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The Betting Gaming & Lotteries Act, 1965

Persons determined not to be deterred from participating in gambling activities by the

austere prohibitions imposed by the Gambling Act introduced the Betting Gaming &

Lotteries Act in response to a need. It was perceived that this Act needed to be

revised to keep pace with the growing infiltration of new forms of gambling and the

people surge to find other avenues of entertainment and profit. These perceptions

prompted the repeal of the Gambling Act of 1899 and the passing of the Betting

Gaming & Lotteries Act, 1965, with provisions similar to those in the Betting Gaming &

Lotteries Act, 1963, of the United Kingdom. The main aims of the new legislation

were to place bookmaker under regulation and control, to provide the promoter of

horse racing with adequate protection from competition in their pool betting

operations and to increase the power of the police in the detection and control of

undesirable forms of gambling. The new legislation provided that lotteries, on the

whole, though explicitly termed illegal, may be exempted from illegality and allowed

to be conducted under certain conditions and subject to certain strict safeguards.

A provision was also introduce in the Act when the Commission was established in

1975 which enabled the grant of licences in 1991 to Sports Development Agency

Limited for the conduct of scratch-and-win games and to the Montego Bay Chamber

of Commerce & Industry for the conduct of radio bingo. The passing of this

legislation seemed also to have reflected the thinking of the Government that,

although gambling was not considered a productive enterprise on the basis of normal

human hopes, it had become a fact of life for many people. It appeared also that

the Government wished that gambling should make its fair contributions to the

revenue of the country, like other sectors, to provide employment and to assist in

works of public interest. The establishment of the National Lotteries Commission in

1968 to promote a national lottery gives credence to this view. This lottery ceased

operations and a Poll conducted by the Commission revealed that a great majority

of the gambling and non-gambling public disagreed with its discontinuance.

The Act is Divided Into Eight Distinct Parts

Part I: Introducing the Act and defining the various words and.expressions used

therein more...

Part II: Establishing the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Commission more...

Part III: Restricting the use of premises for betting transactions more...

Part IV: Authorizing the Minister of Finance to establish schemes, by order, for the

assessment, collection, allocation and application of levies payable by

bookmakers the housekeeping expenses of the Commission and of the

Jamaica Racing Commission, the body responsible for the regulation and

control of the horseracing industry in Jamaica more...

Part V: Enabling the House Of Representatives, from time to time, to impose a duty

on stake money paid in pool betting and imposing a tax of 10% on the

winnings.on any bet made by a bettor with a bookmaker, an operator of

a totalizator or an operator of pool betting. The Act has since seen

amended to exclude thewinnings.on horse racing from the payment of the

bet winnings tax but is.still payable on all the other activities more...

Part VI: Providing that all gaming is unlawful, except for certain stated exceptions,

but approving gaming specifically related to the operation of gaming machines

more...

Part VII: Providing that all lotteries are unlawful but allows nevertheless for.exemptions

from illegality in respect of the different types of.lotteries more.....

Part VIII: Setting out special powers of the Police in relation.to matters relating to

searches and of the courts in relation to cases of certain breaches of the

. Act more...

Betting, Gaming & Lotteries Act

Betting, Gaming & Lotteries Regulations