Jamaican Representatives Approve Casino Gaming Regulations

Jamaican Representatives Approve Casino Gaming Regulations
By Brian Major

Jamaica moved a step closer to establishing casino gaming this week as the country’s House of Representatives approved two sets of gaming regulations concerning operating applications, casino activities and gaming procedures.

The approvals will facilitate planning for prospective operators of resort-based casino operations, said Audley Shaw, Jamaica’s minister of finance, in a Jamaica News Service report published Friday.

The legislation requires new resort developments seeking the casino licenses to include one or more hotels consisting of at least 2,000 rooms, with at least 1,000 rooms will be available for occupancy before the commencement of casino operations. The regulations also address issues related to the casino resort operations, including the number of hotels to be contained in an “integrated resort development,” operating procedures at the properties, financing and “the economic effects of the operation.”

The regulations also outline the Casino Gaming Commission’s powers to regulate casino licensing and operations, including approved games and casino’s manner of operation. Existing resorts seeking to get casino licenses would have to meet the necessary investment and expansion requirements as stipulated in the casino gaming legislation, said Edmund Bartlett, minister of tourism.