Jamaica is training law-enforcement agencies on casino money-laundering and crime risks as Princess Grand Jamaica Resort in Hanover prepares to open the country’s first fully fledged casino early next year, the Jamaica Observer reported. Casinos are distinct from the gaming lounges already operating across Jamaica, which are regulated by the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission.
The Casino Gaming Commission said it has been working with the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency, the Financial Investigations Division, the Jamaica Customs Agency and Gaming Laboratories International on how slot machines work and what vulnerabilities they can present in a casino. Damion McKenzie, the commission’s senior director of enforcement and investigations, said the aim is capacity-building, information-sharing and investigative support because casino gaming is unique in Jamaica and some of the typologies may not be familiar to partner agencies.
The CGC and MOCA signed a memorandum to formalise cooperation against serious and organised crime threats, including illicit finance, fraud, corruption risks and cyber-enabled offences. The commission said that agreement was meant to strengthen regulatory readiness as the industry develops and to preserve investor confidence and public trust.
A separate CGC agreement with the Financial Investigations Division set out procedures for information sharing, casework assistance, formal referrals, joint training and periodic sector reviews. The deal also included legal and procedural safeguards on confidentiality and data protection, while aiming to produce evidence that can stand up in court.
McKenzie said the commission can pursue an inquiry as far as its powers allow and then hand the file to MOCA and FID because it does not have powers of prosecution and arrest. The FID version of the arrangement says requests should be acknowledged within seven days and substantially addressed within 14 days.
CGC chief executive Cleveland Allen said the regulator is trying to police a large financial ecosystem with limited resources and knowledge, and wants Jamaica to stay off the blacklist and on the right side of the Financial Action Task Force. The commission granted Princess Resort a licence in July, after years of debate and planning, and Allen said it was the first applicant for an integrated resort development order.
