through the debate over casino gambling for Bermuda, and internationally, with revelations about basketball star Michael Jordan's alleged $1 million golf debt.

But, in both cases, Bermuda's gambling community has been perplexed that much of the argument about both issues appears to be missing the point.

In the first instance, they say that any debate over whether to allow casino gambling into Bermuda smacks of hypocrisy and cite Crown & Anchor as an example.

No casino game offers a greater edge in favour of the house than does Crown & Anchor at county cricket matches during the summer and local regulators have been accused of doing nothing to stop Bermudians and visitors losing an indeterminate amount of money on the game over the years.

The dice game, which is sometimes played in Nevada casinos under the appropriate title of Chuck-a-luck, is considered to be a game for suckers by discerning gamblers.

The House Edge for Crown & Anchor is 7.9 percent, which means that, by the laws of statistics, the House will over the course of time automatically make a profit of $7.90 on every $100 wagered. There's nothing a gambler can do to stop this, it's inevitable! These odds against the punter are much higher than for popular casino games such as blackjack, where basic correct play can reduce the House edge to under one percent; French roulette (where the wheel has only one zero, played mainly in Europe), 2.7 percent; American roulette (where the wheel has a double zero), 5.3 percent (both roulette figures based on betting even/odd or red/black); and craps, 1.4 percent for basic bets.

Apart from Crown & Anchor, bingo, football pools, and betting shops that take wagers on all manner of sporting events, such as horse racing and golf tournaments, there is a plethora of other gambling which is allowed to take place on the Island.

Hardly a golf game is played on a local course without some form of wager on the line. And there are several weekly poker games among a cross section of the public, including one game where a single card in a seven card game can sometimes cost as much as $800 and where the highest single night's loss for a player has been over $4,000.

Those taking part include some of the Island's policemen and leading figures in the community, including those with regulatory responsibilities.

And even politicians are known to fly to gambling resorts like Atlantic City, Las Vegas and San Juan for a flutter.

MP and lawyer Mr. Julian Hall pointed out several months ago: "The fact that we allow many forms of legalised gambling stands in stark contrast to the argument that we should not introduce gambling to Bermuda -- we already have it.

"The tragedy is that it's not sufficiently regulated for the protection of the Bermudian gambler.'' * * * BUC For anyone who has ever got lost trying to find one of the many office buildings that have sprung up in Hamilton over several years, Bermuda Commercial Bank has produced the `Businessman's Survival Guide -- The Essential Guide for Doing Business in Bermuda'.

It is a fold-over piece of card which carries a street map of Hamilton indicating where all the main Government, commercial and insurance buildings are located, such as Dorchester House, Cumberland House, the Continental Building, Century House and so on, and their addresses.

BCB's managing director Mr. Richard Francis: "There are now so many buildings in Hamilton that it's easy to get lost. This map will help businessmen get to their meetings on time.'' The colour guide, which was designed by Creative Dimensions, forms part of all of BCB's promotional kits and is also available in local hotels and at the Visitors Service Bureau.