Shadow Tourism Minister Shawn Crockwell believes Government is considering holding the gambling referendum simultaneously with the general election.Mr Crockwell said he’s been told Premier Paula Cox could hold both votes at the same time to entice Progressive Labour Party supporters — currently disillusioned with their party but with strong views on gaming — to the polls.The One Bermuda Alliance politician said that would politicise the gambling vote and may leave residents feeling used.However United Bermuda Party MP Charlie Swan took the opposite stance — imploring Government to include gaming as a referendum item in the election to hasten any move to introduce casinos.Tourism Board chairman Maxwell Burgess has already said casinos are crucial to revitalising Hamilton, while gambling is also mentioned in the National Tourism Plan.“Clearly time is running out in terms of being able to organise a referendum on its own.” Mr Crockwell told The Royal Gazette.“I have heard from sources close to Government that they may hold the referendum in conjunction with the election, which may be cost-effective, but may be politically strategic to get the voter out.“There’s dissatisfaction in the PLP ranks and people may not want to go and vote at an election. But a referendum on gaming would draw traditional PLP supporters out.“I don’t know if people would feel somehow used by that, if they are going to make this very important decision for the Country and use it for political needs.“It seems very clear to me that it’s in the Government’s interest not only to hold the referendum but for the result to be an affirmative.”This newspaper put Mr Crockwell’s suggestion to Ms Cox’s press officers yesterday, but we received no response. When MPs passed legislation this summer allowing a referendum to take place, the Premier said it would happen in due course.Yesterday’s Royal Gazette reported Spinning Wheel managing director Steve Simons is spearheading a campaign encouraging residents to vote in favour of gaming when the time comes.Mr Crockwell, who supports gaming, noted Mr Simons’ flyers carry the PLP’s 2011 Throne Speech slogan “Let’s build one another together”.He said: “The PLP find themselves in a difficult position because they have traditionally not supported gaming when Ewart Brown brought it to the fore. I don’t think they want to upset the church lobby or church support.“If Government supports it, they just need to come out and say so.”Mr Swan said: “We supported the Referendum Bill that the Premier successfully navigated through Parliament in May during the last sitting.“However we note with great interest that the PLP Government has conveniently not acted on one of the key recommendations of its Tourism Board’s National Tourism Plan.”That recommendation is to adopt gaming in Bermuda, develop a casino in a central location, with revenue providing the stimulus for local entertainment, said Mr Swan.“What irony as the recommendations of the PLP Government’s own Tourism Board in December 2011 still go begging some eight months later,” he said.“With an election less than seven months away at the most, we urge the PLP Government to include gaming as a referendum item during the general election.”Ms Cox has not replied to requests for a likely timescale, but a PLP spokeswoman yesterday explained why the party tabled referendum legislation.“We fully support the rights of all Bermudians to advocate in favour or against any public policy,” she said.“We are a party that is standing strong for Bermudians by putting power in their hands. That’s why we were the party that pushed through the recent referendum legislation.“We look forward to seeing this landmark legislation used to empower Bermudians to have their say over issues that affect our entire community.”Meanwhile Rick Olson, who owns The Bermuda Bistro at the Beach in Front Street, said bars need gaming as soon as possible, with shrinking cruise ship visits further threatening their survival.Mr Olson said he has seen the benefits of gambling in Turks and Caicos, where his company Carib Gaming operates machines in a host of bars.“Those machines keep probably half those bars alive,” he said. “This should have happened years ago in Bermuda.”