“Internet
gambling and the fantasy/virtual sports betting phenomenon, which is quickly
gaining interest in Jamaica, will be explored in detail during the BGLC's
upcoming Gaming Industry Summit on Thursday, September 22, 2016 at the Jamaica
Conference Centre, beginning at 8:30 a.m.”
BGLC (Betting, Gaming
and Lotteries Commission) commenting on the state of Internet Gambling in
Jamaica
Is
Internet Gambling in Jamaica already?
That
may be the case, as the BGLC (Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission) is looking
to regulate Internet gambling in Jamaica as reported in “BGLC
Tackles Latest trend In Internet
Gambling”, published Monday September 19, 2016, The Jamaica Gleaner.
The BGLC has begun looking into this possibility. They’re examining other countries where online and mobile gambling is popular such as:
1.
United States
2.
India
3.
China
Thought
they're examination and analysis, they are formulating a position for review by
the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service in 2017- 2018 Financial
Year.
They'll
also have more to say at their Gaming Industry Summit come Thursday, September
22nd, 2016 at 8:30 a.m. at the Jamaica Conference Centre.
So
back to the question; Is Internet Gambling in Jamaica already?
Internet Gambling in
Jamaica - Internet Gambling via Apps will be very lucrative
First,
a quick look at gambling in Jamaica.
Gambling
overall is very lucrative as noted in the article “$119.67b
Spent On Gambling By Jamaicans Last Financial Year”, published Tuesday May
24, 2016, The Jamaica Gleaner.
According
to the 2015 annual report of Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission:
1.
JA$119.67 billion spent by Jamaicans on
betting, gaming and lottery sectors in 2015
2.
JA$97.7 billion spent by Jamaicans on
betting, gaming and lottery sectors in 2014
3.
JA$103.15 billion paid out to Jamaicans
on betting, gaming and lottery games in 2015
This
represents a 22% increase when year 2014 is compared to year 2015. When the
calculations are done for sales, basically a subtraction of money spent vs
money paid out to Jamaicans who won:
1.
JA$75.1 billion in sales made from
Gambling in Jamaica in 2015
2.
JA$57.9 billion in sales made from
Gambling in Jamaica in 2014
This
is also an increase of approximately 30%, when year 2014 is compared to year
2015. If 2015 was broken down in terms of sectors:
1.
JA$36.1 billion in sales for Lottery
Sector
2.
JA$4.3 billion in sales for Horse Racing
3.
JA$4 billion in sales for Betting by
bookmakers
So
clearly, putting betting online would make Gambling in Jamaica even more
lucrative, provided safeguards against underage gambling are in place.
BGLC and Mobile Money -
Legally making Illegal Online Gambling flourish in Jamaica
So
short answer is yes, Internet Gambling is in Jamaica, once you have access to
Internet.
Also
you'll need a Scotia VISA Debit or CIBC VISA Debit Card to place bets as these
cards can be used for online purchases as noted in my blog article
entitled “How
to purchase items and subscribe to Magazines online and ship them to Jamaica”.
Even a Paypal account will work, mainly to receive winnings from placing bets online as explained in my MICO Wars blog article entitled “How Jamaicans can make money online – Setting up a Paypal Account”.
It's
also very easy to place bets via Mobile Money Platforms and accept Financial
Transactions via NCB Quisk as noted in my blog article
entitled “How
Quisk and AIS Mobile Money 2.0 heralds Cashless Society in Jamaica in July 2016”.
Already
Supreme Ventures has upgraded their Gaming Platform to process mobile money
transactions, paving the way to use Mobile Money to place bets in the future as
predicted in my blog
article entitled “Supreme
Ventures Limited IFLEX Betting Platform Upgrade - How Mobile Gambling via
Smartphone is finally coming to Jamaica”.
However,
they're late; Island Bet, operated by
Sizzling Slots, a gaming company co-owned by Gassan Azan and business partner
Adam Epstein has already launched since January 2016 as reported in the article
“Sizzling
Slots First To Market With Island Bet Mobile Betting Platform”, published
Friday January 22, 2016 by Tameka Gordon, The
Jamaica Gleaner.
They
handle upwards of 1,000 users and do transactions for 50 international sports
betting markets around the world. However, they still don't have an App, just a
website and a WAP (Web Application Protocol).
A
simple upgrade that includes having a phone number for quisk transactions on
their website would make them able to do Quisk Transactions. It’s only a matter
of time before Illegal versions of Online Gambling begin popping up in Jamaica
by clever entrepreneurs using Mobile Money and cashing in on the smartphone and
phablet craze!
So
the BGLC has its work cut out for them, as Mobile Money will legally make
Illegal and Legal Internet Gambling flourish in Jamaica!
No comments:
Post a Comment