(Nassau, Bahamas) – PRESS STATEMENT BY THE RIGHT HONOURABLE PERRY G. CHRISTIE, M.P., PRIME MINISTER ON REFERENDUM AND CONSEQUENTIAL CLOSURE OF WEB-SHOPS
In keeping with my Government’s commitment to abide by the will of the electorate as expressed on Monday’s referendum, it has now become necessary to effect the closure of all web-shop gaming operations in The Bahamas.
Accordingly, all offending web-shop owners and operators are placed on notice that all their gaming operations, including all online gaming and the numbers games, must cease with immediate effect. Failure to do so will leave all such web shop owners, operators and web shop gaming patrons exposed to arrest and criminal prosecution without further notice or warning.
While web shop owners and operators must cease and desist from gaming operations immediately, they are not required to close the door on their employees and those persons with whom they have lawful commercial relationships. This includes relationships with landlords throughout the country, as well as relationships with utility and service companies, supplies of goods, and other third-party creditors.
The Government expects that all web shop owners and operators will cooperate in giving effect to what I have just outlined so as to thereby eliminate the need for the relevant law enforcement authorities to take coercive action to compel the necessary result.
