I hate to say this, but I think it will end in tears. Can the government cancel the Heads of Agreement at this stage? Is there a "ethics clause" in the Agreement that, once triggered, can make it null and void?

Not surprised that the Bahamas is seen as a gullible place. After all, the government has just signed a Heads of Agreement with a company whose management is of questionable character and ethics.

Good riddance! He won't do it anymore!

You know what's coming next, right? Income taxes.

Will Asue Draw be the next webshop to close down?

The integration of the webshops into the formal banking sector is a moot point because of two elephants in the room:
1. The sources of the webshops' funds are unknown/possibly illicit and cannot be verified in a meaningful manner;
2. The Gaming Board is an ineffective regulator: (alleged) bribery and payoffs, along with (alleged) non-implementation of AML/KYC software in some webshop establishments.

The loss of correspondent banking relationships (aka vital linkages to the global financial system) is not worth it to the legitimate banks.

With each passing day, Edison Sumner seems to be catering more and more to the interests of the government, as opposed to the private sector's (which are not the same BTW). I did not know that the main duty of a Chamber Commerce president is to be the government's lapdog. Mr. Sumner lost all credibility when he publicly supported VAT.

Interesting timing.

There but for the grace of God, go I. Hopefully this article can connect Ms. Neymour, Mr. Cambridge, and Ms. Rahming to prospective employers. Reducing unemployment in this country will only be possible through a combination of personal effort, community assistance (e.g. networking, job search resources), progressive government policies (e.g. reducing business red tape, improving the educational skills of high school graduates), and an improved global economy.

What growth? Anecdotal evidence suggests that things haven't been this bad, even during the 2008-09 recession. The Bahamian consumer is maxed out (or very close to it); home purchases by Bahamians are plunging; bank lending is anemic; many businesses are not hiring, purchasing, and investing like they used to, but are just trying to keep their heads above water; costs have skyrocketed; the Baha Mar debacle is dragging down growth prospects; and VAT is sucking money out of the productive economic sector.

And this doesn't even take a future global slowdown into consideration.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating, and the Prime Minister's is found wanting. Waiter, I'll have what S&P is having, please.