Lawyer Llewellyn Peniston has issued a hands-off warning to Government if it decides to go after a floating casino set to be moored off Bermuda.

Gamblers will be able to use the casino once the 196-foot sails off Bermuda into international waters.

But he fears Government will not respect this boundary.

He said: ?It is not importing machines into Bermuda. It is not operating them in Bermuda.

?I look forward, on behalf of my clients, to the Government attempting to enforce any laws it has enacted outside the territorial jurisdiction of 12 miles.?

He said Corinthian Ltd., the local company he acts for, is planning to bring the foreign-owned boat at the end of July and it will be here for the first two weeks of August.

He said the boat would have various entertainment with gaming machines, which are now outlawed in Bermuda, likely to be featured.

He said Government had not yet made any threat to extend their jurisdiction but if they did he would fight the case in the Supreme Court aided by a Queen?s Counsel.

Mr. Peniston blasted Government for its hypocrisy in going after one element of gambling while condoning and taking tax revenue from others.

?It?s wrong of Government to isolate one aspect of the gaming industry and at the same time turn a blind eye to betting parlours, off-track betting and football pools.

?They allow that to continue and they are the first ones to claim 20 cents out of every dollar paid out by those addicts who populated those parlours.?

He said Government was engaged in an artificial attempt to claim the moral high ground by going after one sector of the betting public.

?Would it not make more sense to tax the machine operators as well??

The money could be put toward addiction services for people who did get out of control as well as to build housing for the law abiding, said Mr. Peniston.

Alcohol and cigarettes were other forms of addiction which took money away from families, but Government was happy to turn a blind eye to said the lawyer.

?They are equally addictive, people invest money in them which they cannot afford yet Government continues to tax them and call it sin tax.?

Mr. Peniston said laws should be fairly applied.

Attorney General Larry Mussenden said he was aware of Mr. Peniston?s feelings.

He said: ?I am not going to engage in the hypothetical with Mr. Peniston.

?I do remind people they should act in accordance with the law. The penalties are very clear.?

Mr. Peniston has said the ship will operate in the same way as cruise ships, which must close down their casinos when they approach Bermuda.

He is currently trying to find a Bermuda port for it.