The decision by the government of Trinidad & Tobago to give the gaming industry at least five years to close down the country’s casinos was described as ‘an act of good faith’ by Prime Minister Patrick Manning. Stating that the government was not about disruption or dislocation, an agreement has been reached with the Union representing casino employees to phase down the industry over a 5-year period.

Around 7,000 people are employed in the gaming industry in a country where casinos and slot machines are illegal. The government remains committed to abolishing the industry but has recognised that workers need time to retrain and find other jobs as they are at present dependent on gaming for their livelihood. The Union said it was happy with the retraining programme to be implemented and that the eventual closure of the casino industry could be achieved with as little disruption as possible.

Following the meeting with casino workers last Friday, the Prime Minister called upon the opposition party to declare its position on casinos, suggesting that the gaming industry was financing its campaign. Manning queried the funding of colourful full-page newspaper ads running at around $70,000 a day. The opposition Congress of the People (COP) has previously stated that it supports legalising the gaming industry with enforceable regulations to respect social values and eliminate illegal activities such as money laundering. (E-09.17.07)

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