AT LEAST three decades ago Barbados took a firm decision against casino gambling. In fact, all the relevant factors were extensively ventilated in the report of the commission that was established in 1978 under the chairmanship of the Very Reverend Dean Harold Crichlow.

Given the unusually serious economic challenges now confronting Caribbean countries, there is renewed interest in the issue of gambling, specifically the casino variety. It is agreed that it is a means of boosting state revenues and thus helping to ward off deterioration in the people's living standards.

The option to go this route is shortly to go before the public in one of CARICOM's most prominent member countries. According to a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) report, Jamaica's Prime Minister Bruce Golding said he gave permission to a group of international investors planning that island's first casino, despite opposition mainly from religious groups.

There are at least two other reasons why proponents of casino gambling are likely to resume the discussion. The first is, of course, the news from Jamaica. The second, which is never far from the surface, is the prospect of fiercer competition with Cuba emerging as a major player in the Caribbean tourism market in expectation of a more liberal regime governing that country.

The reality is that casino gambling of one type or degree or another already exists in Antigua, The Bahamas, Bermuda, Grenada, Haiti, St Lucia, St Kitts, St Vincent, Trinidad & Tobago and the Dutch Antilles.

In most cases, there are no full-fledged casinos. "Gaming rooms" would be a more apt description. All the same, these form the basis on which arguments are grounded to legalise casino gambling.

Jamaica's situation is instructive. The claim is that casinos can earn significant sums of money to fund education facilities, health, welfare and other social services. This is the central theme of Prime Minister Golding's proposal to be delivered in parliament.

Proponents of the idea, both in Jamaica and Barbados, not to mention Antigua and other regional countries where the industry is in various stages of growth, need to embrace strict security provisions, as well as prohibitions on who should be allowed to gamble.

All such conditions must be rigorously policed, if for no other reason than that even in the best regulated environments, there continue to be complaints about casino corruption, fraud and lottery rigging.

Modern technology has dismantled most barriers to participating in betting games. Online casino gambling, complete with "free" money coupons, is widely available on the Internet. This is especially true with international media networks popularising high-stakes poker.

Quite apart from gaming machines, particularly in arcades and hotels, Barbados has a thriving lottery industry that functions throughout the day, Monday to Saturday, even on most public holidays. The question is, given the financial rewards to be reaped through taxes and foreign exchange, whether it is on the agenda to review the relevant risks and opportunities.

Jamaica has made a move in this direction and now provides an interesting backdrop for renewed debate in Barbados.

Golding said to his country's parliament: "There are those whom I know disagree with casino gambling. But the fact is that the horse bolted through the gate a long time ago with the granting of licences for hundreds of gaming machines."

Will Barbados maintain its present position on casino gambling? There are those who will contend that irrespective of its tradition of good financial management, this island has precious little resources to sustain current levels of public service or development, let alone to fall back upon as new needs arise. This must be seen for what it is, a self-serving rationalisation.

Tourism continues to be pivotal toour national fortunes, despite challenges driven by high-priced fuel, spasms in some international financial centres, and competition posed by other destinations.

Just four days ago, the Central Bank was able to report favourable growth of four per cent in the tourism sector for the first quarter of 2008. The good quality of our varied hotel plant, other accommodations and excellent hospitality standards offer some measure of protection for our economy.

As is the case in Jamaica, we cannot afford to ignore the concerns of religious or other sectors regarding well-documented examples of adverse outcomes associated with casino gambling. For the most part, those instances reveal laxity in enforcing the stated regulations, and the presence of organised crime syndicates.