Gaming fee has ample work, say chair and CEO – The Royal Gazette

Created: Mar 30, 2026 07:55 AM

Bermuda Gaming Commission (Photograph by Akil Simmons)

The Bermuda Gaming Commission has insisted it has ample work to do, even within the absence of both a on line casino or betting store trade.

Cheryl-Ann Mapp, its chairwoman, and Charmaine Smith, the BGC’s chief government, supplied written solutions to questions from The Royal Gazette concerning the quango’s work, after the Premier informed Parliament earlier this month that there was “not enough demand” or curiosity for a viable gaming sector.

They shared that the fee, which has 5 full-time workers, offers with about 40 to 50 licences for cruise ship casinos yearly, together with not less than 5 Crown & Anchor permits.

It has acquired no new purposes for a on line casino licence prior to now 5 years and no accomplished purposes for a bookmaker licence since August 2021, when new laws in regards to the latter trade got here into impact.

The BGC will get an $800,000 grant every year from the general public purse and brings in $835,000 in income: $830,000 from cruise ship on line casino licence charges and $5,000 from Crown and Anchor allow purposes and the renewal of gaming provider vendor licences.

The Gazette revealed in June 2024 that Ms Smith and the BGC’s different two senior executives earn nearly $50,000 a month between them.

Charmaine Smith, the Bermuda Gaming Commission chief government (Photograph equipped)

Ms Mapp and Ms Smith couldn’t present a breakdown of how a lot of the fee’s time and funds was spent on every of its areas of duty, that are on line casino gaming, betting retailers, lotteries, cruise ship casinos and Crown & Anchor.

“The discharge of the commission’s activities varies and as such it is difficult to provide a precise response,” they wrote.

“There is no separate budget for each of the items noted.”

They pointed the general public to the BGC’s website for particulars concerning the roles and duties of the 5 staff.

Asked if there was sufficient work for 5 full-time workers, with none casinos or betting retailers to supervise, they replied: “Yes.”

The pair disclosed that the fee’s board met eight occasions prior to now yr, with Ms Mapp setting the assembly schedule.

Cheryl-Ann Mapp, chairwoman of the Bermuda Gaming Commission (File {photograph} by Akil Simmons)

They confirmed that the BGC moved from its Hamilton workplace final April after the lease expired and the owner requested the return of the premises. It now operates from Flatts.

The fee is required by legislation to supply the Minister of Finance with a report on its actions and funds no later than six months after the tip of every fiscal yr and the minister should then present a replica to Parliament as quickly as practicable.

David Burt, the Premier and finance minister tabled the BGC’s studies for 2020 to 2023 within the House of Assembly in July 2024.

Those studies revealed the fee’s failed efforts at fixing the banking points which have held up the launch of a on line casino trade.

Mr Burt informed the House of Assembly on March 13 that communications with the US Office of the Comptroller of Currency, the first federal regulator for the US banking system, had resolved the deadlock over correspondent banking that had hamstrung gaming right here.

However, he mentioned there merely was not the “volume which is required” for banks to get entangled with the sector.

The fee mentioned in its written response to the Gazette that its monetary statements for 2024 and 2025 “remain unaudited”.

Asked to touch upon how the correspondent banking problem was resolved and what must occur subsequent to get the trade up and working, the reply was: “BGC has no information regarding correspondent banking to provide.

“Potential/interested casino operators can pursue banking services from local banks in keeping with the legislative requirement.”

Ms Smith and Ms Mapp mentioned they might not touch upon whether or not additional gaming laws was being drafted by the fee or whether or not Fairmont Southampton’s homeowners had requested for the resort’s gaming web site designation to be prolonged previous April 2027, as each issues have been confidential.

The BGC has a Problem Gaming Council, which remains to be in existence.

Ms Smith and Ms Mapp wrote: “The council is a statutory body, authorised and required to do things under the gaming legislation.

“They are also entitled to regulate their own procedure, thus meet when necessary.”

The Gazettereported in June 2024 that the fee had price taxpayers greater than $16 million because it was shaped in 2015.

Since then, it has had two additional authorities grants of $800,000 every.

• To learn the total Q&A, see Related Media