lesliamillerbrice

Monday, June 15, 2026
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CSJ Report-Understand Bahamian News

CSJ Report explains the latest news stories, providing clear, contextualized content.

lesliamillerbrice

Can casino power truly be separated from Cabinet power?

The appointments of Sebas Bastian and Leslia Miller-Brice to the Cabinet following the May 12 general election are already raising a deeper national question on whether or not casino and gaming operators can truly separate business influence from public office.

Bastian, founder of Island Luck, said he stepped down as CEO in March 2026 before becoming Minister of Innovation and National Development. Meanwhile, Leander Brice, husband of newly appointed Minister of Culture Leslia Miller-Brice, reportedly stepped down as CEO of Sure Win shortly before her appointment.

The Gaming Act bars Cabinet ministers and their close family members from holding gaming licences.

Technically, those resignations may satisfy the legal requirements surrounding gaming interests and Cabinet appointments, according to the PLP government. But politically and ethically, it raises questions.

The bigger issue evolves into influence and public trust.

Bastian and Brice, as gaming operators hold enormous influence in the Bahamas. They are tied to money, business networks and donor ships. Many now question whether stepping away from an executive title removes the relationships, influence and access built over years inside the industry.

Even if Bastian and Brice are no longer formally connected to gaming management positions, many Bahamians still wonder whether the spirit of the Gaming Act was intended to create a wider separation between gaming influence and political power altogether.

The appointments opened Prime Minister Philip Davis to accusations of inconsistency. In 2025, Davis publicly said amending the law to allow Cabinet ministers with gaming interests was “not on the table,” creating the impression that Bastian and Brice would remain separated from Cabinet.

Now, many see a contradiction between Davis’ earlier comments and the optics of these appointments.

The appointments raise important questions about where the line between gaming business power and political power should truly be drawn in the Bahamas.

Sea Breeze showdown: Miller-Brice faces FNM challenger and COI candidate

The constituency of Sea Breeze does not stay loyal to one party for long, the pattern shows.

Over the years, voters in the area have shifted support between the Progressive Liberal Party and the Free National Movement, making it one of the more closely watched battlegrounds heading into the next general election.

This time, the race features incumbent Leslia Miller-Brice of the PLP, facing off against Trevania Clarke-Hall, the FNM’s standard bearer, along with William Knowles representing the Coalition of Independents.

Miller-Brice enters the contest with a comfortable margin from the last election. In 2021, she secured 2,448 votes, defeating the FNM’s Maxine Seymour, who received 1,090 votes. That election also saw the Coalition of Independents capture 276 votes, while smaller fringe parties combined for just 44 votes.

But Sea Breeze has a history that suggests results can shift quickly.

Over the past two decades, the constituency has alternated between the PLP and the FNM several times. In 2007, the seat was held by Carl Bethel of the FNM. Five years later, voters swung to the PLP, electing Hope Strachan in 2012. By 2017, the pendulum moved again when Lanisha Rolle captured the seat for the FNM.

Then in 2021, the PLP reclaimed the constituency when Miller-Brice emerged victorious.

This pattern shows the competitive nature of Sea Breeze, where momentum can shift depending on the country’s mood, organization on the ground, and turnout among supporters.

A key question heading into the next election is whether Knowles can meaningfully influence the race. While the Coalition of Independents has yet to win a parliamentary seat, its candidates have drawn vocal support from citizens dissatisfied with the two-party system.

It is possible Knowles could narrow the margin between the major parties, particularly if support is drawn from voters who might otherwise back either the PLP or FNM.

Sea Breeze remains the long-running rivalry between the PLP and FNM. It remains to be seen if the constituency continues its pattern of shifting parties or settle with Knowles.