Jamaica could soon see construction begin on its first licensed casino.
Celebration Jamaica Development Ltd., one of the companies which applied for the country’s first casino licenses, would start construction as early as this summer once it gets the government’s OK, according to the Jamaica Observer.
“We are ten minutes from the airport,” said company founder Robert Trotta. “There is no better place in the Caribbean to put a casino development today than Montego Bay, Jamaica, trust me.”
Trotta said the project will be completed in three years once approval is granted. The company hopes to get a temporary casino license during the construction phase, so it can begin to hire and train employees. Once completed, Trotta said, the casino complex will employ 4,000 full time workers.
“It will play an extremely important role in developing the tourism base, increasing tourism to Jamaica, and it will have a huge economic impact not only for the country of Jamaica, the employment in Montego Bay, but also the investment capital to fund a project of this kind. So it’s a win-win for everyone,” he said.
In 2010, Jamaica passed a casino bill with the goal of boosting tourism.
