Draft regulations which have been drawn up to cater for casinos and for the establishment of a gaming authority under legislation to facilitate casino gambling should be on Cabinet’s agenda by this time President Bharrat Jagdeo said.

Asked for an update on the establishment of a gaming authority in view of the fact that at least two major investors in the tourism and hospitality sector had recently indicated that they were investing in casino facilities locally, Jagdeo told the media that he had seen the draft regulations.

“I have had a look at them. I guess by now they would have been put on Cabinet’s agenda. So I expect them to be put in place shortly… just the basic elements of the gaming authority…” he said.
Asked how soon he expected the gaming authority to be in place, he said, “I can’t tell you. It would be in a matter of weeks and months, not much longer.”

In a telephone interview early last month with the Stabroek News, one of the major investors, the new buyer of Buddy’s Interna-tional Hotel, Sudi Ozkan had told the Stabroek News that he intended to operate a casino out of the hotel at Providence, East Bank Demerara but had not obtained any licences at that time.

Ozkan said that establishing a casino would be an expensive undertaking, but he would nevertheless be pursuing it. Ozkan, who bought the Buddy’s Hotel for the sum of US$15 million, is known in Turkey, his native country, as the “Casino King.” His company operates numerous casinos worldwide, including in Belize, Suriname and St Maarten.

Ozkan, who plans to take over the full management of the hotel by October 2008, could not apply for a casino premises licence or a casino licence because the gaming authority was not yet in place and regulations would also have to be in place before the gaming authority could begin to function.

Nevertheless Stabroek News understands that equipment for the casino at Buddy’s hotel was seen being cleared by customs officials and an executive of the Buddy’s International Hotel in Port Georgetown last week.

The Gambling Prevention (Amendment) Act 2007 to facilitate casino gambling, states that licences are required for casino premises and for the operation of a casino.

The regulations for casinos come under the Minister of Home Affairs who may make them to establish the gaming authority and to give it, or authorize it to give any other body or person, any power, duty or function considered by the minister to be necessary for the administration of the issuance of a casino premises licence and the operation of a casino licence.

In January 2007 the government rushed through parliament the amendment to the Gambling Prevention Act to facilitate casino operations. This was seen as primarily accommodating a casino at the Buddy’s International Hotel and another in the Kingston area, which the investors are hoping would be under the management of the Marriott International chain of hotels. (Miranda La Rose)