Golding shows hand - Government gambles on casinos in Jamaic

[Lazie]

Golding shows hand - Government gambles on casinos in Jamaica

Prime Minister Bruce Golding has confirmed a Sunday Gleaner report that his administration has given the green light for the introduction of casinos.
Already, the developers of the Palmyra Resort and Spa have been given approval to construct a new hotel - on a 65-acre property in Rose Hall, St James, with 2,080 rooms - predicated on the granting of a casino licence.
Making his contribution to the Budget Debate yesterday, the prime minister remarked that the issue of casinos has been "a lightning rod of controversy for a long time".

He argued: "We have in a sense sneaked up on the issue while proclaiming to be opposed to it".
Pointing to the number of gaming lounges and slot machines already in the island, the prime minister said these accounted for 50-80 per cent of casino revenues.
"So, what was intended to be excluded is very much here. Slot machines, however, do not attract major investments, table games do," Golding added.

PNP was committed
According to Golding, in 2006, the People's National Party (PNP) administration entered into an agreement for the multibillion-dollar development of Harmony Cove in Trelawny and committed to "use its best effort" to secure a casino licence.
The prime minister said his administration conducted a review of the issues surrounding the introduction of casino gambling and reviewed the recommendation of a study carried out in 2003 by a committee chaired by Dennis Lalor.

The committee recommended that casino gaming be introduced and the appropriate legislation enacted.
Golding said, based on this review, "the Government had taken the decision to permit the licensing of casinos".
The legislation will be taken to Parliament for its consideration and approval.

According to Golding, with the new hotel to be built in Rose Hall, the developers of Harmony Cove have agreed not to hold the Government to the agreement that no other licence should be issued within the 10 mile radius of the Trelawny boundary.

[Lazie]

Casino revenues to fund health, education and security

Casino revenues to fund health, education and security
BY ALICIA DUNKLEY Observer staff reporter dunkleya@jamaicaobserver.com
Wednesday, April 23, 2008


PRIME Minister Bruce Golding, who yesterday confirmed the Government's intention to give the green light to casino gaming here, says revenues from their operations would be put in a special fund to finance health, education and security.
The prime minister, speaking in the 2008/09 budget debate in Parliament, said the decision to permit the licensing of casinos came after a review of a 2003 study which concluded that casino gaming would be viable for Jamaica.
He told the House that while the "issue of casinos has been a lightning rod of controversy for a long time", it could not be ignored that slot machines, which are a principal feature of casinos the world over, are very much present in Jamaica.
Said the prime minister: "There are those who I know disagree with casino gaming. I genuinely respect their views. The fact is that the horse bolted through the gate a long time ago with the granting of licences for hundreds of gaming machines."
"What have not been permitted are table games. With improved technology, many slot machines now carry games which traditionally were exclusively table games, so what was intended to be excluded is very much here.
"Slot machines, however, do not attract major investments. Table games do," he added.
He said the Government had already secured agreements for major developments involving over 6,000 new hotel rooms and US$2.8 billion worth of investment.
The prime minister made it clear that casino licences would only be considered if certain conditions such as a minimum investment of US$1.5 billion and the construction of not less than 1,000 rooms are met.
In addition, he said the Government would have to be satisfied that the casino component would be no more than 20 per cent of the total project. Golding further said operators would have to be subject to the approval of the Government after the appropriate due diligence, including fit and proper tests and evaluation of track record. He said, too, that an appropriate regulatory framework with the necessary legislation and enforcement mechanism would have to be put in place.
"We will ensure that best practices are observed and that only reputable companies with proven integrity are allowed to operate in Jamaica," the prime minister said.
In the meantime, Golding said approval has been given to proposals from the developers of the Palmyra Resort and Spa, operating under the company Celebration Jamaica Limited, for a major new investment which is predicated on the granting of a casino licence.
The project, said Golding, involved the development of a 65-acre property consisting of 2,080 new hotel rooms and a total investment of US$1.8 billion.
Meanwhile, the Tavistock Group, developers of the Harmony Cove resort project, are to increase the size of the project from 4,500 rooms to 8,500 rooms with an additional investment of US$1 billion to US$2 billion, based on the undertaking that they will also be allowed to operate a casino.

[Lazie]

Churchmen rap planned introduction of casinos
BY ALICIA DUNKLEY Observer staff reporter dunkleya@jamaicaobserver.com
Wednesday, April 23, 2008


