Casinos in the Bahamas in the 1960s and 70s

The 1960s and 70s are the decades when the Bahamas went from seasonal "club" games for wealthy winterers to a full-fledged casino resort industry under government supervision. Two centers set the vector: Grand Bahama (Freeport/Lukaya) and Nassau/Paradise Island.

Birth of a resort cluster: Paradise Island

In the late 1950s, Huntington Hartford, the American heir to the A&P chain, bought Hog Island and in 1962 renamed it Paradise Island, starting to develop the Ocean Club, Café Martinique, golf course and marina - the foundation of the future resort.

In 1968, Paradise Island Hotel and Casino was opened on Paradise Island under the management of Resorts International (a company that arose from Mary Carter Paint in 1968). This became the "second pillar" of the emerging market near Freeport.

Freeport and Lukaya: The first big casinos and the junket era

After the Freeport Development Agreements (Hawksbill Creek Agreement) in 1963-1964, the Lucayan Beach Hotel opened in Lucay with a casino ("Monte Carlo"), and by the end of the decade, other large facilities (Holiday Inn, King's Inn/Princess).

To increase turnover in the mid-1960s, junkets were actively used - charter flights with invited "high rollers." According to local sources, in 1965 alone, the Lucayan Beach casino department spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on charters and accommodation, and junkets brought up to two-thirds of the profit.

"Bondovskaya" showcase and image of the direction

1965: Thunderball is filmed in Nassau and surrounding waters; the image of the "third capital of Bond" consolidates the glamorous image of the Bahamas, reinforcing the combination of "sea + casino + nightlife."

From the "gray zone" to the rules: investigation 1967 and basic law 1969

The casino boom was accompanied by questions of integrity and connections to politicians/businesses. On March 13, 1967, the Freeport and Nassau Casino Investigation Commission started; the final report (November 1967) confirmed a significant part of the claims described in the press, and became a prologue to the formalization of supervision.

This was followed by the Lotteries and Gaming Act (1969), and in August 1969 the Gaming Board for The Bahamas was created - a regulator with the authority of licensing, reporting control and compliance with rules. These steps put an end to the "semi-legal" era and set a standard convenient for the travel market.

Tourist background: "millionth" 1968 and the turning point of the 1970s

According to the Ministry of Tourism, by 1968 the Bahamas first reached 1 million visitors (after 32 thousand in 1949). A significant role was played by the reorientation of flows due to the closure of Cuba to the Americans (embargo 1961), which increased demand for the Bahamas, including casinos.

In the 1970s, the trend became sharply more complicated: independence (1973), harsh rhetoric towards Freeport, the oil crisis and the global recession worsened performance, increasing seasonality and price competition. Nevertheless, by the end of the decade, the industry had adapted: there were extensions of the number of rooms and modernization on Paradise Island and in Nassau.

How the model worked in the 60s and 70s: key elements

1) Foreign demand as a core. Casinos focused on US/Canada airlines and cruise tourists; local "seasonal clubs" of the 20s (Bahamian Club) by the 60s lost their role and became part of the historical context.

2) Concentration of locations. Freeport/Lukaya - the "first splash" of large floors and junkets; Nassau/Paradise Island - "second wave" with the launch of Paradise Island Hotel and Casino (1968).

3) Regulatory framework. Investigation 1967 → Law 1969 → Gaming Board (1969). This sequence structured reporting, fees and control, while maintaining tourist attractiveness.

4) Marketing through pop culture. Bond movies, glossy publications and a "jet set" around the Ocean Club fueled prestige, working as a free destination commercial.

Social and political background

The debate about the admissibility of casinos unfolded back in the 1960s: some elites saw them as an "export service" for non-residents; others feared criminal risks and moral consequences - hence the emphasis on strict supervision and differentiation of access.

Migration of capital and owners. In the late 1960s, Mary Carter Paint morphs into Resorts International and becomes a key player on Paradise Island; in the 1970s, assets go through ownership changes and restructuring, reflecting the volatility of the era.

Legacy of the era

1. Resort specialization. The bunch of "beach vacations + casinos" was fixed precisely then and determined the strategy for decades.

2. Oversight as a competitive advantage. The 1969 framework with the Gaming Board created predictable rules of the game for operators.

3. Geography of demand. Two pillars (Freeport and Nassau/Paradise Island) set a steady market map.

Timeline (brief)

1962 - Hartford renames Hog Island Paradise Island; launching "Ocean Club."

1963-64 - Lucayan Beach Hotel (Grand Bahama) with casino; start of the junket model.

1965 - peak of junkets in Lukai; Thunderball is filmed in the Bahamas.

1967 - Casino Investigation Commission (Freeport & Nassau).

1968 - Paradise Island Hotel and Casino opens; 1 million visitors in the country.

1969 - Lotteries and Gaming Act and the creation of the Gaming Board.

1973 - independence of the Bahamas; The 70s are under the influence of the oil crisis and the restructuring of the tourist product.

The 1960s and 70s transformed the Bahamas from an elitist seasonal destination into a structured casino resort market. Symbolic milestones - renaming Paradise Island, launching the Paradise Island Hotel and Casino (1968), "Bond" recognition and the creation of a regulator (1969). On this basis, the country is still building a tourist product "beach + casino + lifestyle," inherited from that era.