Owners, operators and manufacturers of gaming machines in Jamaica, as well as operators of prescribed premises for gaming must renew their licenses by April 1, 2018.
The Betting Gaming and Lotteries Commission, the statutory body responsible for licensing, monitoring and regulating Jamaica’s gaming industry, reminds gaming industry stakeholders that they should submit applications for license renewals on or before March 31.
To facilitate the renewals, the BGLC team will be stationed at TAJ Offices in parishes outside of Kingston & St. Andrew from February 26 to March 20th. This is to enable licensees to submit applications without having to travel to the Commission’s office in Kingston.
The team will be at the St. Ann’s Bay Revenue Service Centre on February 26 and
27, Mandeville Revenue Service Centre on March 5 and 6, Savanna-la-Mar Tax Office on March 12 and 13 and at the Montego Bay Revenue Service Centre on March 19 and 20.
“BGLC’s Remote Licensing exercise is an annual activity to facilitate the license renewal process for gaming operators,” explained Maurice Thompson, Director of Licensing and Registration at the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Commission. “We do this as a convenience for gaming licensees and encourage them to take advantage of this service to renew and pay the requisite levies on time to avoid penalties.”
Board of Commissioners – Clovis Metcalfe, O.D. (Chairman), Solomon Sharpe, Charles Heholt, Christopher Reckord, Paul East , Ian Scarlett
Under Section 44 of the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Act, operators of locally manufactured gaming machines are required to pay a levy of $5,000 and license fee of $5,000 to TAJ and BGLC (respectively) for each machine operated. Operators of prescribed premises are required to pay $2,500 for each premises to the TAJ and $1,000 for each to the BGLC. Penalties of up to 60% will apply for payments made after April 1.
The BGLC reports that there are over 6,000 licenses gaming machines located in just over 700 premises across the island. More than 50% of these are locally manufactured machines. The BGLC is paying close attention to local manufacturers of gaming machines to ensure that these suppliers are duly licensed by the Commission, and reminds operators to ensure they purchase machines only from licensed manufacturers.
The Betting Gaming and Lotteries Commission is an independent statutory body established in 1975 under the provisions of the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Act of 1965. The work of the commission includes granting permits, licenses and approvals to persons or entities considered fit and proper to conduct betting, gaming and lottery activities.