Government has made money from illegal gambling | IXGAMES
Government is hypocritical by saying that slot machine gambling in the country has always been illegal when in 2004 they increased annual taxes on these devices, says Independent Senator Dana Seetahal. “You can’t make money out of it and then say it was illegal all along,” she commented. Seetahal, speaking on Tuesday during the Senate debate on the Finance Bill 2007, noted that in 2004 budget the Finance Minister stated that the gaming industry continues to thrive and they had seen a proliferation of new devices, including slot machines. The bill was passed on Tuesday night. She noted that Government had proposed to increase the fee on slot machines from $2000 to $10,000 per annum, which was subsequently effected. She compared this decision with the Finance Minister’s statements while presenting the current bill that slot machine gambling had always been illegal and the bill was merely clarifying this law. 
She noted that Government would have done something illegal by taxing these slot machines and condoning what they knew or presumed to be illegal. She commented that if this train of thought was taken to its logical conclusion Government should begin taxing prostitutes and drug traffickers. Seetahal also noted that if Government enforced the current clause banning slot machines they should return the $10,000 that was annually paid by casino establishments. She also described as hypocritical the State’s support of gambling products such as Play Whe and Lotto. Opposition Senator Wade Mark drew a similar conclusion when he referred to an article last week in a newspaper which stated that Government was subsidising the horse racing industry by $11.6 million.