Samoans will not be permitted to play and spend money on casinos when the law now scrutinized by the Bills Committee to set up casinos in Samoa is passed. There was a lot opposition during the second reading in Parliament with MP’s highlighting the negative effects of gambling and casinos on Samoans and Pacific islanders in countries such as New Zealand.
But the law will allow an initial two licenses and will allow only tourists staying in hotels to play the casinos. Samoans will be banned from these hotel based casinos.
Opposition MP’s Asiata Saleimoa Vaai and Aeau Peniamina fear that this is a first step to bringing full scale casinos and its wrappings and will breed a culture with illegal Mafia activities.
Former Cabinet Minister Va’ai Papu Vaelupe questioned why Samoans are banned when it is their country and should have the freedom to choose. “Why, is because government knows there is something bad about casinos,” he said.
The Prime Minister in introducing the Bill said the whole focus is to raise money to help sports development and Samoa athletes.
He said Samoa has the sports facilities to host international sporting events and several are lined up such as three World Judo Championships which is an Olympic qualifier, the Oceania Swimming Championships in June this year and the Youth Commonwealth Games in 2015. But Samoa lacks the funds to host these events.
Tuilaepa also stated that Samoa needs $20 to $30million a year to keep its elite athletes such as rugby stars but the government cannot sustain this. Funding from existing sources such as TAB (funded by percentages from existing games of chance such as Lotto Samoa, Sports Lotto (Australia), Samoa National Lotto and local bingos and raffles), is not enough.
And Samoa has very limited corporate sponsorship spread thinly around only three major companies such as Samoatel, Digicel and SIFA – Samoa’s Offshore facility.
The government intends to set up a single Gaming Authority when the current bill becomes law. Although gaming was only legalised in 1990, betting and games of chance have been operating in Samoa for many years, the oldest being horse racing that started during the colonial times with the Apia Truf Club that started the development of what is now the Apia Park – the home ground of Manu Samoa.
The Prime Minister is encouraging members of the public to give witness to the Bills Committee before Parliament meets again to pass the legislation when it convenes in late May.
By Lance Polu
Source: Talamua
Net News Publisher for World News
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I think that the PM’s position on introducing gaming in Samoa is well intentioned and warrants a constructive outlook by its opposition. Besides providing much needed funding for the sports elite, the biggest factor and most important reasoning is the economy. The fact that the Chicken of the Sea (COS) cannery in American Samoa has closed its doors has made a huge impact to the country economically. The majority of the people that were doing the work in the cannery were from Samoa. Now the future of Starkist is being threatened economically from its foreign competitors and the mandated federal minimum wage imposed by the US congress. The question now is, “can Samoa sustain a jobless workforce that is returning back home in the thousands”? The MP’s and religious leaders that oppose the casino venue do not have to worry about answering the above question….the PM on the other hand does. It’s also funny that the very establishments that oppose the casino idea are the very ones who patronizes the LOTTO, bingo, raffles, etc. for their financial benefit and provides no economic value to the country by way of sustainable employment and tax relief for the country. Whereas the proposition introduced by the PM for a controlled and organized gaming by the private sector, will inevitably provide a massive influx of employment and tax revenue for its people.
Now mind you, I personnally believe that the people are entitled to good, clean, intelligent, high wage earning jobs. I am sure nobody will miss the fish cleaning, hand cutting and fish smelling work at the canneries. This is not to say that fish cleaning is not an honorable type of work, because I believe it is. But I also believe that our people are ready for changes based on the ever-changing technology that the world has to offer. That is why I support the PM on this gaming idea. There is gambling on island by way of LOTTO, raffles, bingos, etc. I didn’t hear anyone cry mafia or prostitution then? Why now? As to the religious templars, please concentrate on man’s moral and ethical duties, let the PM and its leaders concentrate on putting food on the table, putting clothes on families backs with a roof over their heads and collecting a tax base to pay for other social welfare for the people.