Above: Bahamas PM Perry Christie (BIS Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The Bahamian people should decide on the question of creating a national lottery, according to Prime Minister Perry Christie.

“The major parties agreed that they will put it to a referendum; and that is significant because we cannot continue to institutionalize hypocrisy in the governance of the Bahamas,” he said Wednesday. “Once the people decide, public policy will govern itself accordingly.”

Some religious groups, including the Christian Council, have expressed concerns about the plan.

There is thought to be a large informal economy involving lottery games in the Bahamas.

Christie said a national lottery has “significant revenue implications.”

“We are going to put a stop to this,” he said. “The country must decide.”