The history of gambling in St Kitts and Nevis

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1) Colonial and early tourist context

Gaming practices on the islands for a long time remained in "small" forms - lottery and charity draws, bar games and friendly bets, until in the 1970s the targeted development of the Frigate Bay resort area in St. Kitts began. It is there that the modern casino scene is born, associated with hotel construction and the night economy. The foundation stone for the flagship resort was laid in 1973, and the facility revived a decade later as the Royal St. Kitts Hotel and Casino (formerly Jack Tar Village), a symbol of the turn to the leisure and evening entertainment industry.

2) Resort Casinos: Royal St. Kitts to Royal Beach Casino

In the early 2000s, a major gaming and hotel anchor, St. Kitts Marriott Resort & The Royal Beach Casino, opened in St. Kitts (starting in February 2003). Royal Beach Casino cemented the "resort + casino + evening leisure" model, becoming one of the country's most recognizable gambling venues. Anniversary publications from industry media confirm the key opening date and the role of the facility in local tourism.

In parallel, the resort fabric of the region is compacted by a golf and spa offer (Royal St. Kitts Golf Club opened in 1976), which increases the flow of guests into the evening play areas, although golf itself is not about gambling.

3) Nevis: resort luxury, but not "casino-island"

Nevis Island has developed as a premium resort destination (the iconic Four Seasons Resort Nevis since 1991), shaping the demand for gastronomy, golf and family holidays. This is an important context: Nevis relied on luxury tourism, not large casino complexes. The Four Seasons anniversary materials highlight a "resort core" with no emphasis on gambling grounds.

4) Lottery branch: "Caribbean Lottery" and retail

From the end of the 20th century to the present day, the transnational Caribbean Lottery has been present on the market, the operator of which is IGT. For Saint Kitts and Nevis, this means regular numerical runs and instant products integrated into the retail network and social initiatives (for example, support for local homes for children). News archives and encyclopedic summaries record geography and operator.

5) Regulatory framework: 2021 turnaround and 2025 updates

In 2021, the Gaming Control Act was adopted, 2021 is a system law that unifies licensing, reporting and supervision of casinos and slot halls, introduces requirements for accounting, equipment limits and financial reporting. The official text of the act and government messages record a change in approach to the industry - from individual permits to a single control framework.

In 2025, updates on online games (Nevis Online Gaming Bill 2025) appeared on the side of Nevis, discussed in the professional press: tightening standards and reformatting the "jurisdictional proposal" for e-gaming, without the "funeral" of the industry - rather a transition to a more mature model. This reflects a Caribbean trend: maintain B2C/B2B appeal by strengthening KYC/AML and operator responsibility.

Some legal guides also describe that in the non-Jewish e-gaming approach there were traditionally restrictions on working with residents (emphasis on export services), but such reviews should be read as consulting, and not as the primary source of the law.

6) Product milestones and evolution

1970s - the formation of the Frigate Bay resort area; the future Royal St. Kitts is preparing an infrastructure base for casinos.

1991 - the opening of Four Seasons Nevis: a bet on a premium "caseless" vacation.

2003 - Launch of St. Kitts Marriott & Royal Beach Casino, the flagship "resort + casino."

2000s - institutionalization of lotteries through Caribbean Lottery (retail, CSR activity).

2021 - adopted Gaming Control Act: a new architecture of supervision and accounting for operators.

2025 - non-Jewish online initiative: adjusting e-gaming rules towards stricter compliance.

7) Social and economic effects

Tourism and evening economy. Casinos in St. Kitts fit into the resort ecosystem: bar, live music, F&B and late kitchens, which stabilizes employment and revenue in the 8pm-1am belt.

Lotteries and CSR. Lottery operators support local NGOs and sports initiatives, forming "soft" social capital.

Regulatory reliability. After 2021, the industry received uniform rules for accounting, inspections and reporting, which reduces reputational risks and increases the confidence of tourists and banks.

8) Online vector: cautious normalization

Caribbean jurisdictions traditionally balance export e-gaming with protecting the local consumer. For Saint Kitts and Nevis, the KYC/AML + transparent oversight principle remains key, and in the Nevis part, the 2025 adjustments aimed at raising standards while maintaining business attractiveness for B2C/B2B players.

9) What sets St Kitts and Nevis apart from neighbours

Resort-cluster model: casinos as part of a large hotel product (Royal Beach Casino), and not as independent "mega-complexes."

Premium Nevis: Betting on luxury holidays without relying on casinos is like a magnet, which helps diversify audiences.

A single legal framework (2021) and targeted online updates (2025) that fit the country into the regional wave of "regulated growth."

10) Short chronology

1973 - laying of a resort in Frigate Bay; formation of a hotel and entertainment cluster.

1983 - Anniversary "rebirth" of the Royal St. Kitts Hotel and Casino (according to local media).

1991 - Opening of the Four Seasons Resort Nevis (a resort with no casino focus).

2003 - St. Kitts Marriott & Royal Beach Casino launches.

2000s - 2010s - Caribbean Lottery activity in St. Kitts and Nevis.

2021 - adopted Gaming Control Act.

2025 - online rule updates on Nevis.

11) Withdrawal

The history of gambling in St Kitts and Nevis is that of the resort model: the gaming product has grown alongside major hotels, woven into the gastronomy and night scene, and lotteries have added a "social" retail branch. The 2021 law and the non-Jewish online updates of 2025 are moving the industry into a phase of transparent, predictable regulation. The country's strength is balance: casinos as part of recreation (not its goal), Nevis's premium reputation and progressive modernization of rules - all this forms a stable format for the next stage of tourist and entertainment development.