Cayman Islands amends gambling law

The government of Cayman Islands has amended the gambling regulations. In the newly proposed the Gambling Amendment Bill 2018, which will be discussed in the next Meeting of the Legislative Assembly, the government plans to increase the penalties for engaging in acts of illegal gambling.

The purpose of the bill, according to the government website, is to slap higher penalties and stiffer punishment for those perpetrating illegal gambling than for individual participants.

“While illegal gambling has been a chronic problem in the Cayman Islands, the penalties have not undergone a revision since the first enactment of the Gambling Law in 1964. As such, in today’s climate, they do not properly reflect the gravity of this type of illegal activity,” said the government.

The new bill clearly defines that fines for use and ownership of premises for gambling, publication of lottery numbers and the use of money from gambling activities would increase from €350 to more than €8k, while maximum prison sentence would increase from one to three years.