According to Delano Seiveright, a Senior Adviser & Strategist in Jamaica’s Ministry of Tourism, next year will see Princess Hotels open the country’s first casino in the leading resort region of Green Island, Hanover Parish.
The Ministry of Finance awarded Princess Hotels an Approved Integrated Resort Development (AIRD) Order in March this year, and their resort complex is already under construction. But this permit also entitles the hotel to apply to the for a casino gaming licence, once it satisfies certain criteria.
Mr Seiveright says: “They are going through the motions, which are particularly robust and highly detailed. And we are keeping our fingers crossed that they will move to add another 1,000 rooms to the property thereafter, bringing the resort up to over 2,000 rooms.
“If all goes according to plan, we expect that the casino at Princess Grand Jamaica will be open mid to late 2025.”
The overall Princess Hotels & Resorts development at Green Island includes four hotels spanning 2,037 rooms, plus villas, which would make it Jamaica’s largest resort complex. Two of the hotels will be ‘adults only’.
The first phase encompasses 1,012 hotel rooms, while the second incorporates 1,025 hotel rooms, 14 overwater villas and Jamaica’s first licensed casino.
AIRD applicants are required to commit US$500m for investment, with a minimum hotel room count of 1,000. The Government of Jamaica plans to grow the country’s hotel room count from 32,000 to 50,000 within five years, enabling casino gaming to expand and further diversify the product offerings.
