Independent MP Wayne Furbert has called for the issue of gambling to be put to a referendum, saying it was too important to be left to politicians.

In the last session, Premier Ewart Brown had to suspend a bill allowing cruise ship passengers to gamble while in port after the bill was savaged by his own MPs.

It is not clear if or when the bill will be reintroduced but Mr. Furbert said it was time to put the wider issue of gambling to the public, although he personally is not in favour.

He told The Royal Gazette: "The decision should be made by the population not politicians. It is such a contentious issue."

Mr. Furbert said he had been calling for regular referenda on big issues since his day as United Bermuda Party leader.

"The major issues should be decided by referendum not by 36 people or the nine disciples in Cabinet. Yes, people can take them out at the next election but decisions rarely get reversed."

Former Premier Alex Scott, who opposes gambling, said a referendum wasn't the way to go as at any given moment virtually any legislation could be deemed significant and then be put before the public.

"But that's why we have Parliament," said Mr. Scott. "You could spend a king's ransom and a lot of time on referenda."

Mr. Furbert, who opposes gambling here, said private United Bermuda Party polls had shown the Country fairly evenly split about the issue of gambling but he claimed most blacks were against and most whites were in favour.

And he said that was reflected in the churches, with black churches vocal in opposition to gaming while white churches hosted bingo.

Mr. Furbert said gaming wasn't a panacea for growing tourism and Bermuda needed to differentiate itself from competitors, not offer more of the same.

The Las Vegas Strip has just suffered its worst slump on record according to some news reports, although there are now signs of a turnaround. Mr. Furbert wondered if tourists would come to Bermuda for something they could already get in the States.

"Why can't we be an Island where people come to escape the hustle and bustle, for its tranquility not for a game of chance?"

In February, Premier Ewart Brown set up a task force to oversee a study into gambling and then make recommendations on the issue, covering not just casino gambling, but online gambling and lotteries as well.

Bermuda's laws on gambling are complicated and slightly contradictory.

Betting shops, bingo and Crown and Anchor are all deemed acceptable while there is at least one casino operating, seemingly within the law. But gaming machines were outlawed in 2004.

While he believes the people should decide on whether Bermuda moves to more liberal gambling laws Mr. Furbert said a vote in the House, based on conscience, could prove interesting as he believes the majority of UBP MPs are in favour.

And he said even Government backbencher Wayne Perinchief, who had led the charge against the gaming on cruise ships bill, had done so not on moral grounds but on grounds of consistency.

Mr. Perinchief had argued the bill was unfair as it only let large cruise ship lines profit, while not letting small, independent bars in Bermuda get a slice of the gambling dollar.