BGLC reports 60% increase in illegal gaming prosecutions

Wednesday, December 17, 2014 | 5:56 PM    

KINGSTON, Jamaica  — The Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC) is reporting a 60 per cent increase in the prosecution of people involved in illegal gaming, since entering into an agreement with the Organised Crime Investigation Division (OCID) about two months ago.

Chairman of the BGLC, Gary Peart, made the disclosure as he gave an update on the progress of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by the entities early October, at the recent opening of the new Hagley Park Road offices of the BGLC and the Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC).

Under the agreement, OCID will provide the BGLC with additional personnel as well as investigative, surveillance, technical and specialist support to aid in the prosecution of crimes detected under the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Act.

Peart said that with the added resources, he expects that more arrests will be made to stem illegal activities that rob the industry of an estimated $10 billion annually, and also foster other criminal activities.

Meanwhile, he said the operation of the BGLC and the JRC from one location, down from five, will result in savings of over $300 million, and “if we sell redundant assets, it will be in excess of half a billion dollars.”

“This building stands, not only as a new functional workspace that will allow us to get the job done, but also as a symbol of how far the BGLC has come, and its bright future,” he noted.

In a move to foster greater stakeholder understanding and compliance, the BGLC will, in the last three months of the fiscal year, host five town hall meetings, where directors and other personnel from the entity will dialogue with gaming operators.

The meetings, Peart said out, will show that the agency is not only interested in prosecuting when regulations are breached.

“We are interested in their (gaming operators) well-being. The more money they make is the more fees we get, and the more revenue for the national coffers,” he noted.

Peart added that the BGLC would be expanding its support to the addiction support group, RISE Life Management, as another indication of its community and social outreach.

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BGLC reports 60% increase in illegal gaming prosecutions

Customer Appreciation Day at Super Gaming Lounge

Rasbert Turner, Star Writer

Scores of persons flocked the grounds of the Super Gaming Lounge in Old Harbour, St Catherine, recently, to enjoy the company’s Customer Appreciation Day.

It was indeed a special moment for those who turned out, as the management and staff said thanks in ways that left the patrons happy.

The day’s activities saw employees dressed as Santa Claus taking time out to be on the turntables while others were busily assisting patrons. Persons who wanted to be competitive were given the chance to win microwaves, fans and a number of prizes after they purchased various tickets.

Things got really hot when some patrons were duly entertained through their participation in dancing contests doing the “Puppy Tail, Syvah and other popular dance moves ” the winner walking away with cash and prizes. The Star was told that the activities were to say thanks to those who supported the business in Old Harbour and Half-Way Tree, St Andrew. “This is a very good feeling to see that persons are happy, and we appreciate giving back to those that we’ve served over the years, as this is where it started,” Billy Clarke, a senior representative, said.

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Customer Appreciation Day at Super Gaming Lounge

Gaming industry must be regulated

MINISTER of Finance and Planning Dr Peter Phillips has emphasised that the gaming industry, which provides thousands of jobs and revenues for the Government, must operate under regulations.

The minister, who was addressing the official opening of the new headquarters for the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC) and the Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC), on Hagley Park Road, in St Andrew, last Thursday, said over the past year, revenues from the industry has increased by 11 per cent, and it must remain regulated.

“We must have a well-regulated industry which is free from criminal intrusion, an industry that does not become a vehicle for money laundering, and an industry which is wholesome in the way that it operates,” the minister said.

Lauding the BGLC for its innovation, Dr Phillips said the innovation is not only in policing the industry, “but also trying to ensure that we bring more activities taking place within the ambit of legality, rather than allowing them to exist in the underworld of unregulated activities”.

The Government is currently making legislative amendments to merge the BGLC and the JRC, for a fully funded authority to oversee gaming and horse racing. The new headquarters will result in savings of over $300 million.

Also welcoming the new office complex was Opposition Spokesman on Finance, Audley Shaw, who told the gathering that as former finance minister, he made the decision to purchase the property, so that a very important aspect of recommendations made by the public sector transformation body could have been realised.

The JRC was established in December 1972 to oversee the horse-racing industry. Its planned merger with the BGLC, which regulates and controls the operations of betting and gaming, and the conduct of lotteries in the island, has been under consideration for many years.

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Gaming industry must be regulated

Jamaican Government to regulate Internet Gaming

The Government of Jamaica has announced that it will bring regulation to Internet Gaming in Jamaica as it seeks to earn revenues from the source. 
Horace Dalley, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of  Finance, making his contribution to the Sectoral Debate on Tuesday, affirmed that the government would make every effort to bring regulation to the sector over the next twelve months. He told the House that studies show that Internet Gaming generates more than US$20 billion in worldwide revenue, with the potential to grow even further.    

Industry earnings 

    
Mr. Dalley also revealed that, during the 2013/14 fiscal year, collections from the gaming industry totalled more than $4.5 billion. This was an eleven per cent increase over the previous year.     
He said the sum includes money that went to the CHASE Fund, Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission, Jamaica Racing Commission, and the Consolidated Fund.                        He added that the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission has conservatively estimated that the daily earnings from sports betting have quadrupled since the start of  the 2014 World Cup.

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Jamaican Government to regulate Internet Gaming