NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Bahamas Gaming Board has reportedly moved against at least 13 offshore gambling operators amid growing concerns that unlicensed companies continue to conduct business in the country, including facilitating wagers and payouts through locally issued bank cards.
The action comes as questions mount over how Bahamian customers are able to fund betting accounts, place online wagers and receive winnings through offshore platforms that fall outside the country’s regulated gaming framework. Among the operators attracting attention is UK-based betting giant Bet365, which industry sources say remains accessible to Bahamian users despite not holding a local gaming licence.
Sources familiar with the matter say the Gaming Board recently issued correspondence to approximately 13 unregulated operators believed to be conducting business within The Bahamas. The nature of that correspondence has not been disclosed, and the regulator declined to comment when contacted by Eyewitness News. The development is expected to intensify concerns within the gaming sector over whether existing enforcement measures are keeping pace with the rapid growth of online betting and cross-border financial transactions.
Industry stakeholders argue that the issue extends beyond gambling itself and raises broader questions about regulatory oversight, financial compliance and the effectiveness of protections designed to prevent unlicensed operators from accessing the Bahamian market.
The concerns come more than a decade after web shop gaming was legalized under the Christie administration, a move intended to eliminate illegal gaming activity and bring the sector under strict regulatory supervision as well as taxation. Today, the emergence of offshore digital operators has renewed scrutiny over whether the country’s regulatory framework is equipped to address an increasingly borderless gaming industry.
