The Bahamian Parliament of Commonwealth announced the launch of new regulatory amendments to Bahamas’ gaming regulations, the first major changes since the legalization of gambling in 1969.
Those changes would provide foreign and local customers the ability to use the Internet through mobile and desktop devices, to place proxy gambling and sports betting. In addition, they will contribute further to Bahamian international tourism, which is an industry currently amassing 55% of the country’s jobs and half of its GDP.
Changes would also help Baha Mar, the $3.5 billion gaming resort planned to open in the spring of 2015, to further improve the tourism industry of the country.
The bill is currently open to a debate at Parliament, and will afterwards undergo voting.
The Baha Mar management expressed their gratitude for the effort that PM Perry Christie’s Government has put into improving the legislation towards bettering the international tourism industry. Baha Mar has worked closely with other casinos, in an effort to change the current gaming laws of the country.
The proposed changes will open new jobs, lure international investors and contribute to the current plans of the Government of enhancing cruise-ship infrastructure, roadwork and a four hundred million dollars airport expansion. Baha mar is a three thousand foot area just ten minutes from Nassau’s reworked international airport. There are plans to have a variety of luxurious hotel brands which offer shopping and gaming attractions.
The Baha Mar Casino and Hotel will include three luxurious hotels with a thousand square feet casino, golf course, convention facilities, spa, art galleries, more than forty clubs, restaurants and bars. It will also include the famous Melia Nassau Beach and swimming pools surrounded by the native flora and fauna.
Some of the proposed regulations worth mentioning are: proxy wagering which allows casinos licensed before the first of February next year, to manage proxy and remote wagering systems which allows players to place bets from any place on Earth using technical devices or proxy stations.
Another improvement concerns mobile gaming, where state-of-the-art software allows players to place bets from any location inside the licensed casino buildings. Gaming debt enforcement allows licensed casinos and operators to collect debts when players leave the jurisdiction. In-play sports betting is a technology which provides the opportunity for betting to continue after a game has started but has not yet ended. Internet gaming is a major change that will set Bahamian operators closer to international markets, such as those in Asia, North and South America.
And last but not least, is the regulation of casinos and how they maintain a responsible gaming agenda in order to raise awareness for problem gaming. Any casino or gaming operator who wishes to manage their business inside Bahamas borders would have to provide a socially responsible business plan to the government officials.
