Government of Jamaica
The Casino Gaming Commission (CGC) and the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalise cooperation focused on protecting Jamaica’s casino gaming industry from serious and organised crime threats, including illicit finance, fraud, corruption risks and cyber-enabled offences.
The MoU strengthens Jamaica’s regulatory readiness as the industry develops, reinforcing the safeguards that preserve investor confidence and public trust. It also reflects a clear prevention-first posture – ensuring the institutions responsible for oversight have the coordination, intelligence and operational alignment required to keep pace with evolving risk.
Chairman of the CGC, Ryan Reid, said the agreement is grounded in strong governance and clear accountability. “Today marks an important step in strengthening how we protect Jamaica’s emerging casino gaming industry,” Reid noted. “This MoU… is about partnership, clarity of roles and working together to ensure that as this industry develops, it does so with integrity at its core.”
Reid emphasised that the Commission’s role extends beyond licensing to ensuring the sector does not become vulnerable to abuse. “Our mandate is clear on ensuring that casino gaming does not become a pathway for crime, financial misconduct or reputational risk to Jamaica,” he said, underscoring that MOCA’s specialist capabilities will strengthen the CGC’s ability to deter and respond to complex threats that could undermine the industry’s credibility.
CGC Chief Executive Officer Cleveland Allen said the partnership is a practical investment in transparency and responsible gaming – setting standards now, before scale arrives. “A credible gaming industry is built on trust – trust that the sector is clean, well-regulated, and firmly aligned with Jamaica’s national interest,” Allen said. “This MoU strengthens our ability to prevent criminal infiltration, support compliance, and ensure that Jamaica’s casino gaming industry is developed on a foundation of transparency, accountability and responsible operations.”
Allen added that responsible gaming is inseparable from system integrity: where illicit finance and criminal influence take root, consumer protection and compliance culture inevitably weaken. The MoU therefore strengthens the broader environment that responsible gaming depends on – supporting a regulated sector that is orderly, reputable, and aligned with Jamaica’s development priorities.
This new MoU builds on the CGC’s existing inter-agency cooperation, including its prior agreement with the Financial Investigations Division. Together, these partnerships advance a stronger, integrated integrity framework – extending from financial investigations into the organised crime and corruption threats that can target high-value, cash-intensive industries.
Speaking on MOCA’s role, MOCA Director General Colonel Desmond Edwards said the agreement is designed to enhance Jamaica’s preparedness and resilience as the sector expands. “This partnership is designed to proactively address risks such as money laundering, fraud, cybercrime, and trafficking offences that could undermine the integrity and viability of the industry,” he said, noting the agencies’ shared intent to strengthen enforcement capability and deliver effective coordination in a sector that attracts sophisticated criminal interest.
MOCA brings national responsibility and operational experience in investigating serious organised crimes, including money laundering, major fraud and cybercrime, and has led complex cases that underscore the importance of early detection and well-coordinated enforcement. The CGC and MOCA also noted that strong, credible regulation supports Jamaica’s wider commitment to modern governance and robust anti-money laundering standards across regulated industries – protecting the country’s reputation while enabling legitimate investment.
Under the Casino Gaming Act of 2010, the CGC is mandated to regulate and monitor compliance with Jamaica’s casino gaming framework, including preventing casino gaming from being associated with crime and disorder or being used to facilitate criminal activity. The CGC and MOCA said today’s agreement reflects a shared commitment to building a casino gaming sector that is transparent, well-supervised and trusted – one that delivers economic value without compromising Jamaica’s national interest.
