espite growing public
outcry about the decision to implement a national lottery, the Federal Government
appears to be standing firm in its decision. When asked about Nevis Premier
Amory's announcement last week that his government will not support the lottery,
Press Secretary Erasmus Williams responded that they had received "no official
response from the Nevis Island Administration."The government's April 25 announcement that a contract had been signed to establish a "World Class Lottery" was denounced almost immediately by the Christian Council. As a result of their letter to the Prime Minister and the press, the Council was invited to meet with the Cabinet. At that May 1 meeting they were asked to join a working group to address the potential ills which might result from the lottery.
According to Executive Secretary Al Elmes, the Council remains committed to opposing the lottery. He reported that they will be meeting soon to discuss how to strengthen their position. This week the Evangelical Association added their voice to the Christian opposition to a government-sponsored lottery. Pastor Leroy Benjamin told The Observer that "we are equally opposed to it and believe that there are some inherent evils which go with it."
Pastor Benjamin said that it took some time for his organization to state a public position because they wanted to "meet and build a consensus within the group first." He added that his approach was to "talk to the government personally, before releasing a public statement."
Although most of the articulated opposition thus far has been from Church groups, many people are upset at the way the decision was made. With seemingly no public discussion on the issue, the government announced on April 25 that a contract had been signed. Interestingly enough, the April 20 issue of The Democrat contained an advertisement from the "St. Kitts/Nevis Lottery Company Ltd." seeking to fill several positions.
Press Secretary Williams pointed out that in July of last year the new Government "significantly increased licensing fees for gambling" in order to limit its spread. He asserted that the "Government granted the lottery license as a way of addressing illegal gambling which could easily have gotten out of control and fallen into the hands of gangsters and the underworld." Previous statements have focussed on the lottery's ability to generate income for government and non-profit projects in the Federation.
Williams maintained that the government would not consider changing its decision since it now "has a legal obligation." Nonetheless, given the public outcry and the opposition of the Nevis Island Administration, such a second look may well be in order.
