Weeks after the Gaming Authority Bill was tabled in Parliament to strengthen oversight of Guyana’s rapidly expanding gambling industry, several gaming businesses have approached the Government with a proposal to close their physical betting shops, and transition to online operations.

A Government official told this publication that the bill is expected to come up for debate in October when Parliament reconvenes, but ahead of that, operators have sought a way to have their businesses still operate through regulated online platforms.

The official said that this proposal comes as some operators met with some members of the Opposition recently. “So some Opposition members met with some of the operators and are saying that the Government is trying to take bread out of their mouths…but at the same time telling us to shut them down,” the official said.