A potential new executive director for the Bermuda Casino Gaming Commission has been identified, with the gambling watchdog in the “early stages of discussion as to their suitability for the role”.

Curtis Dickinson, the Minister of Finance, said in the House of Assembly that the BCGC had opted not to use a recruiter to find its next executive director.

He said the commission had “identified the candidate on their own and engaged in conversation on their own”.

Mr Dickinson was responding to parliamentary questions from Michael Dunkley, an Opposition backbencher.

The commission has been without an executive director since Richard Schuetz resigned acrimoniously in December 2017. General counsel Deborah Blakeney took on the position in an acting capacity before stepping down in February.

The finance minister also provided a list of monthly figures for the wages, consulting fees, administrative costs, rent and general overheads for the commission.

The costs given covered 15 months, from April 1, 2017 through June 20 of this year.

He said the commission ran up a total cost of $2.51 million, averaging $167,545 per month.

As of June 30, the commission had six full-time staff, Mr Dickinson added. They comprise a chief financial officer, a director of problem and responsible gambling, one legal analyst and one business analyst, as well as two administrative staff.

Mr Dickinson said the commission had not yet taken in any money for licensing, telling MPs the payment had been “deferred by the folks who have provisional licences”.