A special commission is to be established to regulate the operations of casinos across the island.
A release from Jamaica House yesterday stated that Prime Minister Bruce Golding made the announcement, and outlined other details related to casino gambling at a meeting with St James parish councillors in Montego Bay recently.
Golding has moved to allay fears expressed by the Church and other groups, that the introduction of casinos would lead to an increase in gambling addictions, particularly among persons at the bottom of the economic ladder. “Any fear that the small man is going to gamble off his money should be dismissed,” he told the parish councillors. “We are talking about high-end gamblers. You have to have good credit cards before you can even consider entering these casinos.”
The prime minister also dismissed some hotel operators’ concerns that their gaming parlours would be outlawed with the introduction of casinos. The prime minister told the Montego Bay group that new hotels could continue to put in one gaming machine for every 10 rooms.
He said the exclusive casino licences would not affect establishments with under 20 machines, while persons can still apply for approval to operate businesses with fewer than 50 machines.
