Casino will be Bruce's death warrant

[Time]

The casinos make dollars sense but not ballots sense. Bruce is about to sign his party's death warrant! The church will attack this issue left right and centre.

Perhaps he intends to fight the dual citizenship cases one at a time via by electons instead of a general election.


BRUCE ROLLS DICE - Government gives green light to casinos
published: Sunday | April 20, 2008


Golding
Arthur Hall, Senior Staff Reporter
CASINO GAMBLING could soon become legal in Jamaica. The Government has given approval for a group of international investors to establish the island's first legal casino.
Prime Minister Bruce Golding is expected to announce the decision and provide details during his presentation in the [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]Budget[/COLOR][/COLOR] Debate on Tuesday.
Government sources say the first casino is to be established at a new hotel to be constructed in Montego Bay, St James. According to the sources, the new hotel will have more rooms than any now operating in the island, and will employ thousands of Jamaicans.
Multibillion-US-dollar development
"It will be more than 3,000, and could have as many as 4,000 rooms. However, the multibillion-US-dollar development will not take place if there is no casino attached," the sources explained. The sources refused to name the developers, only saying that it was an international group with a good track record of operating hotels and casinos.
"This will be a major part of the Government's drive to create jobs and more jobs and spur economic growth," the Government sources added.
Efforts to get an official comment from the administration were unsuccessful as The Sunday Gleaner was encouraged to await the prime minister's presentation in the Budget Debate. Speaking from China, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett refused to comment on the reports, also pointing to the prime minister's pending address.
Bartlett has made no secret of his support for the introduction of casinos and, in January, described as hypocritical, the campaign against casino gambling. He argued that the interest groups, which have been lobbying against the official introduction of casino gambling, are silent on other forms of betting, gaming and lotteries. According to Bartlett, the Jamaica Labour Party government will not renege on commitments made by the previous People's National Party (PNP) administration to give the country's first casino licence to an undisclosed group of [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]foreign [COLOR=orange! important]investors[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR].
Ongoing controversy
Jamaica has legalised slot and other gaming machines throughout the country, with gaming lounges being opened in several places. But the ongoing controversy over casinos prevented the previous administration from going the full way.
However, the PNP made it clear it was leaning in that direction after a 2003 study, commissioned by the party, recommended adopting casino gambling as a way of enhancing the tourism product. In 2006, it appeared that the PNP government had committed to the concept of a [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]casino [COLOR=orange! important]resort[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR], complete with sports book, table games and slot machines. This was to have a rider that the legal limit of 1,000 machines per location would be surpassed if the [COLOR=orange! important][COLOR=orange! important]hotel[/COLOR][/COLOR] had more than 1,000 rooms.

[Assasin]

Casino Yes!!! Bruce Golding nah Ramp

BRUCE ROLLS DICE - Government gives green light to casinos
published: Sunday | April 20, 2008


Golding
Arthur Hall, Senior Staff Reporter
CASINO GAMBLING could soon become legal in Jamaica. The Government has given approval for a group of international investors to establish the island's first legal casino.
Prime Minister Bruce Golding is expected to announce the decision and provide details during his presentation in the Debate on Tuesday.
Government sources say the first casino is to be established at a new hotel to be constructed in Montego Bay, St James. According to the sources, the new hotel will have more rooms than any now operating in the island, and will employ thousands of Jamaicans.
Multibillion-US-dollar development
"It will be more than 3,000, and could have as many as 4,000 rooms. However, the multibillion-US-dollar development will not take place if there is no casino attached," the sources explained. The sources refused to name the developers, only saying that it was an international group with a good track record of operating hotels and casinos.
"This will be a major part of the Government's drive to create jobs and more jobs and spur economic growth," the Government sources added.
Efforts to get an official comment from the administration were unsuccessful as The Sunday Gleaner was encouraged to await the prime minister's presentation in the Budget Debate. Speaking from China, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett refused to comment on the reports, also pointing to the prime minister's pending address.
Bartlett has made no secret of his support for the introduction of casinos and, in January, described as hypocritical, the campaign against casino gambling. He argued that the interest groups, which have been lobbying against the official introduction of casino gambling, are silent on other forms of betting, gaming and lotteries. According to Bartlett, the Jamaica Labour Party government will not renege on commitments made by the previous People's National Party (PNP) administration to give the country's first casino licence to an undisclosed group of.
Ongoing controversy
Jamaica has legalised slot and other gaming machines throughout the country, with gaming lounges being opened in several places. But the ongoing controversy over casinos prevented the previous administration from going the full way.
However, the PNP made it clear it was leaning in that direction after a 2003 study, commissioned by the party, recommended adopting casino gambling as a way of enhancing the tourism product. In 2006, it appeared that the PNP government had committed to the concept of a , complete with sports book, table games and slot machines. This was to have a rider that the legal limit of 1,000 machines per location would be surpassed if the had more than 1,000 rooms.

