Gambling law change stalled for further review
(CNS): Government’s plans to review the gambling law to increase the penalties have been stalled. An amendment bill was supposed to go before the Legislative Assembly for debate during last month’s meeting but the draft law never made it to the order paper, as officials have now revealed that other provisions in the existing laws in addition to the penalties are going to be reviewed. In a short release from Government Information Services, Attorney General Samuel Bulgin said government was taking a further look at the existing provisions of the entire legislation with a view to further changes.
He said that the draft bill, published in October, had sought to steeply increase penalties for illegal gambling to make them more of a deterrent. The law has remained unchanged for 54 years, he said, making the current penalties woefully inadequate and failing to reflect the present ramifications of illegal gambling.
Until government completes this additional review and brings new legislation before parliament, the original Gambling Law and all of its current provisions remain in full effect.
The draft bill had proposed to increase fines substantially, including stiffer penalties for organisers of gambling as well as players. The suggestion had been for an increase in fines for those convicted of running gambling rings from $400 to a whopping $10,000 and for the term of imprisonment to increase from one year to three years. Meanwhile, gamblers would see the current $10 fine leap to $2,500 or a possible six-month jail term, though there was no provision in the draft amendment law to support addicts.
It is not clear what other areas of the law the government is proposing to revise.
The idea of legalising some forms of gambling, especially creating a national lottery, continues to gain traction in the community, but government continues to oppose this and has suggested that local gambling rings fuel other crimes.
Nevertheless, the Opposition Leader Ezzard Miller recently said he would not support the draft changes, as he described the draconian move as a hopeless solution to the wrong problem.
He said it is now time to legalise and license lotteries, not further criminalise gamblers and push the local numbers game underground. Noting that it would be difficult to enforce and, worse, likely to lead to selective enforcement, he said government should be reminded that this was no longer the 1960’s and many people now gamble online and play US lotteries, as well as buy numbers locally.
Create your own user feedback survey
You can’t sell sex legally but you can give it away for free. You can’t gamble legally but pension is mandatory and uncertain. The sysyem is a sham.
The only reason gambling has not been legalized is that the church has a significant voter base and the career politicians do not want to do anything to jeopardize their cushy $10k per month salaries by upsetting them. Simple as that.
Gambling is legalizing ctiminality, because it is legal does not make it right.
Gambling is run by crooks feeding on the ignorant masses who in their desperation sell their souls to the devils.
The evils of gabling are not religious evils it is societal and cultural evil.sttracting criminals from the lowest to the highest classes of society.
Mac, our Chief Gambler will be happy when the casinos open, he will be able stay at home to do what he does when he travels abroad.
Go back to your cave!
Bought my ticket from the Catholic Church just the other day! 25K coming my way!
Data protection law and now the gambling law stalled.
Wake up Cayman!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
All the CIG can work on right now is ruining Cayman with the dock and Barkers destruction.
Are you not watching?
Does anyone see what is happening in Cayman?
Does anyone care?
The CIG is corrupt. They are criminals. Don’t wait another two years for them to be recycled. Start working to throw them out now, They are incompetent.
cayman again showing itself to be a truly backward joke of a place. its 2018!!!!! ffs……..
10 :27 pm , why do Cayman Islands has to be the same because it is 2018 ? Why does everyone and everyplace have to be same ? #ff……
its called progression and evolution…..but what do you expect when the cayman gene pool is so small?
Words of an expat i see, if you leave, then it can become a better place.
Born and raised Caymanian here. 7+ generations.
I fully agree with them –
regarding the top level comment
We use the same materials to build our buildings as other developed countries. Should we also be different in this way?
There is nothing wrong about us progressing forward from using wattle and doab with thatch roofs to modernized air conditioned buildings.
We are still Caymanians, but we have evolved as a society very quickly, and will not stop. You cannot hold onto 1970s forever..
Useless prohibitions on gambling, cannabis, prostitution
Let adults decide what they want to spend their money on or not
and funny in that poll, the same people who vote no on the first question then turn around and vote yes for the second
6 : 45 pm , didn’t you notice that the 2 questions are different . But pertain to the same subject .
Here come the casino provisions to allow cruise ships to overnight on the new piers……just in time for Moses to declare their interest in the new project.
Cruise ships overnighting at the new piers? Dream on! However, you can bet your life that if the cruise lines put money into the dock the Gambling Law will have to be changed so that their casinos can stay open while the ships are in port.
Prohibition stops nothing. They tried to ban alcohol in the early 1900s, and all that happened was a billion dollar black market.
The same applies to many other things in Cayman, including gambling.
Legalize, regulate, tax.
Then why have laws for anything?
Because drivers speed – abandon speed limits?
Because people steal – abolish theft laws?
Because there are both male snd female prostitutes in the Cayman Islands – abandon prostitution laws, any building or location, including homes, in any area can be used by for prostitution?
If anything can be taxed then it is good?
Right?
NO, WRONG?
It’s called regulation.
Drivers speed – ban it all together to try to stop speeding or set reasonable limits?
People gamble – ban it all together and cause a flourishing black market or regulate it so that you can have control over it and the proceeding funds? People not getting paid leads to violence – you can control that if it was regulated.
People stealing is irrelevant because it is entirely wrong. Gambling to a certain extent is no more damaging to your finances than deciding to eat at an expensive restaurant vs cooking at home.
Again, a lot of the times trying to ban it all together does more harm than regulation. Canada, Mexico and half of the USA has realized this with Cannabis.
No solutions, just make fines larger, that’s a way to solve a problem.
Why such a big deal about gambling? Is it the numbers, small personal raffles, home poker games, what is it?
Quiz nights, pickems and all sporting pools are out the window, God you government people suck.
Do we have any stats on how many people spend their money on this amd Gov is supporting them?NO!
It’s time to change the Law.
Oh, I’m not sure how Gov is going to stop me from using online gambling sites.
Well that was a wager well placed. I bet a grand this would happen at 5/1 odds.