Arthur Hall, Senior Staff Reporter
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.
arthur.hall@gleanerjm.com