By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

NUMBER Houses will no longer be required to close temporarily if the public agrees to regularise web shop gaming on January 28, Theresa Moxey Ingraham, lead spokesperson for the “Vote Yes” campaign, said yesterday.

Mrs Moxey said the web shops will remain open while the government puts the frame work in place.

She said: “That was never a fact to the best of our knowledge and that is not our government’s position. In fact efforts have been made by various members of the government at high levels to assure that that would not be the case.

There will be no temporary shut down, to the best of our knowledge. We are relying on the word of the government in that regard.”

However, in an earlier interview with The Tribune, Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe said number houses will be temporarily shut down, if the public votes yes, to put the necessary regulations and machinery in place. He said this closure is expected to last no less than 30 days and no more than 90 days.

“These web shops will then have to apply for a license, fees will have to be paid and we have to make sure the proper regulations are in place. Now, should they vote No, it then becomes a National Security issue. The National Security Minister will then take over to ensure that legislation and laws are upheld. I am operating for the existence of gaming should the answer be yes. We will have to move immediately for a proper system to be introduced,” he said.

The Tribune attempted to contact Mr Wilchcombe, but calls were not returned up to press time.

Mrs Moxey Ingraham made her comments during a press conference to officially announce that web shop operators have agreed, in event of a “yes” vote, that shares will be offered to the public.

She would not reveal which web shops were involved, but did describe them as “the owners of the industry.” Nor would she reveal any details on the offering itself.

Mrs Moxey Ingraham did, however, answer critics who said the “Vote Yes” campaign was solely focusing on the web shops and not the national lottery.

“The discussion for the most part was about web cafe’s and what to do about them. The government was obliged to include a national lottery as a part of the discussion after pressure from the public. Remember now, web cafes and the numbers operations exist today and it is one that we know a whole lot about because it has been around for quite some time, “ she said.

“A national lottery, other than the little we know about the United States based lotteries and one or two of the international lotteries, isn’t something we know an awful lot about. It doesn’t exist today. It isn’t something that we can say, well we can give figures, employment numbers, we do not know very much about it.”

The two questions for the January 28 referendum are: “Do you support the regulation and taxation of Web Shop gaming and Do you support the establishment of a National Lottery?”