Regulator of Jamaica’s gaming establishments, the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC), has increased efforts to bring more licensees into compliance.

Following the implementation of the Tax Administration Jamaica’s (TAJ’s) Revenue Administration Information System (RAiS), the BGLC in a press release advised that it will be facilitating increased compliance by setting up temporary licence-renewal desks at tax offices across the island to assist licensees with the renewal of gaming licences for 2017/2018.

The BGLC stationed representatives at the St Ann’s Bay Revenue Service Centre on February 27 and 28. The team will move to the Mandeville Revenue Service Centre on March 6 and 7, Savanna-la-Mar Tax Office on March 13 and 14, and at the Montego Bay Revenue Service Centre on March 20 and 21.

Each year the BGLC team enables operators to complete the renewal of their licences on time by setting up a temporary license-renewal desk at the tax offices. This year, however, with the aid of TAJ’s RAiS, the team will also assist licensees with completing the new forms that are required as a result of the implementation of the system.

BGLC noted it routinely issues advisories to remind licensees of the respective requirements and upcoming deadlines. Most recently, the commission has reminded licensees whose initial application was filed five or more years ago to update their status by April 1.

“The commission is always working with licensees to ensure they are compliant with the laws and regulations that govern the gaming sector. When licensees become delinquent, there is a series of punitive measures taken to bring them into compliance. Unfortunately, however, there remain instances where these efforts are in vain and we have to move on to more drastic measures to gain the cooperation of licensees,” said Carole Martinez-Johnson, acting executive director of the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Commission.

The commission said that it has seized 49 gaming machines and has successfully taken legal action to recover $3 million in outstanding fees from one operator.

Section 44 of the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Act mandates that licensees operating locally manufactured machines are required to pay to the TAJ and the BGLC a levy and licence fee (respectively) for each machine by April 1. Penalties of up to 60 per cent will apply for payments made after April 1.

Operators of the machines are required to pay to the TAJ a levy of $5,000, and to the BGLC $5,000 for licensing and disc fees for each machine. Operators of prescribed premises are required to pay $2,500 for each to the TAJ and $1,000 for each to the BGLC.

The BGLC is the government body that licenses, regulates and monitors the local gaming industry; facilitates its growth and development; and protects the public from unfair, unscrupulous and illegal activities.