Politicians in the Cayman Islands are working to clamp down on illegal betting within their territory, as they've introduced a bill that would up the punishment for offering illicit wagering.
The legislation is known as the Gambling (Amendment) Bill 2018, and will be discussed at the Legislative Assembly, which is set to be held next month. If signed into law, the bill would see those hosting illegal gambling to be fined $10,000, up from the current amount of $400. Prison terms for those convicted would also be raised from one year up to three years.
Those found to be participating in illegal lotteries will also face punishment increases. The current fine of $10 will raise to $2,500 with a max prison term of six months, up from the current two months.
Interestingly, there isn't any verbiage regarding online gambling. The activity is illegal, but it's hard to clamp down on operators, as they're located outside of the territory and are therefore not subject to the same laws.
The island is keen to clamp down on illegal gambling because of a rise in crimes related to betting. Casino Listings News will be following the development of the bill and will update readers as we learn more.
Comments
Obviously the sizes of the fines currently is ridiculous and it's quite logical the'd want to raise those multiple times but probably the local authorities should concentrate also on legalizing and regulating the activity which should bring a lot more good to the state instead of trying to ban it.