– says there should
be freedom of choice
President Bharrat Jagdeo has strongly hinted that the government may amend the Gambling Prevention law to allow Guyanese the opportunity to gamble in local casinos.
Speaking at the official opening of the US$2 million Princess Casino on Friday evening, the Head of State said while he is not in support of gambling, he believes it is important for Guyanese to have freedom of choice.
“We have had to put limitations on who come into these casinos. But frankly speaking, it is particularly bothersome to me that the legislation that we have passed, which I fully subscribe to, creates a situation… akin to apartheid…”. Jagdeo described this as being “bothersome”, to a government that believes in giving its citizens freedom of choice. “How it evolves in the future, I don’t know, but there’re various forces acting at this point in time… For me, particularly, this is something that I find distasteful. Guyanese should be able to enjoy all the choices in their own country…,” the President said.
Currently the Gambling Prevention law, which was amended in 2007 to legalize the establishment of casinos locally, states that only registered guests of the hotel and overseas nationals could be patrons of the casino. When the legislation was amended in January 2007, there was widespread objection from members of the religious community who argued that that there were several social ills connected with gambling.
Speaking to the religious leaders on Friday, Jagdeo said, “this makes your work harder, it’s not easy anymore. You have to convince people that they are not making the right choices. It’s not going to happen just by itself.”
He noted that prior to the passing of the legislation he had met heads of the religious community and explained to them that his government’s approach is to give its citizens choices.
Further explaining government’s decision to permit the opening of casinos, he said it was a way of encouraging large investors in the country, especially in the hotel industry where there is a need for modern hotel rooms. He noted that the law has limited the number of casinos that can be constructed in the country and that these have to be complemented with large-scale investments in the hotel industry. According to him, the casino business “allows the investors to support their cash flow so that their investments could be much more profitable at the beginning of their investment.” This, he later said, would allow the country to garner more revenue from taxes.
Tourism Minister Manniram Prashad, meanwhile pledged that the Gaming Authority will be monitoring the Princess Casino to ensure that it is operated within the regulations. He noted that the investment in the casino by the Princess Group demonstrated confidence in the country’s economy.
The casino has 300 slot machines and 11 gaming tables (2 roulette tables, 7 card games – blackjack and poker and 2 Texas Holdem). It is the 30th such facility constructed internationally by the Princess Group internationally. The Princess Group purchased the Buddy’s International Hotel in 2008 at a price of US$15 million.
