- The following statement was released this morning by OBA Senator Dwayne Robinson, Senate Spokesman for Tourism & Transport,
On May 9, 2017, I interviewed former CGC Chairman, Alan Dunch, and former CGC Executive Director, Richard Schuetz, during my time on the platform “It’s That Type of Party”. During the interview both gentlemen spoke of education and training opportunities for Bermudians, together with increased revenue.However, due to the meddling by former Tourism Minister Jamahl Simmons, the progress of the CGC has ground to a halt – yielding neither jobs for Bermudians or revenue for our debt-stricken economy.
The Commission has been riddled with high profile resignations, with the most recent being Miss Deborah Blakeney. What is this Government’s plan for gaming, and does it even have a future? When will Bermudians be informed about the future of casino gaming in our country and when will there be the employment opportunities that are desperately needed?
The political interference by the former Minister has caused the demise of gaming. He has since been shifted from Minister of Economic Development and Tourism to the Minister of Spin, and since that ministerial change we have heard nothing further from the Government on gaming, or the Finance Minister, under whose purview gaming now falls.
Government has now declared it will no longer be funding the Commission and told them to seek funding elsewhere. But how can a Commission self-fund when there are no casinos and no licensing fees? There is absolutely no industry for the CGC to support itself.
The people of Bermuda deserve a viable strategy with a realistic plan for casino gaming and the CGC. The Government cannot simply meddle with legislation and then let the “chips fall where they may”.
