The Opposition has questioned the decision-making process that led Premier Ewart Brown to spend taxpayers' money sponsoring a celebrity poker tournament at the Playboy Mansion.

The Urban Health Institute, a charity founded by Dr. Brown's eldest son Kevin, was the beneficiary of the event in Los Angeles on May 17.

Dr. Brown handed out prizes in his capacity as Minister for Tourism, with the Ministry donating three trips to the Island in partnership with the Elbow Beach Hotel as part of a silent auction.

In a statement yesterday, United Bermuda Party leader and Shadow Minister of Tourism Kim Swan said: "The use of Bermuda taxpayer dollars to support a Playboy mansion fundraiser for a Los Angeles-based charity run by Premier Brown's son once again raises serious questions about Department of Tourism decision-making.

"It is difficult not to regard this latest use of taxpayer dollars as evidence that Bermuda Tourism has become the Premier's personal fiefdom to spend public money as he sees fit without due regard for its effectiveness in attracting visitors to the Island.

"There does not seem to be any established criteria for committing tourism dollars to particular events, and no indication they are being measured for their cost-effectiveness."

After the story first broke in the Mid-Ocean News on Friday, the Premier's Press Secretary Glenn Jones released a media statement attributed to a Department of Tourism spokesman.

It said: "The Bermuda Department of Tourism was a sponsor for a charity silent auction during the celebrity poker tournament. The silent auction benefited the Urban Health Institute of Los Angeles, California, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organisation.

"These types of sponsorships afford Bermuda an opportunity to do public good in communities around the United States while also promoting the Island as a travel destination of choice - particularly among affluent travellers.

"The Department's charitable participation of this event is beneficial to the Bermuda tourism product. The Department's affiliation with UHI has directly led to visitor arrivals, particularly for the Bermuda Music Festival and the Annual Love Festival."

It listed other organisations that have recently received similar trips to Bermuda via donations from the Department of Tourism for a silent auction as the Tiny Miracles Foundation in Connecticut, the National Urban Technology Center in New York and Sacred Heart University in Connecticut.

Mr. Jones said: "There was no press conference on this sponsorship because this kind of charitable support is commonplace for the Department of Tourism, particularly at events where Bermuda's awareness can be heightened among affluent travellers."

However, Mr. Swan said that statement "makes us wonder about the priorities and thinking behind tourism spending decisions, and how and why particular charities are selected".

He continued: "We would welcome a full and clear explanation of this particular charity-centred approach to marketing the Island."

He also posed a series of questions (see panel) asking Dr. Brown to explain how UHI came to be selected as a cause to support, what criteria were used and what the cost of the commitment to the event was.

Mr. Jones answered the questions, but branded them "largely redundant".

When he was asked by this newspaper last week how much Tourism spent on the project, Mr. Jones said the value was estimated at between $1,500 and $1,800 depending on where the winner flies from.

He added that the hotel portion of the prize is donated by the hotel partner.

Asked at that time whether Dr. Brown's son's connection with the event had anything to do with his Ministry's decision to sponsor it, Mr Jones replied: "The only factor in deciding which charity to support is the charity itself. The money doesn't go to any individual.

"That is true for Urban Health Institute, the Tiny Miracles Foundation, the National Urban Technology Centre, etc."