[Assasin]

PNP delays putting cards on the table - party says it made no promise to potential investor
published: Sunday | April 20, 2008

The Opposition People's National Party (PNP) is not yet ready to endorse the introduction of casino gambling, and has denied claims that while it formed the government it promised a potential permission to operate a casino.
PNP spokesman on tourism, Dr Wykeham McNeill, tells The Sunday Gleaner that the party is awaiting word from the Government before arriving at a position.
"We have seen where the discussions were introduced. I have heard pronouncements from the minister of tourism, but in terms of a firm indication, we, as Opposition, have not been so informed," McNeill discloses.
He says the last word he received was that the Government was in favour of casino gambling and that it was going to have a series of meetings with churches and communities to discuss its introduction. "We were sort of awaiting those discussions," McNeill adds.
"You have a new government in place which has proposed a new policy. I think that it is only fair for us to see what it is that they propose before we comment on it.
"When we were in government, we had to take the lead and say what we proposed to do. Now we have to hear what it is they want to put on the table, then we can respond to that," the PNP spokesman says.
Denied claims
The PNP has denied claims that it gave a commitment to a group of overseas investors to grant it a casino licence. PNP spokesman on Dr Omar Davies, who was the minister in charge of the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission, tells The Sunday Gleaner no such commitment was given.
Davies says he was approached by a potential investor who indicated that if the administration ever decided to allow the introduction of casinos, he wanted to be considered. arthur.hall@gleanerjm.com

[Assasin]

finally a leader with balls, who can say one way or another. The PNP has skirted around this like the Seaga led JLP for how long? The PNP just a go meet with church group about it?

[Rockman]

Burn investment scams and hail to casinos.




Blessed

[Assasin]

yes, it better to have it legal so people at least know what they are getting into.

I am not a gambler, only play Domino fi a beer but illegal gambling house deh all over Jamaica, and since 1990s hotels in Ja even a advertise their slot machines so what is the big difference if a slot machine or table game?

Sometimes we try to make Jamaica to be that innocent little country. I am more concerned about the environment than I am about Casinos.

[Rockman]

Casinos affect...?
Casinos are in the business of making money, gamblers(Jakans-those attracted to investment scams because of desperation) lose as a whole.
We can't even make a meaningful dent in corrupt traffic officers illicit activities, how can we tackle the sophisticated(now comprising of locals)crime syndicate that is embedded in the casino business?
It is legitimizing an investment scam.
It comes at a high price.


Blessed

[Lazie]

Every week gambling take place a Jamaica. Horse racing, lotto, slot machine, Omar's trickery aka three card man. Whats the big fuss about casino?

The Church can complain all dem want ... afterall, pastor such a fi him money every Sunday. Dem need fi guh hold a seat and mek the country move forward. Damn hypocrites.

As fi Bruce, anything he does he is signing the JLP's death warrant. Jamaicans nuh mean demselves no good. How long did they keep an inept gov't in office?

[Lazie]

Casinos affect...?
Casinos are in the business of making money, gamblers(Jakans-those attracted to investment scams because of desperation) lose as a whole.
We can't even make a meaningful dent in corrupt traffic officers illicit activities, how can we tackle the sophisticated(now comprising of locals)crime syndicate that is embedded in the casino business?
It is legitimizing an investment scam.
It comes at a high price.

Blessed

Well, unuh cyaan blame casino fi corruption and crime cause we have dat lock already. Whats the fuss if more people gonna get employed?

[Rockman]

Legalizing prostitution(some will then condescend) will also ensure people have jobs.
Also, the service of some shady characters will be needed, but hail to employment.


Blessed

[Assasin]

If the church and Jamaica did spend as much time on crime and protecting the environment as they spend opposing casino gambling then things would have been better.

Since the 80s we have been saying don't bring casino gambling because of the crime, now what was the crime rate then and now? We don't need Casino to increase our crime and corruption we do it ourselves.

Them say satan find work fi idle hands so maybe if some a dem have jobs they will find something to do with the rest of their time "sleep". 3000 rooms you know how many housekeepers, front office staff, waiters, chef, managers, bus boy, gaming operater, entertainment coordinators etc. and how many out of work artist a go get a bly?

Did you realise in many of these casinos unless you are a guest you can't partake in any of the activities and in some countries only foriegners can take part. It all depends on how we make our policies and that is the work of the politicians who have corrupted Jamaica more than any casino will.

[Mosiah]

Time to stop the hypocrisy. Good going, Orett!

[Bricktop]

People still go church?

[Jawge]

Yup and prostitution next.

[Mosiah]

Every week gambling take place a Jamaica. Horse racing, lotto, slot machine...

Yuh need to go to one of the gaming houses or whatever they are called. The difference between our gambling and Las Vegas' is size and live dealers.