Business View Caribbean | Jan 2019

14 may not want to throw on your smart shoes and go into a dark casino. Online gambling is largely legalized in the majority of Caribbean countries with land-based casinos. However if you are travelling to an island or a country that you’re unsure of, double check the laws regarding online gambling before you travel. The next big gambling destination Two years ago the government in Jamaica legalized all forms of land-based gambling and since then, two of the three major casino developers in the region have applied for a license to build super casinos in the country. At time of writing there are six cities with gambling facilities and eight establishments in total on the island. Variation is pretty sparse on the island but all that is expected to change in due course when planned developments get off the ground. Can the Caribbean reap the economic benefits of gambling? Countries such as the United Kingdom have benefited enormously from the tax revenues and jobs that the gambling industry has brought to the nation. The gross gambling yield of the UK in 2017 was estimated to be over £15 billion with a good percentage of that being taxable by the government. In addition, thousands of jobs have been provided in the UK either directly through jobs relating to the gambling industry or through advertising related to it. Also, online gambling has created plenty of jobs and interest in gambling. Land-based casinos are lesser used in the UK as the vast majority of punters avail from the wide selection of games available from online casino providers. The majority of Caribbean countries are expected to legalize online gambling in due course, which will bring a financial boost to OPENING LINES