by ROY R. MORRIS

A NEW WAVE OF GAMBLING is about to lash Barbadian shores.

The Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) has hired a Puerto Rican company with interests in Las Vegas to set up 2 500 gambling machines across the island.

That company, Cage Caribbean, has incorporated a local subsidiary, CAGE Barbados Inc., to execute the contract to install and operate, on behalf of the BCA, hundreds of video lottery terminals (VTLs), and it is working with North American entity RJL Companies, which is operated by Robert Johnson, the founder and former owner of Black Entertainment Television (BET).

Vernon Williams, former chairman of the Lottery Committee of the BCA, confirmed yesterday that the gaming machines were coming, but he could not confirm the number or the start-up date.

SUNDAY SUN investigations revealed however, that the BCA and its partners can expect to face a barrage of bouncers from operators of existing gaming arcades, who dispatched a letter of objection to the Betting and Gaming Commission earlier this year, charging they never got a reply, or a requested meeting.

Just last week the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper quoted Bob Washington, chairman and chief executive officer of Caribbean CAGE, a company he co-founded with Johnson, as stating: "This long-term management agreement is an integral step towards fulfilling our strategy of a significant presence throughout the Caribbean and Latin America."

Caribbean connections

CAGE Caribbean, which is based in Puerto Rico, and maintains an office in Las Vegas, Nevada, already operates VTLs in the Turks and Caicos, and St Kitts.

Additionally, Johnson was reported to have told the newspaper: "We are pleased to enter into a business relationship with Barbados. Our ability to drive returns is good for Barbados and good for CAGE."

According to Williams, CAGE Barbados will be operating the gambling machines "lock, stock and barrel" under licences which are owned by the BCA. So far, Williams said, the BCA had approval for four games on each machine, and was pursuing approval for another two.

Where the machines would be placed, he added, would be decided by CAGE, since "that would be an operational decision".

"What we expect is that those machines would be placed in locations that would be most beneficial for the BCA," Williams said, adding that while local cricket's governing body held the licence, its partners in the venture were the National Sports Council, the Barbados Turf Club and Olympio Lotteries.

Last week a senior official of the Ministry of Finance confirmed that permission had already been granted for the importation of the gaming machines.

roymorris@nationnews.com