Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett says the government is in an advanced state of readiness to roll out the first set of casino licenses.
According to the minister, they will begin receiving the first set of official applications by year-end.
Mr. Bartlett told RJR News the rolling out of casino gambling is a critical new development and is being dealt with carefully.
He disclosed that with the legislation now in place, commissioners have been appointed and the regulatory framework is being established.
He says this indicates the level of readiness to begin issuing casino licenses.
“Depending of course of the eligibility of those who are applying on the basis of the criteria that we have set. We have been getting a lot of enquiries and everyday, in fact up to yesterday I got another potential investor who wanted to know just what they ought to do and how they are to approach,” he said.
He however noted that obtaining a casino license goes beyond just setting up a casino.
“We require not just an interest in casino because casinos are not the final products, casino is merely part of the product offerings we seek to enhance. Casino should not be more than 20% of the total offering that the investor provides. What we are looking for is an integrated development which will provide jobs,” he said.
The Minister adds that the expectation is for casinos to enable capital injection into the economy through different entities which are necessary to support a casino.
According to the minister, they will begin receiving the first set of official applications by year-end.
Mr. Bartlett told RJR News the rolling out of casino gambling is a critical new development and is being dealt with carefully.
He disclosed that with the legislation now in place, commissioners have been appointed and the regulatory framework is being established.
He says this indicates the level of readiness to begin issuing casino licenses.
“Depending of course of the eligibility of those who are applying on the basis of the criteria that we have set. We have been getting a lot of enquiries and everyday, in fact up to yesterday I got another potential investor who wanted to know just what they ought to do and how they are to approach,” he said.
He however noted that obtaining a casino license goes beyond just setting up a casino.
“We require not just an interest in casino because casinos are not the final products, casino is merely part of the product offerings we seek to enhance. Casino should not be more than 20% of the total offering that the investor provides. What we are looking for is an integrated development which will provide jobs,” he said.
The Minister adds that the expectation is for casinos to enable capital injection into the economy through different entities which are necessary to support a casino.
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