Bahamas tourism minister explains recipe for casino success

So successful is casino gambling in Bahamas, according to Vanderpool-Wallace, that 80 % of their visitors partake in casino gambling, some for the sport of gambling and others for the excitement the resort-based gaming facilities offer. He noted that even those who do not come to the island with the intention of participating in casino gambling usually end up doing so once they are there.

And at a time when many Caribbean islands are seeing a decline in cruise ship spending, Bahamas does not suffer a similar fate as Vanderpool-Wallace said many cruise ship passengers come onshore just to experience the casinos.

"If you ask people in advance 'how many of you are motivated to come to the country because of casino', then it is fewer than eight per cent, but if you ask persons while they are there 'how many of you went to the casino', it is in the order of 80 per cent," he said.

The minister, who was attending the recent Tourism Outlook Seminar at the Ritz-Carlton in Montego Bay, told the Observer there is an indication that people see casinos as part of the tourism attraction and something they participate in, even as an afterthought.

Vanderpool-Wallace was speaking in the context of the soon-to-be concluded deliberations in Parliament on legislation to govern casino gambling in Jamaica. The minister said Bahamas continues to receive only positive results from casinos because of its government's limitations which have been placed on casino gambling.

"Bahamians are not allowed to gamble in the casinos and so that makes our experience a great deal different from the experiences which exist today or experiences others are contemplating," Vanderpool-Wallace told the Observer. "The other thing is we have very few casinos in the Bahamas ...they are very large casinos and they are part of the entertainment experience for visitors," he added.

Vanderpool-Wallace, who has overall responsibility for gaming, said Bahamas is not faced with any of the concerns raised by persons opposing casino gambling, as they have a very good gaming board and regime. "We make sure that we vet anyone who is coming in so thoroughly they can be passed through a sieve and that is a very important part of the process," he said.

Asked if the destination is marketed with casino in mind, the minister said it is always part of the full range of activities that is on offer on the island. "It is a whole part of the long line-up, so it is not something we put in people's faces because we don't wish to be a destination that is seen in that way," he said.

While he could not immediately recall the country's earnings from casino gaming, Vanderpool-Wallace said the level of competition that is within the United States for people who want gaming has risen so drastically that as an amenity it is not as unique to the Bahamas as it used to be. He noted that this is suspected to be the case everywhere else.

Bahamas' tourism resort-based casinos act as an amenity to that country's overall tourism product, providing entertainment for the more than 4.5 million visitors to its shores in 2008.
Government officials have credited the Bahamas' position as one of the leading tourist destinations in the region, with more than us$ 2 billion in visitor spending in 2007, to the enhancement provided by casino gambling.

And while Bahamas' white sand beaches and crystal-clear waters still remain the biggest motivation for visitors to that island, Vanderpool-Wallace said casinos act as a tie-breaker.
"We believe casino may be a tie-breaker... where people are saying should we go here or there, they will decide to go to the Bahamas because that also has casinos," he said.

Meanwhile, it is a race against time for the Jamaican Government to wrap up deliberations on legislation to govern casino gambling. The 14-day deadline to complete the parliamentary review ends next Tuesday and the Special Select Committee dealing with the Casino Gambling Act and the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Act is scheduled to meet again that morning.

Concerns were raised during last week's sitting about the amount of revenue the country stands to earn when casino gaming is regulated. The matter was brought to the fore by Opposition member Phillip Paulwell who questioned whether the Ministry of Finance had done any study to determine how much will be earned from taxes and special fees.

Experts offering support to the committee said steps were already being taken to do research on the possible revenue yield of casino gaming.