As has been reported, Mahoe Gaming Enterprises Limited, a 100 per cent Jamaican owned entity, has applied to the regulator, Betting Gaming & Lotteries Commission (BGLC), for a licence to enter Jamaica’s lottery market.
The application process is meticulously and scrupulously transparent, however, with so much misinformation already in the public space, we are compelled to clarify and respond to the same.
Mahoe Gaming is one of several entities interested in obtaining a lottery licence. The BGLC began reviewing our application in July 2019.
These application requirements are readily available on the regulator’s website under the heading of “Application to Promote Lottery Games”. Within the titled document, there are ‘Pre-application Due Diligence’ properties, which necessitate a significant level of investment.
Some of those items include:
Fit and Proper: Applicants must undergo a multi-jurisdictional assessment conducted by an international third-party contracted by the Commission at the cost of the applicant.
Governance: “Business plan inclusive of financial statements and cash flow projections”;
Research and development: “Copies of Agreements in respect of technology services, payment providers and any others that are intended to support the company’s operations”; an “Overview of the lottery games detailing the name and mechanics, rules for all games, method of selecting and notifying winners, prize structure”;
Product development: “Documentation of IT infrastructure, Schematics of network (LAN, WAN etc) topologies, information security, access controls and business recovery procedures, IT change management procedures; and
Infrastructure: “Independent Testing Lab such as Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) certification letter supporting the hardware and software that will be used”.
None of these examples (a small sample of the requirements) can be provided without investments ahead of the application.
Though some would like to believe otherwise, there is no expedited effort to issue a lottery licence to Mahoe Gaming Enterprises. To date, the stakeholders have submitted all necessary documents to meet the requirements of the BGLC and we await the ruling of the Board of Commissioners as they make the final determination.
THE POWER OF CHOICE
We at Mahoe Gaming understand that Jamaicans revel in the power of choice.
Jamaicans have never benefited from a private sector monopoly.
Mahoe Gaming believes in competition and that the current lottery industry needs competition to grow. If given the opportunity, we intend to expand and deliver on the promise of its potential to increase revenue for all.
Should it be granted the licence, then guided by its Board and the requirements of the BGLC, Mahoe Gaming intends to bring new and exciting games for players. Also offered will be compelling business opportunities for retailers, innovation and best practices for the industry, as well as increased tax revenues for Government and social welfare programmes for Jamaican citizens.
It is our expectation that the increased earning opportunity for multiple stakeholders including retailers is expected to grow local employment and a significant boost to the gross domestic product via increased local business activity.
Mahoe Gaming has always sought to comply with the requirements of the decision-makers and are wholly distressed by the questions of the credibility of the regulator.
We have subjected ourselves, the proposed systems and the significant financial investment, which we have made, to intense scrutiny.
We hope to have a favourable outcome of the application process before the regulator, not from underhanded dealings, but based solely on the strength of our application.