The Jamaica Information Service (JIS) discusses the issue of licencing of commercial gaming machines and the role of the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC).
What is it?
Speaking to the JIS, two representatives of the BGLC, the gambling regulatory body of Jamaica, detailed how commercial operators can acquire a licence to maintain gaming machines on their premises.
Who is it?
Moderator – Vaughn Davis, JIS
Guest Speaker – Maurice Thompson, Director of Licencing and Registration, BGLC
Guest Speaker – Jeanette Lewis, Manager for Corporate Affairs and Communication, BGLC
What is being said?
Confirming the importance of promptly renewing licences, Lewis stated: “If you don’t have your licence renewed promptly, you risk having your machines being identified as being unlicensed, and therefore you could be subject to more strict action, which could include payment of fines, and also should seizure of the machines.
“And the fact of the matter is that you have to be determined by law to be what we call ‘fit and proper’ to operate in the gaming industry in Jamaica. If you allow your licence to lapse, that can impact your permanent status, so when you try to do any future licencing in this industry, that might be compromised.”
Building on Lewis’ comments, Thompson remarked: “It’s critical that if you’re entering the gaming industry for the first time, you will undergo what we call a due diligence investigation, which looks into your criminal background, your financial background, and your character.
“If you fail this due diligence investigation – meaning that when the Commission investigates you are not deemed eligible – you will not be allowed to get your license. As a licensee, you’re under risk of losing everything if you’re caught operating unlicensed machines.
“If you’re operating on licence and you’re caught – as Jeanette alluded to and I consider critical – if that happens, then you will not be able to sell lottery, you will not be able to sell horse racing, legally that is. It is important for persons who are licensed to understand that they can lose their ability to be licensed by the Commission going forward, if they find themselves in such a situation.”
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