Bahamas: Voters reject gambling referendum

(AP) — Voters in the Bahamas yesterday rejected a referendum to legalise gambling for citizens of the archipelago off Florida's east coast, where locals were already barred from betting in casinos at the islands' tourist resorts.



Underground gambling operations called "web shops" where Bahamians bet on numbers in televised US lotteries have become commonplace in recent years.



The shops operate in violation of Bahamian law, but police and political leaders have largely turned a blind eye to them for years.



In a two-part referendum, voters were asked whether the islands' gambling shops should be legalised, regulated and taxed, and if the government should create its own national lottery.



However, election officials said that a majority of Bahamians clearly voted no on both questions, forcing the government to start the arduous task of shutting down dozens of the underground operations. Voter turnout was apparently quite low.



Bradley Roberts, chairman of the ruling party, said that Prime Minister Perry Christie's government recognised the results.



Christie's administration had encouraged citizens to support legalising the gambling shops, arguing that the underground houses employ a few thousand Bahamians and could generate $20 million a year in taxes if they were regulated.



The islands' powerful church lobby and the political opposition fiercely opposed any legalised betting for locals.



However, religious leaders were thrilled by the measure's defeat.



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