As legislators debated the new Casino Gaming Regulations in the House on Tuesday, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness sought to reassure Jamaicans that safeguards against gambling addiction were already built into the law, even as the Opposition warned the country was opening the door to debt and social harm.

The regulations, piloted by Finance and the Public Service Minister Fayval Williams, are the final piece of a legal framework more than a decade in the making. They are meant to guide Jamaica’s entry into full-scale casino gaming through integrated resort developments (IRDs), which are large tourism complexes combining hotels, entertainment facilities, shopping centres, and gaming floors.

Williams told lawmakers that the rules were crafted to protect Jamaica’s reputation while creating new avenues for investment and employment.

She outlined that the regulations cover the organisational structure of casinos, staffing requirements, internal controls, accounting procedures, surveillance systems, the handling of patron disputes, and the extension of credit to gamblers.

Operators will be required to keep records in accordance with international financial reporting standards and to provide office facilities for inspectors from the Casino Gaming Commission.

“These regulations establish the foundational rules that govern administrative processes of the commission, obligation of licensees, record-keeping and reporting requirements, regulatory fees and procedures, powers of inspection, investigation and enforcement, and general standards necessary for orderly and transparent operation of the industry,” Williams explained.

She added that the framework would allow Jamaica to compete with other Caribbean destinations while ensuring tight oversight of a sector known globally for money laundering and problem gambling.

Despite the Government’s optimism, Opposition members warned that the social risks had not been fully addressed. Member of Parliament (MP) for Westmoreland Eastern Dr Dayton Campbell delivered a sobering intervention, describing gambling disorder as a mental health condition comparable to substance addiction.

“Gambling disorder or pathological compulsive gambling is a recognised mental health condition, characterised by uncontrollable repetitive betting despite severe negative financial, social and health consequences. It is classified as a behavioural addiction similar to substance-related disorders,” Campbell told the chamber.

He zeroed in on provisions allowing casinos to extend credit to patrons, arguing that such a facility could destroy households.

“Now, for an individual to be allowed to use a credit card to gamble is a recipe for disaster. It should be clear that that is not allowed. I think we all can agree to that, because debt is a terrible master,” he said, warning that older Jamaicans could be left with no chance of recovery.

Campbell urged the Government to strengthen the regulations to allow relatives to intervene when a family member shows signs of addiction and to ensure independent oversight beyond casino operators.

“If persons are in financial ruin, especially as they get older, some of them will contemplate and carry out suicide. That is a reality. So I am not saying that the regulations are totally inadequate. I don’t think anybody is saying that. I’m just simply saying that we should go a little bit further in relation to treating with persons who are addicted so that we prevent the natural sequela that may come about if we do not address it. I don’t want to come back here to say I told you so in this matter. I don’t want to. So let us deal with the matter from now to prevent harm in the future for those persons,” Campbell urged.

The prime minister responded that the regime already contained mechanisms to detect and manage harmful behaviour. He said patrons would be required to register and that casinos must monitor activity and intervene when warning signs emerge.

“The framework of the whole management of casino gaming in Jamaica does require the casino operator to manage in such a way that the gamer must register and their use of the facility is monitored, and there are minimum standards which set a trigger that would help for quick intervention were there to be any detection of self-abuse or addictive behaviour,” Holness stated.

While acknowledging that standards could always be debated, he rejected claims that the Government had ignored addiction.

“It is not sufficient, it is not fair to say that provisions are not in place. Provisions are in place,” the prime minister insisted.

St Catherine North Western MP Damion Crawford, however, argued that relying on operators whose primary motive is profit was inadequate protection.

“The issue is so grave that the simplicity of the mention and treatment, especially to leave it to the observation of a person motivated by profit, is not sufficient… there are others with better motives that could have been included,” Crawford said, questioning why family members had no formal role

Closing the debate, Williams maintained that the Casino Gaming Commission already runs extensive responsible gaming programmes and that the system would evolve as the industry grows.

“The Casino Gaming Commission… has a very robust programme of responsible gaming and I am sure, as the industry begins to grow and evolve, you will see these programmes evolve as well,” she said

She argued that many concerns raised were already addressed in the text, particularly in the sections governing credit to patrons.