By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

A MOVE by FML Group of Companies CEO Craig Flowers to close down his web shops in the event of a No referendum victory is a private decision, Prime Minister Perry Christie said yesterday.

However, he suggested that Mr Flowers would not suffer any negative impact if the numbers racket is not legalised, as he has operations which stretch beyond the Bahamas.

FML’s chief has said that should Bahamians vote no next Monday, he would be the first one to close down all of his web shops without remorse.

“Mr Flowers, I am advised,” Mr Christie said, “is licensed in the Turks and Caicos Islands to conduct gaming. I presume that he is able to do that and still conduct his internet gaming from the Turks and Caicos. I don’t want to suggest anything otherwise.”

Mr Christie further admitted that the government has struggled with how it will tackle internet gaming moving forward.

“Internet gaming its a very difficult subject, gaming in itself and the impossibility of stopping people from doing what they want to (is difficult).

“Laws haven’t been designed by man that have effectively stopped any kind of illegal, illicit or irregular operation.

“So one can only, insofar as representing the government of the Bahamas, put in place the laws and the policies that will help us to deal with the issue if there is a no vote.”

Mr Christie told reporters last week that his administration would face a serious problem if Bahamians said no to the numbers industry.

He was referring to unemployment numbers and the difficulty of eradicating webshops.

It is said that the industry employs around 3,000 persons, however Vote No representatives have called that figure into question.

They claim that web shop bosses have only paid NIB contributions for around 700 workers.

Mr Christie said: “We are going to have a real situation that we would be confronted by for a no vote, because yes these people will either have to go deeper underground illegally or we will have to find a way to find alternative employment for them.”

It is said that Mr Flowers owns 12 locations in New Providence one in Grand Bahama and another in Abaco.

He employs 400 persons.