Jamaican church leaders put their foot down when Prime Minister Bruce Golding proposed a plan for casinos. His idea is to license first casinos on Caribbean island, on condition that they promise a minimum $1.5 billion investment and plans for an adjoining hotel with not less than 1,000 rooms. With its population of some 3 million people, Jamaica already has several hundred slot machines. Golding said last month he had agreed with a proposal of a group of international investors to build Jamaica’s first casino in Montego Bay – if they allocate money for education, health and security spending. All this has brought about the indignation of Jamaica’s church leaders - according to Rev. Henley Bernard of the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, such actions will cause the rise of crime, violence and moral degradation.