GOVERNMENT'S decision to grant licences for the operations of casinos in Jamaica yesterday provoked members of the religious community.
GARTH. it is a very sad day
Prime Minister Bruce Golding, making the announcement in his contribution to the 2008/09 budget debate in Parliament yesterday, said the economic benefits were enormous and that revenues from casino operations would be put in a special fund to finance health, education and security.
But president of the Jamaica Association of Evangelicals Rev Peter Garth and other members of the religious community were not amused.
"This is a very sad day for Jamaica. For a lot of persons it is victory, but for us it is a very sad day," Garth told the Observer in the wake of the announcement.
"We have always said that gambling, including casino gambling; is personally selfish, morally irresponsible and socially destructive. If they have given the green light we would be very disappointed and we would be disappointed because there is an active campaign for a fresh start and when you want to have a fresh start and you give the green light to something like that it throws a different light on calling people to values and attitudes and on calling the nation to look at our standards and our principles," Garth said.
"Whether it is JLP or PNP, we believe it is morally wrong. We are against it but we will continue to use moral suasion and continue to educate persons as to the ills of gambling on a whole," said Garth.
In the meantime, he dismissed the Government's argument that features of casino gambling had long been in Jamaica but for table games as 'gymnastics'.
Lord Bishop of the Anglican Church Rev Dr Alfred Reid yesterday said the Diocese of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands remained 'averse to the idea'.
"Our position has not changed; the church still holds to its view that casino gambling is not in the best interest of our people," Reid said in a statement to the media.
The Diocese said it had publicly stated its anti-casino stance by Diocesan Bishops in Synod Charges and by resolutions passed by the Synod in 1984 and 2003.
The Jamaica Council of Churches, in a statement on the issue in February of this year ahead of the announcement by Golding, said it remained 'adamant in its opposition to gambling, whether it is casino or other forms'.
The Council said social evils such as fights and squabbles, increase in street violence, drug trafficking and the corruption of public officials often accompany gambling.
It also took umbrage at accusations that the church has remained silent about other forms of gambling, saying that "the Church has never failed to articulate the moral grounds on which it opposes gambling" and has consistently and unequivocally registered their opposition to gambling in all its forms from as far back as 1958 when it objected to the idea of introducing casino gambling facilities in tourist hotels and in subsequent times.
The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, addressing the issue of gambling in a statement on its official website, said it rejected gambling and would not solicit nor accept funding clearly derived from gambling.
"The idea that gambling operations can have a positive economic benefit is an illusion. In addition, gambling violates the Christian sense of responsibility for family, neighbours, the needy, and the Church," the statement said.
Furthermore, the organisation said it did not condone raffles or lotteries to raise funds and urged its members not to participate in any such activities, however well-intentioned.

[Mosiah]

Harmony Cove was always going to have a casino, so even the PNP govt. would have had to change course eventually. But still, credit to this govt. for just putting to rest this silly issue.

[Mosiah]

Does the Bible address the issue of gambling at all? Some church folk have been trying to make such a point without citing a specific verse.

[Assasin]

All we need to do is charge room tax pon them hotel deh, and have the CAPE man play "house" and we can better healtcare, and education.

Only problem mi have is Mi hear say Carlos Hill a go invest him billions fi the Cash Plusers.

[Time]

Now I see where the JLP intended to get the money for free tuition.

[Lazie]

Now I see where the JLP intended to get the money for free tuition.

When they had implemented a national lottery decades ago, the purpose of it was to fund education. But .. the biggest set of hypocrites in Jamaica called the church protested against it and Manley came into office and eliminated it.

Now we have lottery again .. and it is in private hands.

Why unuh always want to give little boy big man job is beyond me.

[Assasin]

jobs, jobs, jobs, and more jobs?

[TDowl]

Good move, right off the top "health, education and security". The Pastors now have money for their Basic schools.

This will take a number of hotels off the seafront too.

[TDowl]

I will be farming new style, food food food.

[Assasin]

"This will take a number of hotels off the seafront too"

you think so?

[Naminirt]

Trinidad says no to casinos and slot machines
Imran Ali
Friday, June 29, 2007

Gambling table
The Trinidad & TobagoGovernment is totally against the operation of casinos and all associated businesses, Conrad Enill, Minister in the Ministry of Finance, said earlier this week as debate on the Finance Bill 2007 began in the Senate.
Among a slew of provisions in the Bill is a clause that will officially make it illegal to import slot machines.
"These provisions define slot machines and tokens; removing any ambiguity as well as ensuring that slot machines are considered gambling machines," Enill told Senate President Linda Baboolal as he laid the bill for its second reading.

Enill said: "Accordingly, this measure will enforce the ban on the importation of slot machines with took effect from March 1, 2007, and will reiterate the position of the Government."
Once passed, the amendment will not immediately seal the fate of private members clubs, which offer slot machines as one of their main attractions.
Enill explained that the clubs will "continue to be able to operate within the parameters of the law", and he reiterated statements made previously by Prime Minister Patrick Manning that dialogue with the club owners will continue.
"On this basis the legislation provides this amendment will not be effective unless proclaimed," Enill pointed out.
The bill was passed in the House of Representatives on June 13, and had been introduced in the Senate last Monday. In addition to amending the Gambling and Betting Act, it also makes provisions for statutory increases in pensions, increasing the spending limits of the Chief Administrator of the Tobago House of Assembly, and also the elimination of customs duties on computer peripherals and certain types of telecommunications equipment.
Giving an account of the country's economic performance since the PNM took office, Enill admitted that while inflation was "the primary macro-economic challenge that faced Government", it was being brought under control and now stood at 7.9 per cent.
More jobs and businesses were being created and existing businesses were expanding to employ more people, he said

[Mosiah]

Good for you!

Just happy to see you post something on your homeland for a change!

[Assasin]

them welcome to come role some dice when we set up

Hope dem nuh follow later