Bermuda from a US gambling hot spot.

This was revealed by Tourism Minister David Dodwell to members of the House of Assembly last night.

Mr. Dodwell admitted he was surprised by the news that Spirit Air will be flying into Bermuda from Atlantic City, New Jersey.

"It was an unusual circumstance,'' he explained. "They got approval from the US and UK before we were notified.'' Mr. Dodwell said both countries had the legal right to negotiate the deal as Britain controls such matters for Bermuda since it is still a British dependent territory.

But he admitted it would have been "nice'' if both sides had contacted Bermuda during the negotiations.

Despite the oversight, Mr. Dodwell pledged to make the best of the situation.

"We're not going to sit by and not work with them,'' he said.

Spirit Airlines is scheduled to begin service to the Island on June 26 with an evening flight every day of the week besides Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

The fact that Atlantic City is only a short distance from Philadelphia, the gateway for a US Airways flight, worried Mr. Dodwell.

"There may be a filtering of passengers from that area,'' he said.

And he expressed concern over the idea of locals taking off for a short trip to Atlantic City to gamble.

Shadow Tourism Minister David Allen last night referred to the move as "a bombshell on Tourism''.

Mr. Allen also expressed concern on how the new flight would effect the existing flights out of Newark and Philadelphia.

He said he was all for new air routes, as long as they were arranged in a sane, sober way.

GOVERNMENT GVT TOURISM TOU