BGLC, Jamaica Racing Commission merger still awaits approval
Published:Thursday | June 18, 2015 | 4:09 PMTameka Gordon
A year after plans were announced to merge the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC) with the loss-making Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC), the agencies are still awaiting approval.
Both agencies currently operate out of the Hagley Park offices of the BGLC and the process is “far advanced,” for their amalgamation, BGLC executive director Andral ‘Jack’ Shirley told the Financial Gleaner.
“We are just cohabiting right now. The merger is not yet approved formally. We are waiting on that approval and then when we leave the approval, we will working on merging the acts,” Shirley said, referring to the legislation under which the state bodies operate.
JRC’s merger with the financially buoyant BGLC was first announced in 2011.
The agencies still have different boards, but the same directors have been serving both bodies since June.
“The two boards are populated by the same people. It’s moving in the direction of the merger,” JRC general manager Richard Longmore said.
BGLC is chaired by Gary Peart, who also serves as vice chairman for JRC, while Linton Walters is the chairman of JRC and vice chairman of BGLC. The other board members include Jeffery Mordecai, Vincent Anderson and Peter Reid as commissioners.