A pressure group calling for a referendum on gaming has collected close to 4,000 signatures in just a few weeks.

And one group member has launched a fresh attack on Government after it was revealed that officials had commissioned a consultant to investigate how to avoid a ballot early last year — months before it was called off.

The One Bermuda Alliance pledged before its December 2012 general election victory that it would let the people vote on whether to legalise casino gaming.

Throughout its first year in office, it maintained that it was “committed” to the referendum.

But in December, Premier Craig Cannonier reversed that promise, claiming there were concerns that the Opposition would attempt to undermine the process.

Activists claimed that a referendum on gaming was essential in order for the public to make an informed decision on the matter and launched a petition campaign last month.

Yesterday organiser Jonathan Starling said that signatures had not been fully collated, but he estimated that around 4,000 names had been collected.

“We’re in the process of collecting completed petition sheets right now,” Mr Starling said. “I wouldn’t want to give a false number, but from the numbers I’ve seen so far we are approaching 4000 signatures.”

Mr Starling said that most signatures had been collected from offline sheets located at a number of commercial businesses.

“Additionally, every single MP, other than the Speaker, has been provided with petition sheets for their constituents to sign, while petition sheets were also provided to both party’s headquarters for their party members to sign,” Mr Starling said.

“However, we were informed that the OBA Chairman Thad Hollis ordered the petition sheets provided to his party’s headquarters on Reid Street to be destroyed, preventing his members from signing them.”

Responding to news that Government had commissioned a study into how gaming could be legalised without a referendum, Mr Starling said he was “outraged” by the document and accused Tourism Minister Shawn Crockwell of attempting to “actively misrepresent its nature”.

Mr Crockwell has defended the April, 2013 study, claiming it was commissioned because Government “needed to have all options available to us should the need arise”.

But Mr Starling refuted that claim, saying: “Anyone reading this document would be aware that this Gambling Brief is not an objective ‘pros and cons’ review of potentially abandoning the OBA’s commitment to holding a referendum on casino gambling.

“The document is overtly political and makes it quite clear that it is the Government’s intention at that time — at least eight months before the formal announcement.

“It even states as such in the first sentence — to ditch the referendum on casino gambling — and outlines a strategy to manipulate the electorate and the OBA’s own MPs and lay members.

“It make absolutely no reference to the Opposition Leader calling for abandoning a referendum on casino gambling.

“It is outrageous that a Government would actively outline a political strategy of this nature — to manipulate and deceive the people — and it is particularly outrageous that such an overtly political document, which seeks to advance a political party’s agenda and ‘thwart’ the Opposition (overtly described in this document).

“Taxpayers money should not be spent on such a political document, and I hope I’m not alone in being concerned about that.

“The Minister of Tourism has actively misled the people and, it would appear, misled his own Party members, all in an effort to avoid engaging in a referendum on casino gambling.

“There are so many questions that need to be asked as a result of this revelation, and I hope that the electorate are not going to just shrug this off and give the politicians the ‘this too shall pass’ escape.

“If we want a politics of transparency, accountability and participatory democracy then we, the electorate, need to pressure our politicians to be that.

“This document is a something that should outrage all Bermudians — it’s wrong; the government has lied to us and actively sought to manipulate the people. There has to be consequences to this.”

Petitions may signed at;

Rock Island Cafe on Reid Street

Kirk’s Jewellers on Front Street

The BIU Gas Station on Dundonald Street

The BIU headquarters on Union Street

Chewstick on Court and Elliot Street

The BPSU headquarters on Cedar Avenue

The Book Cellar on Water Street in St George’s

An online petition can be found at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/bermuda-gaming-referendum.