A panel of regulators from several island jurisdictions spoke today at the 2nd Annual Caribbean Gaming and Tourism conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico. At a panel organized and moderated by IGN publisher, Sue Schneider, attendees heard updates on Caribbean jurisdictions' plans for the industry.
On the panel were: Aretha Francis from the International Business Unit of the Commonwealth of Dominica; Dwyer Astaphan, Minister of Tourism, Information, Telecommunications, Commerce and Consumer Affairs for the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis; and Gary Collins, Chairman of the Gaming
Committee of Antigua and Barbuda.
Ms. Francis led off the regulators panel with an overview of Dominica's history as a licensing jurisdiction for Internet gaming. Of special note, Ms. Francis issued a challenge to her fellow regulators in the Caribbean basin to form an association of countries which are licensing jurisdictions.
Minister Dwyer from St. Kitts updated attendees on their progress on dissembling the telecommunications monopoly held by Cable and Wireless. This move is expected to bring the costs of T-1 lines there into a more reasonable realm. He concluded with a passionate discourse on their sovereignty and their unwillingness to have such G-7 institutions such as the WTO and OECD dictate to them how their country should be run.
Lastly, Gary Collins from Antigua offered a historical flow of how Antigua got into the licensing activities and what changes in the law he expects to see as a result of a review. He mentioned briefly the proposed "low" tax being reviewed in that country and echoed the sentiments of Mr. Dwyer about OECD and their dictates.