Casinos in Jamaica

If you’re picturing a Las Vegas-style casino floor with roulette and blackjack tables, Jamaica doesn’t have one open yet. What the island has today is gaming lounges: rooms full of slot machines, some in hotels and some in town. That is about to change. In July 2026 Jamaica granted its first full casino licence, for a casino at a resort in Hanover. Here’s where things stand, what the law allows, and where you can play now.

Jamaica’s first casino

On July 29, 2026, the Casino Gaming Commission (CGC) granted the country’s first casino gaming operator’s licence to Adamas Grand Casino Limited, for a casino at the Princess Grand Jamaica Resort in Green Island, Hanover, between Negril and Lucea. The casino will be run under a management agreement with Grupo Orenes, a Spanish gaming company.

It isn’t open yet. The CGC’s chief executive told The Gleaner the operator hopes to open by December 2026, but has until March 31, 2027 to meet the remaining conditions of its licence, which include surveillance, internal controls, responsible gaming safeguards and anti-money laundering measures. In September 2026 the Jamaica Observer reported the casino was preparing to open early next year. I’ll update this page when it opens.

The resort itself, Princess Grand Jamaica, is open.

What the law allows

• Casinos only inside big resorts. The CGC told The Gleaner that under the Casino Gaming Act, casinos are allowed only as part of an approved integrated resort development, not as stand-alone venues.
• Jamaicans can play too. The CGC’s chief executive told The Gleaner there is nothing in the law that bars residents. In practice, you’ll need to get into the resort first, as a guest or with an approved day pass.
• Two regulators. The CGC licenses casinos. Gaming lounges, slot machines, betting shops and lotteries are licensed by its sister agency, the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC).
• Age 18. The BGLC says gambling is for adults 18 and over.

More casinos may follow. Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett told The Gleaner at least three other integrated resort projects have shown interest, including the proposed Hard Rock development at Rose Hall near Montego Bay. None of them has a licence yet.

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Gaming lounges and hotel gaming rooms

Until the first casino opens, gaming in Jamaica means slot machines and electronic games in licensed gaming lounges. The BGLC licenses separate categories for gaming lounges, hotel-based gaming rooms, gaming machine premises and bookmakers.

The BGLC’s most recent published list of gaming lounges dates from January 2023, so treat it as a starting point rather than a current directory. It included:

• Hotel-based gaming lounges at Bahia Principe in Runaway Bay, Grand Palladium in Lucea, Ocean Coral Spring in Trelawny and Sunset Beach Resort in Montego Bay.
• Gaming lounges in Montego Bay, including Coral Cliff on the Hip Strip and Treasure Hunt in Ironshore.
• In Ocho Rios, Reno Gaming on Main Street.
• In Kingston, several lounges, including Acropolis and Monte Carlo Gaming.

Hotels and lounges have changed since then. Neither the Bahia Principe Runaway Bay nor the Grand Palladium resort website mentions a gaming room today, so if slots matter to you, ask the resort before you book.

Betting and the lottery

You’ll see betting shops and lottery outlets in every town. Horse racing is overseen by the Jamaica Racing Commission. Locals play the lottery at the corner shop the way other people buy a newspaper; you’re welcome to join in, but bring cash and your patience.

My take

Don’t choose a Jamaica trip for the gaming. Pick the beach, the resort and the area first, and treat a slot lounge as a rainy-evening extra. If a real casino is part of the plan, wait for Princess Grand Jamaica’s casino to open, and check the Negril guide for the area around Green Island. For the resorts themselves, start with the best all-inclusive resorts in Jamaica.

If gambling stops being fun, the BGLC runs a responsible gaming program and code of conduct for licensed operators.