Bermuda Tourism Minister Confident that Gaming Is the Right Move

Legalized casino gaming appears to be in the cards for Bermuda, although the timeline of when the first deck will be shuffled remains a question mark.

That gaming is even on the table represents a dramatic shift in thinking at a destination that has long grappled with the idea of casinos competing with pink beaches and afternoon tea.

Bermuda, however, does plan to allow casino gambling, once a bill has been passed in Parliament, according to Minister of Tourism Shawn Crockwell.

Casinos will be part of hotels rather than stand-alone facilities. Locals will have to pay $100 at the door to play. The goal is for gaming to be an attractive amenity for the island as well as an incentive to help spur the development of new casino resorts.

Crockwell has played down concerns that Bermuda could resemble Las Vegas, saying that Bermuda’s size meant that a maximum of three casinos, integrated into either new or existing hotels, were financially sustainable.

The issue of casino gambling originally was to have been put to a public referendum. That plan was shelved in December and now will go through Parliament for passage, following a period of public education programs, according to Crockwell.

“This was a difficult decision for the government, but under the circumstances we are confident that it was the right decision for Bermuda,” Crockwell said.

Once the legislation is passed, the next step will be to create the structure for casino gaming’s implementation and then to seek out developers to invest in the creation of new casino resorts.

Recent polling results indicated that 70% of Bermudians favor legalized gambling to assist in bringing jobs, increasing tourism and generating revenue for Bermuda.

Several town hall meetings were held last month to educate the public about the benefits of gambling and to learn more about what the government proposes.

Crockwell said that target markets for travelers interested in gaming would include New York, Miami and Boston, Bermuda’s three largest markets.

Two more meetings are planned as well as meetings with social services organizations to discuss how to mitigate social risks associated with gambling and to highlight the opportunities, tourism benefits and revenue growth that gambling will bring to Bermuda.

The government is committed to using some of the funds generated from casinos for programs that counsel and treat problem gamblers.

The integrated casino-resort model that Bermuda favors will include high-end hotel rooms, restaurants, shopping, golf and convention space similar to plans used in Singapore and Aruba to attract upscale hotel brands, additional hotel inventory and encourage direct investment by giving investors the option of including casinos in their hotel projects, Crockwell said.

The minister traveled to Singapore in January to learn more about the operation of its gaming industry and how it would best be suited to a gaming model for Bermuda.

“Casino gaming is not a panacea but a much-needed amenity for our tourism product,” Crockwell said. “We must augment our tourism offerings and enhance our tourism infrastructure.”

Source: Travel Weekly