Council spearheaded the Vote No campaign, celebrated what they described as a choice for God, over gambling on Monday evening.
In Eleuthera, pastor Jamie Isaacs who had called on the island to vote NO, described it on Social Media as a “Landslide for the Most High.”
Related Article: [Eleuthera Gospel Promoter and Pastor, Jamie ‘DJ Crunktified’ Isaacs Encourages Island To Vote No In Gambling Referendum]
Pastor Isaacs via telephone added, “I’m happy that the people took the message we were trying to convey, and understood that it wasn’t just a vote for the referendum, but a vote for good and evil. I’m excited about that part of it. It was a matter of standing up for righteousness.”
Isaacs also shared – in thinking and reading about what people have said about jobs they will lose, that when he decided to speak out – “it was for people to put their faith and trust back in God, not in gambling”, adding that, “It has been God who has kept us through all the years, and God who will keep us going forward.”
What Next? is the question being tossed about, as the country awaits the response of the Prime Minister to the day’s outcome.
