Jamaica looking to legalize and regulate online gaming

Jamaica set to become major player in Caribbean Gaming industry

The Holness administration in Jamaica is working on plans to legalize online gaming in the Caribbean country.

According to the country’s Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica is set to become a major player in the Caribbean gaming industry.

He noted that the country is being viewed as an “important and interesting new market” in the region, and the legislation is in place “the industry will be of fundamental importance to Jamaica’s tourism product”.
“This will give us more than a fighting chance to compete with rival jurisdictions,” he pointed out.

Bartlett said that gaming has impacted positively on tourism in other countries, and Jamaica should be no exception. He noted that many Caribbean countries have introduced or are considering gaming.
“Our legislation will be seeking to advance our gaming to ensure that we are offering what is being offered around the world, and even better, so that we can attract more people, because tourism is our main industry,” he said.

Finance Minister, Audley Shaw added that the Holness administration had decided to “fast track” the legislative process due to the rapid pace of technological change and “the need to facilitate the growth” of the local gambling industry.

Jamaica’s gaming industry continues to attract a substantial amount of interest from both regional and external investors. It is estimated that the country is losing up to J$2 billion (US$15.5 million) a year in revenue to illegal gambling operators.
The administration hopes to tap into this revenue stream.