THE NUMBERS BOYS ARE IN LONDON

By OSWALD T. BROWN

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 15, 2022 – I have been playing numbers regularly from the late 1950s when doing so was illegal and the two main numbers houses in New Providence were operated by Percy Munnings and Talbot “Stokes” Thompson.

The “numbers game” in The Bahamas has come a long way since the Government had the good sense to remove the stigma of illegality and legalized this business enterprise in 2014, despite strong opposition from some hypocritical religious leaders who religiously coveted monetary donations from operators of numbers houses.

Since then, an astute group of smart business-oriented numbers operators have developed highly successful businesses that are now as respectable as commercial banks.

This week, the top gaming operators in The Bahamas joined Bahamas Gaming Board Chairman Dr. Danny Johnson at the International Casino Exposition (ICE) held in London, no doubt with a view to continue to improve their gaming acumen and further develop their businesses.

The group included R.H. Culmer, Sebastian Bastian, Craig Flowers, Peter Deveaux, Garvin Newball and Lea Brice.

Along with Gaming Board Chairman Dr. Johnson, they were welcomed to the Bahamas High Commission by His Excellency High Commissioner Ellison Greenslade on Tuesday, April 12.