The Bermuda Government announced the first three members of the Casino Gaming Commission, who will be tasked with regulating the industry.

The five-member commission will be led by Alan Dunch, who was named chairman. Garry Madeiros was named deputy chairman while Dennis Tucker will also serve on the commission.

Mr Dunch, an experienced lawyer, is the director responsible for the litigation practice group of MJM Ltd, while Mr Madeiros, a chartered accountant, is the former president and CEO of Belco and a director of BF&M Life Insurance Company.

Mr Tucker, meanwhile, is a former director of the Bank of Bermuda, the CEO of the Hotel Pension Trust Fund and a director of the Bank of Bermuda Foundation.

Tourism Minister Shawn Crockwell said the two remaining appointments have yet to be made, but one of the posts will be a former gaming commissioner from another jurisdiction with experience dealing with money laundering.

“Advice was given and received that we should have someone with gaming commission experience sitting on this,” Mr Crockwell said. “As you know, we have not done this before. The reason why I want to start now is that there are training opportunities in the very near future and I wanted to have, particularly the chairman and deputy chairman exposed to them, so we are getting the ball rolling.

“I don’t know how long it will take to identify the overseas member, but a list is being compiled now so we don’t expect it to be too long.”

The commission will be tasked with regulating the casino gaming industry on the Island when it is introduced, and will be the only entity which will determine who receives a casino licence. Legislation passed last December allows only three casino licences to be in effect at any given time.

The transfer of a casino licence without a fresh application to the commission will be prohibited, and licence-holders will be required to report any material changes in their circumstances.

The commission will also have the power to approve the layout of a casino, gaming equipment and hand out licences for key casino employees.

Mr Crockwell added: “I remain confident that resort casino gaming is right for Bermuda and that most Bermudians supported the legalisation of gaming in Bermuda. It is now imperative that we put the regulatory structure in place to ensure that we create a responsible and highly respected gaming industry in Bermuda.”

Mr Dunch said he was honoured by the appointment, noting that the real work has yet to begin.

“The role of all of us will be to learn what gaming commissions are all about, and how to import a model that fits Bermuda into Bermuda, and then having established the necessary regulations, go about the process of vetting applications and hopefully finding the best applicants for the job, assuming that they exist,” Mr Dunch said.

“I think that one of the things that is challenging about this is it’s all so new. None of us have done it before. None of us have any real idea as to what we are getting into and we are all looking forward to the educational process that has to take place in order for us to then sit down and create the vision.”

Both Mr Crockwell and Mr Dunch said that the commission’s decision as to who should be awarded casino licences will not be impacted by Government, with Mr Dunch stressing that no decisions have been made.

“When the minister first approached me to ask me whether I would take on this position, I think the first question I asked him was if the Government has made any commitments to anybody in relation to the granting of a licence,” he said. “I asked that question because had the answer been yes, I suspect I would have declined the invitation. I have been assured that no commitments have been given, and that we as a commission have been given a clean slate, so we will be looking at all applicants subjectively, without political influence and we will make decisions objectively without political influence, and that I can assure you.”

Gaming has been a controversial issue for the One Bermuda Alliance, who had promised before their election in 2012 to hold a referendum on the topic. The Government scrapped the referendum plans in 2013 — a decision which drew harsh criticism from opponents — but were able to pass the Casino Gaming Act 2014 in both the House of Assembly and the Senate. Further gaming regulations are expected to come before Parliament later this year.