Herbert "Herbie" John Maginley has been selected as the Antigua and Barbuda Director of Offshore Gaming, replacing Gyneth McAllister, who resigned June 16.
Maginley previously served as acting permanent secretary in the Ministry of Labour and as principal assistant secretary in the Ministry of Finance. He also worked 12 years for Jumby Bay Resort, which gives him experience in both the government and private sector.
Prime Minister Lester Bird said the mix of experience "should serve him well in the post, and should benefit both the operators and the regulators."
The oft-embattled McAllister resigned her position after finding herself "out of step with the industry and the government," which the Prime Minister called a "regrettable development."
"Both the government and the industry must now look to the future to ensure that the regulation of the industry complies with the highest international standards," Prime Minister Bird said, "and that the operators are kept fully informed and involved with the implementation of such standards."
Meanwhile, a few licensees based in Antigua have disclosed that McAllister's resignation was far from cordial. McAllister distributed her resignation letter to several media outlets June 15, but according to one operator, the Prime Minister didn't receive the letter until the 16th.
Now, a response letter from the Prime Minister is being circulated on the Internet, and he's clearly peeved about the manner in which she resigned. In accepting her resignation, Prime Minister Bird took McAllister to task for sending the resignation to his office last. "To say the least, this was a most inappropriate manner in which to tender a resignation," he wrote.
In the same letter, the Prime Minister wrote, "It is right that you should resign since your belief in
the supremacist nature of your own views would be in constant conflict with everyone else who is trying to establish a properly regulated framework for e-commerce in Antigua and Barbuda."
McAllister's replacement isn't widely known by Antigua licensees. Many operators have never heard of him. One indicated that Maginley was probably just a stopgap appointee who would keep the needs of his position in perspective. "He probably won't try to initiate policy like Gyneth (McAllister) did," the operator said.
Many licensees had expressed dissatisfaction with McAllister's leadership, saying that she was unwilling to listen to their needs when implementing changes. Among the most bitter battles between the Directorate's office and operators was the proposed use of "black boxes" that would record each transaction on every operator's site.
The government's announcement seems to support this feeling. "Both the government and the industry must now look to the future to ensure that the regulation of the industry complies with the highest international standards," Prime Minister Bird said, "and that the operators are kept fully informed and involved with the implementation of such standards."
Click here to view a copy of the Prime Minister's letter to McAllister.