Mr. Julian Hall told Hamilton Lions on Tuesday. It might also, of course, give Bermuda the reputation of being a second rate Atlantic City of the Atlantic.

We agree with Mr. Hall that Bermuda's flagging tourism industry needs a "shot in the arm'' but we are not at all sure that a casino will do anything other than degrade what we have. If we were to agree to casino gambling it would have to be highly regulated because there are always fears that organised crime follows casino gambling. We might, of course, exclude residents and locate the gambling in an entertainment centre on one of the islands, such as the age-old suggestion of a casino on White's Island with regular ferry shuttle. It might also be a solution to the future usage of the US Naval Annex.

There are dangers in Mr. Hall's suggestion that we restrict gambling to visitors to prevent locals becoming gambling "addicts''. Bermuda might well be seen as preying on the weakness of others while protecting itself.

We don't think a casino is the magic financial solution it used to be when casinos were a relative rarity. Casinos are not the automatic money machines they once were. There are many more places with gambling today than there used to be and east coast Americans who want to gamble can go to Atlantic City rather than trek abroad or to Nevada. What we may be seeing in Bermuda is a little jealousy that cruise ships get the dollar at sea but Bermuda does not get it on land.

We would rather first see a dedicated lottery with the funds going to finance something important to Bermuda like the Bermuda College, the new incinerator, the hospitals or the National Stadium.

We agree with Mr. Hall that Bermuda needs to spruce up its image but we would rather build on what we have and return to some of the things Bermuda abandoned. We need to concentrate on presenting Bermuda as a desirable Island.

We need to provide more for visitors to do but we have to keep the island flavour. It is a mistake to provide as entertainment poor copies of the nudity and feathers presented on the mainland. Visitors want it to be different, just look at the way they flock to the uniforms and the music of the Bermuda Regiment. We have to remember that visitors love the British image. But visitors are on vacation and Bermuda has become too much of a granny. We need to make granny loosen up and dance a little.

We need to start the island flavour on the flights to Bermuda and enliven the welcome at the Airport with a swizzle and some music. We should move back outdoors. We moved inside because of air conditioning and lost the casual outdoor flavour. Too often second-rate restaurants make visitors uncomfortable with the jacket and necktie syndrome which is just not the holiday style of today.

Visitors want to enjoy, not to be restricted by an antique dress code. We need to be open for business when it pleases the visitor and not when it suits ourselves. Too often we do it our way and not the visitors' way and then wonder why the visitors go to resorts which do it to please visitors.

Bermuda has a tendency to make things pompous rather than friendly. We have made Bermuda stuffy to suit a dying breed. We fail to understand that we can be casual and still be smart and that we can have quality without being stifling. We have made Bermuda unique but we forgot to make it fun.