Adamas Grand Wins Jamaica’s First License for Casino Gaming

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica has issued its first casino operator license to Adamas Grand Casino Limited for a planned venue in Hanover. The decision moves the country closer to opening a regulated casino, although gaming cannot begin until the operator completes additional compliance requirements.

The Casino Gaming Commission granted the license for a casino at Princess Grand Jamaica Resort in Green Island. The property will operate under a management agreement with Grupo Orenes, a Spanish gaming and hospitality company with casino operations in Spain, Mexico and Andorra.

License Follows Final Parliamentary Approval

The license was issued approximately three months after Jamaica’s Senate approved the Casino Gaming (General) Regulations on April 17. The House of Representatives had approved the regulations in February, completing the operational framework required to process casino license applications.

The regulations establish rules for licensee obligations, reporting, record-keeping, regulatory fees, inspections and enforcement. They were adopted under the Casino Gaming Act of 2010, meaning the first operator license follows approximately 16 years of legislative and institutional development.

Jamaica’s framework does not permit casinos to operate as stand-alone businesses. Casino gaming must form part of an approved integrated resort development that combines hotel accommodation with other tourism, entertainment and hospitality facilities.

The commission said Adamas Grand underwent due diligence covering its ownership structure, integrity, financial capacity and competence to operate the proposed casino. The license marks the first time an applicant has completed that process under Jamaica’s casino legislation.

Operator Faces Pre-Opening Compliance Tests

The approval does not authorize the casino to begin accepting customers immediately. Adamas Grand must first implement approved internal controls, surveillance systems, responsible gambling safeguards, player protection procedures and measures addressing money laundering and terrorist financing risks.

The operator must also integrate its systems with the commission’s Gaming Management Information System. That connection is expected to support regulatory monitoring and allow the commission to supervise gaming activity after operations begin.

Finance and the Public Service Minister Fayval Williams said casino operators will be subject to anti-money laundering and beneficial ownership standards aligned with those applied elsewhere in Jamaica’s financial system. She said the license reflects the government’s effort to attract international investment while maintaining regulatory oversight.

Casino Gaming Commission Chief Executive Officer Cleveland Allen described the license as the result of years of regulatory preparation. “The issuance of Jamaica’s first casino operator’s licence is the culmination of more than a decade of deliberate institution-building and regulatory preparation,” Allen said.

Allen said the commission’s responsibilities extend beyond issuing the license and will include continuing supervision of the operator. The regulator will monitor whether the casino maintains its internal controls and other compliance standards throughout the life of the license.

Opening Date Remains Unconfirmed

Adamas Grand continues to describe the casino as coming soon. Available information indicates that the venue will include slot machines, table games and a sports bar, but no confirmed public opening date has been announced.

Previous opening projections were delayed while Jamaica completed its regulations and the operator prepared its application, documentation and technical systems. The Casino Gaming Commission said it will continue working with Adamas Grand to ensure all remaining pre-operational requirements are satisfied before the venue opens.

The license establishes a path for Jamaica’s regulated casino market but does not automatically clear other proposed developments. Any future operator would need an approved integrated resort designation and must complete its own licensing and due diligence process before offering casino gaming.

RELATED TOPICS: Regulation