The announcement that the Wyndham Nassau Resort and Crystal Palace Casino will close for two months during the slow summer season— August 17 to October 5—has sparked more interest in gaming reform in the Bahamas.

“We are now in the 21st century and a completely different economic climate. To compete we need to be proactive in our approaches and this call for total and not partial reform,” said Sidney Strachan, chairman of Bahamas Gaming Reform in a news release.

“Now is the time for the government to take this issue of reform serious and meet with interested parties including the BGR to move the process forward. The expected casino closure is a typical example of what can happen when citizens are not stakeholders in our No. 1 industry.”

The main concession that BGR wants is the approval of gaming by Bahamians, who are currently prohibited from playing in a casino located there.

“If expatriate residents are allowed to gamble while continuing to deny Bahamian nationals to both engage in the gaming industry and to own and operate casinos, it will further aggravate nationals and will severely handicap the aspirations of many entrepreneurial Bahamians,” said BGR.

The closure of Pinnacle Entertainment’s Casino at Emerald Bay at the Four Seasons resort in Exuma is another example of how the ban on locals gambling impacts the nation’s gaming industry.

The development of casinos in Florida and other nearby regions targeted by the Bahamas as prime markets is also cited as a need to institute reform.

By GGB Staff

Staff writers for Global Gaming Business magazine. Las Vegas, Nevada.