Comparison with neighbors (St. Lucia, SVG, Barbados) - Grenada

1) Quick reference point (status map)

2) Grenada: 'allowed but difficult'

Model. Casinos are allowed only inside hotels/resorts with 300 + rooms (Casino & Gaming Act 2014). For the rest of the sector - Gaming Act 2016 and Gaming Regulations (SRO 48/2016), where stand-alone machine mode (prohibition of centralized networks) was introduced for halls with automatic machines. In practice, this led to a "right to eat - no objects" situation: the largest Royalton hotel has <300 rooms, and large resort projects have not yet been fully operational.

Online. In the texts of 2016, there is no expanded national B2C online mode (KYC online, local hosting RNG, etc.); found in e-gaming forms is not a full-fledged remote license in the modern sense.

Inference. Grenada is attractive for brick-and-mortar with 300 + rooms, and for small gaming halls with stand-alone machines; there is no clear local license for online operators.

3) St Lucia: the law is there, the casino is not

Law. Gaming, Racing and Betting Act with detailed rules on tables/control (up to "shift change" and "count room"). However, the country's only casino closed in 2020, and the market was left without active casinos. Online is not settled - residents go offshore.

Inference. Unlike Grenada, there is no filter for "300 + numbers," but in reality there is no working casino, and online is absent as a separate licensed category.

4) SVG: lottery monopoly and "online vacuum"

Offline. Gambling has been legal since 1968, but the islands now have no operating casinos - the historic venues have closed; legal segment - National Lotteries Authority.

Online. There is no separate licensing; players use international sites. This is a key difference from Grenada and St. Lucia, where at least there are modern acts for offline.

5) Barbados: no casino, with machines and lotteries

Right. Cap. 134A Betting and Gaming regulates slot machines/playgrounds, and Betting & Gaming Duties Act (Cap. 60) describes fees/duties; "standard" casinos are not allowed. The online game is de facto going offshore; profile guides note that players are not charged with this.

Inference. Compared to Grenada, Barbados is tougher on casinos (complete ban), but softer on online home games (tolerance to offshore for users).

6) Investment appeal: where entry thresholds are lower

Casino resort.

Grenada: legally possible but need 300 + hotel - high CAPEX, long horizon.

Saint Lucia: there is no filter on the number of rooms, but the actual demand/operating risks are an example of 2020.

SVG: formally allowed by a historical act, but there are no ecosystems and operating facilities.

Barbados: no casino as a class.

Slot halls/clubs.

Grenada: there is an understandable stand-alone mode of machines (without a central network).

Barbados: allowed under licence/at approved venues.

St. Lucia and SVG: Niche formats within a common offline framework are possible, but active markets are limited.

Online operations.

All four jurisdictions do not have a clear national B2C online mode of the Malta/Gibraltar level. In practice, businesses are structured through other licensing countries, and local markets remain gray (access to offshore).

7) What It Means for Strategy (2025-2027)

1. Grenada - it is advisable to look at a 300 + resort (if there is a developer with a number of rooms) or slim rooms with autonomous machines; online B2C under a local license is not viewed.

2. St. Lucia - the legal framework is there, but the market track record is weak after casino closures; fit only with strong product and marketing.

3. SVG - expectations are more related to online reform/offline modernization; so far - lotteries and offshore.

4. Barbados - no casino; projects on machines/lotteries and fintech support of payments are possible, but online - through external licenses.

8) Short conclusions

Grenada is legally the most "ready" for a casino among four, but with a strict threshold of 300 + numbers.

St. Lucia has a detailed law, but there are no actual casinos since 2020.

SVG legalized excitement a long time ago, but today without a casino and without an online mode.

Barbados is most restrictive of casinos, but allows machines and civilizes duties; online - offshore.

Sources used

Grenada: SRO 48/2016 Gaming Regulations; Casino & Gaming Act 2014 (300 + numbers); Commencement Orders 2016; an overview of industry/academic publications (Royalton <300).

St Lucia: Gaming, Racing and Betting Act (with table details/controls); reports on the closure of a single casino and online unregulation.

SVG: Historical Mode (1968), lack of active casinos and online licenses; role of the NLA.

Barbados: Cap. 134A (machines/platforms); Betting & Gaming Duties Act (Cap. 60); position of market guides on the online "gray zone."