But questions remain about where the casino would be built, who would operate it, and what games it would be offered up.Walking a Fine Line
Bartlett did reveal that Jamaican officials have recently warmed to the idea of a casino after resisting it for years.
“We have seen some of the attendant negatives and we question very much whether or not we would be able ourselves to manage and be able to deal with the negative impact of it,” Bartlett told the Jamaican Observer.
Plans for the country’s first casino were revealed back in 2014, but they never came to fruition.
Religious considerations in the deeply Christian country are significant a factor, but the potential for growing tourism is apparently too lucrative to resist. The goal, according to Bartlett, is to bring in an additional three million annual visits and $3 billion in revenue.
However, officials appear to be walking a fine line, saying that while they want in on casino revenues, it’s “not a requirement for our growth.”
“We do not see Jamaica ever becoming a casino destination but rather a destination in which casino gaming is available,“ Bartlett clarified.
Florida’s Loss, Jamaica’s Gain?Florida-based lawyer Bruce Liebman also spoke at the recent hospitality conference. He’s encouraging the Jamaican government to take advantage of the opportunity presented by recent changes to Florida’s gaming industry.
Florida voters in November s midterm elections, meaning that any gaming expansion in the state is now in the hands of its citizens, not lawmakers.
With gaming growth expected to stagnate in the Sunshine State as a result, Liebman says there is now a tremendous opportunity for Jamaica, located about 700 miles south of Florida.
So if you guys can get there in the next few years,” he told conference attendees, “and put casinos in an integrated format with entertainment, with condominiums, with shopping, with golf courses, and get it on an ocean with your beautiful sand and your beautiful beaches, you will be ahead of the state of Florida.
