By Andrew Green, Staff ReporterPAUL PENNICOOK, the Director of Tourism, has backed the introduction of casino gaming in Jamaica.
Casino gaming brings with it a sophisticated entertainment component that would benefit the wider industry, he told Rotary Club of St. Andrew members at their luncheon at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston, on Tuesday.
"One of the reasons I personally am in support of it eventually coming to Jamaica is I think it would help to improve the quality of our entertainment," Mr. Pennicook said. "If you have casinos in that type of facility I am talking about, a facility which would have casinos, restaurants ... an entertainment complex that is, I think inevitably the quality of entertainment would have to improve."
POSITIVE ADDITION
"It would definitely be a positive addition to the tourism product, were we to introduce casino gaming," Mr. Pennicook said. "It would be a definite plus."
However, he warned that "even though it would be a plus to the industry, it would not by any means be a panacea. It would not suddenly solve all our problems."
If casinos appeared tomorrow, tourist arrivals "would not double overnight," he said. "Yes, there would be some increase, because we would get some market that we are not currently getting. But it certainly is not going to increase our arrivals exponentially."
GROWING SUPPORT
The Government officially is opposed to casinos, but in February, Aloun N'Dombet Assamba, Minister of Industry and Tourism, said she saw "growing support" for the issue to be revisited.
Jamaica's churches have firmly opposed casino gaming. In 1962, the Rt. Rev. Percival Gibson, the late Anglican Bishop of Jamaica, publicly rejected casinos, stating that organised gambling and all forms of gambling were contrary to the Christian way of life and detrimental to society.
The hotel industry has lobbied long and hard for its introduction however, identifying casinos as a catalyst for growth in tourism. At a March retreat between Government and private sector leaders in Montego Bay, a consensus was reached to study the matter further.
