Industry scale (Jamaica)

The scale of Jamaica's gambling industry

1) How much does the market "weigh" in money

According to the regulator BGLC, the total sales of the gambling industry in Jamaica in the I quarter. 2024/25 (April-June 2024) amounted to J $60.969 billion, which is + 2.39% more than a year earlier. For the quarter of payment of prizes - J $52.98 billion, gross profit of operators - J $7.99 billion. Government revenues from the industry for the same period - J $2.601 billion (-11.8% YoY).

Structure of budget revenues for the quarter: lotteries - 89.31%, rates - 4.39%, gambling halls/devices - 6.29%. Funds are divided between Consolidated Fund (≈54%), CHASE Fund (≈27%), BGLC itself (≈17%) and JRC (≈2%).

2) What the market consists of

1. Lotteries (national operator Supreme Ventures, etc.).

2. Bets (bookmakers: sports, local and simulcast races).

3. Gaming (gaming machines and gaming lounges).

Lotteries consistently account for the lion's share of budget revenues (≈89% in the April-June 2024 quarter), which reflects the maturity of the retail network and the frequency of circulation.

3) Retail infrastructure and employment

Supreme Ventures points to a network of 1,200 + outlets/outlets across the country (terminals/agents), which explains the high coverage of lottery products.

The regulator notes the scale of the fleet of gaming machines: according to the executive director of BGLC Vitus Evans, by 2024, about 26,000 (legally registered) units were operated in the country outside large lounges; sites with up to 19 cars have separate rules and fees.

BGLC deploys GMIS (monitoring system) to cover not only networked lounges, but also scattered points with single machines.

4) Tourism as an external demand driver

Gambling infrastructure is closely related to tourist flow: in 2024, Jamaica received about 2.9 million stopover guests; in 2025, the dynamics continued to grow, and in the first months of 2025, tourist revenues exceeded US $2.4 billion. This reinforces the consumption of entertainment services and lottery products, and future IRD casinos will receive an additional demand base.

5) Stress points and trends

Volatility of budget revenues. Despite the increase in sales, budget revenues decreased in the quarter (-11.8% YoY) due to shifts between segments and the comparison base.

The online niche has not been revealed. BGLC recognizes the "uncovered" zone of online gaming: there is demand, but there is no full regulation yet; at the same time, the Commission is already issuing permits to existing bookmakers for online products, where allowed.

Compliance by car. Due to the high profitability of the devices, inspections are intensifying: in 2024, an increase in seizures of unregistered cars was recorded.

6) What it means for businesses and players

For operators. The market is "long" due to the lottery network and "short" in rates/gambling halls: growth points - transparent online, connection to GMIS and integration with fintech.

For the state. Maximizing the budget effect goes through increasing the accounting for "small" sites with devices and bringing the online segment to a regulated model, while maintaining the share of CHASE and Consolidated Fund.

For the players. Legal retail is wide (lotteries, JustBet, gaming lounges), but online casinos as a separate licensed category have not yet been implemented - this is important for consumer protection.

1. digital monitoring and accounting of "small" sites (GMIS);

2. an adult online model that will legally monetize existing demand while maintaining a balance of budget interests and player protection.

Data Status: Updated to 10 October 2025 (Europe/Kyiv)