Jamaica government bodies are worried about the tourists’ flow in the country and plan to attract more visitors by loosening the local gaming law. This way the country can compete with the United States and other Caribbean region countries that traditionally attract gambling fans.
Today hotels in Jamaica are allowed to have slot machines only. Table gaming is restricted on a governmental level across the country. However, new regulations are planned to allow all types of gambling at resorts.
According to South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the government will start issuing gambling licenses to hotels in Jamaica starting from 2011. In order to become eligible for the gambling license, a hotel must meet severe requirements. It must have 1000 guestrooms min with the total investments in the hotel exceeding US$1 billion. These hotels will be permitted to build a casino on their territory, but gaming operations cannot exceed 20% of the total revenue.
This offer has already attracted hotel owners. It’s reported that Celebration Jamaica, the local company that already owns The Palmyra Resort & Spa, plans to build a 1,500 room hotel and invest US$1.8 billion into this. Another company is a Florida based Tavistock Group of Windermere that has announced its plans to build a huge 4000 guestroom resort on the north cost of Jamaica. The estimated size of the investment is US$4 billion.