The casino at the smart Atlantis resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas is bigger than 20 tennis courts. Tourists flit from slot machine to roulette table, drift past Temples of the Sun and Moon and walk by Crystal Gate and Poseidon’s Throne. But the only Bahamians in sight are waiters, croupiers and cashiers.
The Bahamas legalised casino gambling in 1969, when they were still a British colony. But mainly because of the influence of local pastors, both Bahamians and foreigners who live in the country are banned from gambling.
The well-funded campaign supporting the initiative has been distributing posters and T-shirts. It argues that web shops account for almost 2% of jobs in the country, and that gambling taxes could help close the budget deficit. The “no” movement, which calls itself “Save Our Bahamas”, is led by the islands’ evangelical churches.
