THERE IS no clear indication that the Government is softening its rather hypocritical stance against casino gambling, but there are straws in the wind. One such is the public support given by Government Senator Aloun N'dombet Assamba to the motion by Opposition Senator Brian Wallace (Opposition) calling for casino gambling to add a new dimension to the tourism product and stimulate economic activity.
The casino battle essentially pits moralists against commercial interests whose activities are likely to reap enormous gains for the Jamaican economy. Repeatedly, the anti-casino lobby has argued that it is a self-destructing activity which is accompanied by increased social problems that ultimately exceed the economic benefits. Some have expressed fear that crime and racketeering are off-spins of the industry.
Are these arguments supported by the facts? Sister CARICOM territories such as prosperous Bahamas, Antigua and St. Kitts, successfully operate casinos and their crime rate is a fraction of what we record annually. Upon till the early 1990's only Nevada and New Jersey operated casinos in the United States. Today there are 11 States where casinos operate. The casino industry in America is not reporting increased murder and criminality and unemployment industry revenues grew by 5 per cent in 2001. Gross annual revenue for the industry climbed to US$25.7 billion up from US$24.3 billion in 2000.
It appears that some of the objections to casino gaming are driven by panic instead of facts. Yes, there was a time when the influence of gangsters left a scar on the face of the industry. But today the gaming industry is run by legitimate business interests including publicly traded companies that have the oversight of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
A government that actively supports horse-racing by providing sweet incentives to the industry and has introduced national lotteries and legitimised numbers games which attract participation from thousands of poor Jamaicans can hardly contend that casino gambling is evil.
We urge a serious study of casino operations to see how the industry is regulated to determine what initiatives are employed to deal with compulsive gambling and promote responsible behaviour so that the level of debate can be lifted from sentiment to substance. Jamaica will be better for it.
