#Kingston, March 1, 2019 – Jamaica – State Minister for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Alando Terrelonge, is imploring adolescents to refrain from participating in underage gambling, as this may negatively impact their education.
Under the Casino Gaming Act, gambling in Jamaica is legal, licensed, and regulated. There have been 12 casinos built that offer traditional casino games as well as poker. Online gambling is not as straight forward. The Chairman identified illegal Cash Pot, unlicensed gambling premises and unlicensed slot machines as the most prevalent illegal gambling offences in Jamaica.
“Your education is the best gift that you can give to yourselvesnot gambling…Your education is the one thing that will last for the rest ofyour life. So do not gamble with your education. If you do gamble, you aregambling with your education,” he said.
The Minister was speaking at the awards ceremony for RISE LifeManagement Services’ adolescent gambling prevention all-island jingle competition,held on February 27 at the organisation’s downtown Kingston offices. He noted that gambling can be a gateway tosubstance abuse, including alcohol and drugs, delinquency in school as well asother antisocial behaviours.
Mr. Terrelonge also appealed tostakeholders in the betting and gaming industry to discourage children fromgambling.
“Don’t allow the young students to come into yourinstitutions and gamble away their lunch money… . Don’tallow our children to gamble their education away,” he urged.
He lauded RISE Life ManagementServices and its partners for staging the jinglecompetition, which seeks to create awareness about the dangers ofindulging in underage gambling.
The entity’s Executive Director, Sonita Abrahams Burrows, said thatsince 2017, 4,000 youth have been sensitisedabout the consequences of underage gambling.
“This year, we have increased our target to some 16,000 studentsacross Jamaica,” she noted.
Grade-five student of Holy Family Primary School in Kingston, Malique Brown copped first place for his jingle, walking away with acash prize of $50,000.
The duo of Jahiem Jackson and Ackeem Johnson fromGaynstead High School in Kingston received the second-place cash prize of$30,000, while grade-nine student of Ferncourt High School in St. Ann, VernandoBailey, received the third-place prize of $20,000. The jingles will beprofessionally produced for airplay.
Some $176,000 in cash prizes was awarded to shortlistedparticipants, as well as trophies and medals. The competition was open to school-basedyouth at the primary and secondary levels, who were asked to make submissionsunder the theme ‘Underage Gambling Will Lead to Disaster; Focus on Educationand Be Your Own Master’.
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The annual initiative seeks to eliminate underage gambling bycreating greater awareness about the consequences among stakeholders. It isillegal for persons under the age of 18 to gamble.
RISE Life Management Services operates the only gambling-prevention,treatment research and responsible gaming programme in the Caribbean.
Contact: Rochelle Williams
Release: JIS
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Header: State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Alando Terrelonge (second right), presents Holy Family Primary School student, Malique Brown, with the winner’s trophy in RISE Life Management Services’ adolescent gambling-prevention jingle competition. The awards ceremony was held on February 27 at the entity’s downtown Kingston offices. Sharing the moment are Vice President of Marketing, Communication and Sponsorship, Supreme Ventures Limited, Gail Abrahams (second left); and Executive Director of the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC), Vitus Evans.
Insert: Grade-five student of Holy Family Primary School in Kingston, Malique Brown, performs his winning entry in the RISE Life Management Services’ adolescent gambling-prevention jingle competition, at the awards ceremony held on February 27 at the entity’s downtown Kingston offices. Malique reveived a cash prize of $50,000.
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R. Fraser Photos