Mahoe Gaming not yet cleared to operate; US still concerned
Published:Tuesday | August 4, 2020 | 12:22 AM
The Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC) is pointing out that although Mahoe Gaming Enterprises Limited has been granted a licence to promote a lottery, it has not completed all the steps in the process to begin commercial operations.
The entity, which is fully Jamaican-owned, now has to have its technical service provider, Genlot, approved by the BGLC.
“Mahoe Gaming has sought a world-rated provider of lottery technology to allow us to maximise enjoyment and improve the experience for the Jamaican consumer. Mahoe will offer consumers a proven system from Genlot, the number-one provider in the gaming industry in China,” Mahoe Gaming Chairman Michelle Myers Mayne said in a letter to The Gleaner last week.
The next stages of the process, BGLC Executive Director Vitus Evans pointed out, will require Mahoe Gaming to establish financial surety as well as rigorous multi-jurisdictional due-diligence investigations on the proposed technical service provider, sales agents and retail premises.
If the BGLC is not satisfied, Mahoe Gaming would be required to find a new technical service provider if it wishes to operate locally.
Yesterday, United States Ambassador Donald Tapia said his country still harbours concerns over a possible Mahoe Gaming-Genlot operation.
“I reiterate my concern that the proposed technical services provider, Genlot, must be thoroughly vetted to ensure that it does not endanger Jamaica’s national security or has access to the personal information of the millions of Americans who visit the island each year. Genlot works closely with Huawei, and as a Chinese company, would be subject to the intrusive laws of the Chinese Communist Party,” he said.
“Mahoe and Genlot will endeavour to complete all required due diligence with the BGLC,” Myers Mayne said.