Legislation to Bring Casinos to Jamaica

Written by JohnH | Sunday, November 16th, 2008

Jamaica’s Prime Minister, Bruce Golding, announced last week that by the end of November, legislation will be brought before Parliament that will legalize casino gambling in the Commonwealth. If the legislation is passed, this could mean an economic miracle for the poverty that hangs heavy over Jamaicans. For decades, Jamaican moralists have kept this island nation of the Greater Antilles out of the casino market. This new legislation has been a long time coming for the country, which has already promised two casino licenses to future developments on the north shore of the island. One license was promised to the $5 billion Harmony Cove resort and another to Celebration Jamaica, a 2,000-room, $1.8 billion resort.

According to the Jamaica Gleaner, these developments and others could be a partial answer to the poverty, inadequate education, insufficient health care, and broad societal dysfunction that has overcome the country. The Jamaican Parliament has seen casinos put cities like Macau, on the mainland of China, on the map. What was once an invisible city now rivals Las Vegas, the newly-established casino industry employing thousands of people in the city and grossing $10 billion last year. The addition of casinos to the tourist attractions Jamaica has to offer will undoubtedly boost the economy.

While Jamaica already has lotteries, horse racing, and gaming lounges, which have all the formal casino games, except live table games, apparently some don’t believe in bringing big casinos into the community. Immorality plays a big part in the culture of this country, and the induction of casinos are seen as socially demoralizing. However, those who support the casino industry taking root in Jamaica argue that the real immorality is the poverty that these citizens live in. For some, casinos are a recreational activity, but for citizens of countries like Jamaica, they offer hope and suggest the potential of a cultural resurrection.

Resources:

http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20081116/cleisure/cleisure1.html