Miller aims to legalise numbers game
(CNS): The independent member for North Side will be looking for support in the parliament from his political peers next week for a number of small but very significant changes to the Gambling Amendment Bill, which is due to come before legislators, paving the way to legalise raffles and numbers games. Government is bringing an amendment bill to the gambling law to allow cruise ships and other private vessels that have on-board gambling to register their boats in Cayman.
The amendment bill is designed to boost the shipping registry and specifies that this will not allow cruise ships to open their casinos in port. However, MLA Ezzard Miller has said that he will be seizing the opportunity to add further small amendments to the bill that would allow churches, associations, service clubs and charities to hold legal raffles and to legalise the current numbers game, as well as enable government to collect a percentage of the fees and winnings.
Miller said he did not intend to go any further by suggesting casino gambling or even a national lottery but merely to regularise what is already happening in the Cayman Islands. He said it would ensure that the public purse is able to benefit from the current illegal gaming and to prevent NGOs and charities from getting in trouble because at present these associations are breaking the law when they hold raffles, even if it is for charitable purposes.
The debate regarding legal gambling has raged in Cayman for many years but all forms of gaming remain illegal. The gambling law prohibits everything, including raffles and numbers, even though both are prevalent in the community.
The original law, which was passed in 1963, has barely been amended since then and as a result, the fine for selling numbers is just $10.
Ask the UK if we can have join their lotteries and even Euromillions. $2 for a lottery ticket that can win $ Millions seems a better bet than $25 for a lottery, sorry raffle, ticket that can win $25000. It will also get rid of an hypocrisy…………
Do a four number national lottery in Cayman. Government takes a percentage and uses to benefit education. Simple.
Add in expenses and the jackpot will be insufficient to generate jackpot behaviour in the economic sense of the term. It cannot work because of economies of scale, or lack thereof.
As long as Jamaicans are in charge.
http://news.yahoo.com/official-lottery-scam-linked-killing-jamaica-family-183521107.html
I read the story, very sad indeed.
Ezzard is a shining example of how Effective a Politician can become when their Political Powers are restricted.
A shining example of the inability to discern when to use capital letters.
The preceding was a sterling example a statement lacking an actual subject.
And cut the local politicians who get their annual Tarriff from the “Numbers Man” No Way Jose! they ain’t going to agree to dat Mi Frieng!!!
All bark, no bite
At least he is realistic and not pretending that it does not exist as so many do. I give him credit for saying it out loud!
I’m confused. Two sensible statements from Ezzard in two days.
What on Earth is the world coming to?
Another example of how the outspoken MLA’s can’t seem to figure out from one day to the next what they believe in and/or what they should legislate (gambling, environment, same sex marriage, immigration, corruption accountability). What a mess. For goodness sake, make up your mind. By the way, a legalized numbers game is a form of lottery (you can pick your numbers in an onshore lottery too).
As they say,.. the lottery is a tax on the statistically impaired. It should work very well here and we need more tax revenue! But if this can be accepted then please, MLA’s, show some guts and consistency and legislate on good government interests, not inconsistent personal or religious beliefs.
And while they are at it….legalize drugs. I think that the politicians have not noticed that they are losing the war on drugs…..big time.
Legalize, tax, and control all vice.
Move drug dependency out of the criminal arena into the health care arena.
Anyone who plays the numbers game is an idiot. I spend more time in Vegas than most, but getting 60 to 1 odds on a 100 to 1 bet is mental. There isn’t a casino in the world that gets away with a 40% rake. Thumbs down away, you morons
Does your name begin with ‘M’ and end with ‘a’?
And did you once have a Govt credit card?…
Let’s go Miller time !!
Smart move Ez, at least Caymanians will benefit from it more than the dock. Might even help us to pay off the merchants class and education debts..
These clowns too busy worrying about a handful of people making a few bucks off air b&b to enforce the things that are really dragging us down to the level of the rest of the Caribbean, like illegal vending.
Why can this place not get that having a legal properly run casino would be a huge earner for them, attract more visitors and run the illegal scams out of town. Anything you try to ban becomes illegal revenue and activity. As for the bible bashers, you just don’t go, as you would not go to a bar. Don’t think you have the right to choose for other people.
Only if Dart gets to build and run it. Otherwise we’ll just end up with the kind of pathetic shabby little holes like they have on Providenciales.
Private number rackets should be outlawed. To many variables and chances for graft and other crime. A national lottery would be the most appropriate and fair approach.
As has been proved here, you make something the people want illegal and it flourishes as an illegal and unregulated business. The same with high taxes-I am sure there is a thriving black market in cigarettes due to taxes and ganja as its outlawed.
I agree with you – and no need to reinvent the wheel – it could just be linked to UK or Florida lottery
Let the cruise ships have their casinos open in port and you do not need to worry about a pier.
Actually, this simple and inexpensive suggestion would probably have a bigger positive impact on the Cayman tourism economy than the dock.
Might as well legalise littering and dumping too. No point having laws that are never enforced.
This is the first sensible thing that Ezzard has proposed.
How is legalizing gambling when unemployment is at an all time high sensible? Hilarious that we all still consider this place some “Christian Nation”.
Doh, ‘cos it might create jobs? Christian nation got nothing to do with it. Common sense has everything to do with it. Keep your church out of it.
“Miller said he did not intend to go any further by suggesting casino gambling or even a national lottery but merely to regularise what is already happening in the Cayman Islands.”
Ganja? Dancing on Sunday? Gambling?
Oh my gosh we are so far behind the times. Also, let’s not prosecute 6 year olds from selling lemonade without a business license. Can we also dance and shop on Sunday please? Tired of having to get drunk at brunch, by the pool, on the beach, on the boat… Need something else to do man!
You could go to church….
To worship at the shrine of your life? I’m gonna give that one a miss thanks.
yep free wine and dancing at some of those churches
I’d rather give my money to Kirky at Royal Palms on a Sunday than some Pastor.
True that! At least you know where it’s going when you give it to Kirky.
Why bother with the amendment, it will take away from Cayman’s traditional heritage of secretly condoning such illegal activities. What, is this supposed to be some kind of Pirates Week sick joke? Arrrgh!
National Lottery is so needed. Lets see the many dislikes for this post 🙁
It would raise pretty much nothing. Economy of scale is the problem.
A long time ago, I went to school and got a fairly decent job. Then I figured out that if I went into politics, I could make loads of cash. Then I started eating a lot and the rest is history. But that is just my story.