Tourism Minister Shawn Crockwell’s announcement that town hall meetings will be held on gaming in Bermuda received a sceptical welcome from activist Jonathan Starling last night.

A “public education campaign” is scheduled on gaming to begin next week, in the wake of Mr Crockwell’s trip to Singapore with Attorney General Mark Pettingill to examine that jurisdiction’s success with gaming.

Mr Starling stressed that he was speaking separately from the Referendum for Bermuda group, which is petitioning Government to revive a promised referendum on gaming.

“Despite over a year of ‘the urgency of now’, the Government is finally engaging, at least in a limited fashion, with the people about what their vision is, although it does seem strange that despite over a year of research the Government is still in a last minute rush to finalise their vision with trips to Singapore last week and only now consulting with hoteliers on the issue,” Mr Starling said.

“And while the Government is finally engaging the people about their vision, one cannot help but feel that this whole process is a lost opportunity for the Government.”

He charged that “one-sided consultation without honouring their commitment” for a referendum gave the impression that the coming town hall meetings were “more an exercise in going through the motions than honest consultation”.

So far, more than 2,500 people have signed the petition demanding that the referendum be reinstated, Mr Starling added.