President meets religious leaders on casino gambling
Guyana Chronicle
January 20, 2007

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PRESIDENT Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday met leaders of several religious organisations on concerns about the controversial Gambling Prevention (Amendment) Bill expected to have been passed in Parliament late last night.

The Government Information Agency (GINA) said at the meeting at the Office of the President, were representatives of the Guyana Council of Churches, the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana, the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, the National Spiritual Assembly of Bahais of Guyana, and the Georgetown Ministers Fellowship.

According to GINA, Chairman of the Guyana Council of Churches, Alphonso Porter said while the church remains firm in its policy on gambling, the government’s position on the matter has been noted and some concessions made.

“We expressed our deep concerns. The President did give some explanations we did not hear before ... I understand they are looking at it from an investment point of view and while we say yes to investments, the social consequences cannot be ignored,” Mr. Porter said.

He said President Jagdeo has given the religious leaders and representatives the assurance that the government will do all it can to address the spin off social effects of casino gambling by strengthening the legislation.

“The part that no Guyanese would be getting into it, and that he will strengthen the legislation is some bit of concession, but we still have concerns,” Porter conceded, GINA reported.

According to the agency, Head of the Guyana Islamic Trust, Mr. Wazir Baksh said, “We had some concerns on the gaming bill that is in front of Parliament and we sought to implore the President not to go through with it. He explained his position that they (government) have to go through with it. He respects the religious community, that is why he restricted the bill so much, but our position is still the same.”

Baksh said he was appreciative of the President’s concern for the religious sentiments of the people.

GINA said the President has made it clear that when the bill is legislated, only tourists would be allowed to engage in casino gambling.

According to the amendment, the bill will prevent existing hotels and resorts which do not meet the requirements from establishing casinos on their premises, and the activities would be limited to no more than three casino licences in each administrative region.

Section 30 of the Bill states that no person, other than workers and guests of the hotels or resorts, shall be admitted to the casinos.

Anyone who fails to comply with Section 30 is liable to a summary conviction carrying a fine of not less than $20M and imprisonment for a term not less than six months and not more than two years.