After months of speculation, Premier Alex Scott yesterday tabled a bill in the House of Assembly outlawing the Island?s 300 plus gaming machines as of July 1.

The Prohibition of Gaming Machines Amendment Act 2004 seeks to increase the fines and imposes terms of imprisonment for persons convicted of committing gambling related offences.

The bill seeks to tighten any loopholes in the 2001 act and outlines offences which range from owning a gaming machine, to having one on a licensed premises, and to selling and supplying gaming machines.

The offences are punishable by fine or imprisonment. Anyone who attempts to flout the law can be punished with five years imprisonment and fines reaching as high as $250,000.

The bill sought to define the definition of a gaming machine to include all non-traditional forms of gaming.

Under the bill, Government has defined a gaming machine as a ?computer or any electronic device?. If convicted summarily the court can impose a sentence of two years imprisonment or to a fine not exceeding $100,000, or both.

If convicted in the Supreme Court a sentence of five years can be imposed in addition to fines of up to $250,000.

The courts also have the power to forfeit, destroy, or otherwise deal with any machines which have been illegally imported.

The bill also makes provision for the execution of a search warrant by the court.

Debate on legalised gambling has been hot as recently as two weeks ago when an overseas speaker predicted to the Chamber of Commerce that legalised gambling will come to Bermuda within five years.

Former Cabinet Minister Quinton Edness has also called for the residents to band together against legalised gambling. He said two churches have expressed interest in joining a coalition against gambling.

Rick Olsen, owner of The Beach bar on Front Street, told that an upcoming ban on gaming machines will cause the rise of a black market.

He said he did not own the gambling machines at his bar directly as half of the proceeds go to the bar and half go to the owner of the machines.

Mr. Olson owns gaming 90 machines in Turks and Caicos, with three partners, which each bring in about $200 a day. In Turks and Caicos, the Government gets 30 percent, the bar gets 30 percent, and the machine?s owner gets 30 percent, he said.

He said Bermuda is a similar market to Turks and Caicos with the international average, on a daily basis, $120 per machine.

Progressive Labour Party spokesman Scott Simmons said Government is preparing for a wide-spread national debate on gambling when slot machines are banned in July.

He told that although the PLP had ?no position? now, it was ready to have a wide-ranging dialogue on whether to reintroduce gambling when the machines become illegal.

Government wants to look at how it will be connected to the tourism product and if gambling will be introduced to hotels.