KINGSTON, Jamaica — Supreme Ventures Racing & Entertainment Limited (SVREL) says that effective yesterday at midnight, the operations at Caymanas Park were closed until further notice.  

The company said it has been in dialogue with its regulator, the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC), since late Tuesday, March 17, when the agency released a notice to the public that “all gaming lounges, betting shops & bars with gambling machines must close”, effectively shutting down the Off Track Betting (OTB) network.

SVREL, in cooperation with the BGLC and the relevant authorities, immediately shut down operations as per the Disaster Risk Management Declaration of Disaster Order 2020.  

The company said it was then given the go-ahead to re-open operations and the OTB network on Thursday, March 19, after the BGLC chairman announced a retraction of the notice on Wednesday, March 18.  

Unfortunately, it said operations were again affected during spectator-less racing on Saturday, March 21.  

SVREL noted that the police shut down several OTB operations across the country, including Charles’s OTB in Mandeville which was padlocked, effectively shutting out both the owners and customers.  

“While we have tried to cooperate fully with the orders as we understand them, the situation has become untenable.  Based on the feedback coming from our retailers, the security forces seem to be unclear regarding the position of the regulator.  We cannot put our OTB network at risk for fines, imprisonment, shutdowns and unnecessary spend,” SVREL General Manager Lorna Gooden said.

The track said it will continue to house and exercise horses while ensuring that those personnel adhere to the social distancing and other required public health protocols.