Even as Guyana prepares for the opening of its first ever casino, controversy is raging elsewhere in the Caribbean over whether casino gambling should be wholeheartedly embraced as part of the regional entertainment industry.
The debate commonly pits the school of thought that regards the presence of casinos as a potentially lucrative sub-sector of the wider entertainment sector against the predominantly Judeo-Christian point-of-view that perceives gambling as what a local cleric has described as ‘a sin against God.” While the church in the region has been at the centre of the anti-gambling lobby, social commentators have weighed in on the side of keeping casino gambling out on grounds that have to with what they fear might be a continual frittering away of personal and family assets arising out of an addiction to gambling.
The passage of local legislation that has facilitated the establishment of a casino by the Princess (formerly Buddy’s) Hotel was preceded by identical kinds of arguments both for and against the legalization of gambling and up until the Princess’ very recent disclosures regarding its final preparations for a February opening, progress towards the completion of the casino had proceeded along pretty low-key lines. There really is no telling whether the announcement regarding the completion of the casino might not, once again, trigger a robust public discussion in Guyana on the issue of gambling. Under the law, however, casino gambling is a done deal though locals are forbidden from participating.
In the wider Caribbean some governments are seeking to add to their countries’ existing entertainment and tourism industries by instituting gambling legislation. Recent reports emanating from the BBC Caribbean indicate that both Jamaica and St. Lucia might be moving gradually towards the licensing of gaming facilities amidst public debate about the wisdom or otherwise of moving in that direction.
In St. Lucia, the government has only just cleared one casino gambling project to go ahead later this year in the face of what has reportedly been vociferous opposition by the churches there. In Jamaica, the country’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett announced just days ago that government hopes to start granting licences for casino gambling by year-end. Proposed gambling legislation in Jamaica has had an on-again-off-again experience having been removed from the parliamentary roster last November and handed to a parliamentary committee for review. The completion of that review process could be imminent since Bartlett has just announced that the Bill may well be returned to the National Assembly by the end of January.
One of the concerns in Jamaica is that casinos might attract the patronage of ordinary Jamaicans and that addiction may result in a range of unfortunate social consequences though Bartlett has said that “the casino developments are going to be embedded in large developments which by itself would be a disincentive to Jamaicans walking in to participate.” The Jamaica Council of Churches, however, appears not to trust the Minister’s pronouncement and its General Secretary Rev. Gary Harriot has reportedly been speaking with the BBC Caribbean regarding concerns about the social implications of gambling. In societies where strongly-held religious beliefs are likely to give rise to non-negotiable postures on issues like casino gambling the pulpit appears to hold as much sway as parliament in the ongoing debate.
While the governments of Jamaica and St. Lucia appear to have struck a pro-casino posture that challenges the countervailing public view, Grenada’s Prime Minister Tillman Thomas has declared that he refuses to sit in a cabinet that disregards the will of the people. His remarks would appear to suggest that some of his political colleagues may have struck a different, more pragmatic posture on the issue of casino gambling. Grenadians on the whole appear to be strident in their opposition to casino gambling and
the decibel level of the debate has risen significantly in the wake of a proposed US$15m tourism development project being proposed by the Swiss developer, Zublin Corporation whose proposal for a much-needed financial injection
into the country’s tourist-driven entertainment sector includes two casinos.
Grenada has been in a state of protracted indecision over the Zublin Corporation’s long-standing proposal which was attended by applications for casino licences made during the tenure of Prime Minister Thomas’ predecessor, Dr. Keith Mitchell. Then, as now, there was no decision on the issue though last month’s internal divisions on the issue pushed the government in the direction of setting up a Commission to study it. Current reports out of Grenada indicate that there is no clear indication as to which way the Commission will go given the reported differences within the government over the issue and what the Prime Minister will do if the Commission reports back in favour of casinos.
Casino gambling in the region targets – for the most part – the expatriate ‘high rollers’ who clearly revel in the opportunity to experience both the ‘fun in the sun’ which the Caribbean affords as well as the various other forms of entertainment, including gambling, available in the metropolis. As such, regional governments, particularly those whose economies are heavily dependent on tourist arrivals have become acutely aware of the fact that foreign investor interest in tourism packages are increasingly likely to include applications for casino gambling licences. Casinos have already become an entrenched and lucrative facet of the tourism industry in some Caribbean countries including The Bahamas, Antigua and St. Maarten and while most of them are linked to hotels some are stand alone operations that offer access to persons resident in those countries.
The current thinking in regional tourism circles appears to be that the slow process of recovery from a difficult year may have served to persuade countries in the region to rethink their outlook on casino gambling.
In Guyana, where it had been considered unlikely that approval for the granting of tourism licenses would surmount public anti-gambling pressure the new Princess Casino will provide employment for 140 persons while other sectors are likely to reap a measure of benefit from the facility.
The Caribbean Tourism Organiza-tion (CTO), which, even now, is contemplating ways of salvaging a depressed regional tourism sector appears to recognize the value that casino gambling can add to the tourism product and is openly advertising the Caribbean as “the place to go if you’re looking to add some gambling spice to your vacation.” The debate, however, is unlikely to cease in its intensity and whether or not the argument for the economic gain and increased visitor arrivals which proponents of casino gambling say will result from the licensing of the casinos will eventually win out over the religious and social anti-gambling lobby remains to be seen.