00:00A motion to permit online gambling and gaming in Trinidad and Tobago has been passed in the lower
00:06house. The legislation provides for gambling through remote communication, including the
00:12internet, telephone and radio. Finance Minister Dave Tanku says the move does not remove the
00:17functions of the Gambling Control Commission. He says when the law was previously amended,
00:23online gaming was acknowledged, but the then-government said it was not in a position
00:28to regulate activity. According to the interpretation section of the Gambling Gaming and Betting
00:35Control Act 2021, remote gambling means gambling in which persons participate by the use of remote
00:45communication. Higher up in the same interpretation section, remote communication is also defined
00:53as meaning communication using the internet, telephone, television, radio or any other kind
01:01of electronic or other technology for facilitating communication. He referred to the huge losses incurred
01:08by the previous Minister of Finance not pursuing the matter when the Act was last amended.
01:14While he did nothing, Mr. Speaker, this country lost millions and perhaps billions of dollars
01:20in potential revenue and in potential foreign exchange generation. Mr. Speaker, if it is one lesson
01:29that countries across the world have learned in terms of regulating gambling and addressing
01:34anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing concerns, if it is one lesson that has been learned,
01:47is that the more you prohibit conduct instead of regulating and licensing, the more you'll be driving
01:54illicit activity to flourish in an underground economy that does not redound to the benefit of citizens who are
02:01law-abiding Mr. Speaker. Minister Tanku said any right-thinking government would have taken every
02:06possible action to ensure the tax leakage and evasion ceased. The sole opposition MP to respond
02:13to the bill was MP for Port of Spain South Keith Scotland. Mr. Speaker, sometimes when I listen to the
02:22members on the opposite side, every bill they bring, they have to mention PNM. Why you didn't tell the country
02:30that there's a PNM bill. And, and, and, and, in 2020, when we introduced the gambling, gaming, and betting
02:43control bill, that you refused to support it. Scotland, without citing directly, seemed to respond to the
02:53Prime Minister's statement that the simple majority bills did not need opposition or independent support.
02:59From now until I leave here, I talk to the people of Trinidad and Tobago. I understand you all, you
03:04know, you all have your super majority, you all don't care what we say, you all go in. So I
03:10know
03:10where I have to go and I have to go to the people of Trinidad and Tobago. So let me
03:13talk to the people
03:14of Trinidad and Tobago. He also offered an explanation as to the PNM's hesitance to legalize
03:20online gambling. There's a reason why the PNM was cautious in the implementation of this section,
03:27because we understood the pitfalls that may lay with online gambling and society.
03:38I understand you all exactly. If it comes to money, we're not regulating alcohol, we're not, because
03:45you're regulating on one hand, say, well, under 14 or under 21, you can't do this, under 25, you can't
03:52do this,
03:52you can't have this, you can't have that. But on the other hand, you're saying, open up online
03:57gambling. What happened to the young people who may be affected by online gambling?
04:03The motion was passed in the Loa House.
04:05Arvashi Tiwari, Rupnarain, TV6 News.
