Jamaica Issues Its First-Ever Casino Operator License to Adamas Grand Casino

Jamaica has issued its first-ever casino gaming operator’s license, clearing the way for legal casino gambling to arrive on the island for the first time. The Casino Gaming Commission (CGC) awarded the license to Adamas Grand Casino Limited, capping more than a decade of legislative preparation under the country’s Casino Gaming Act.

The license paves the way for a casino to open inside the Princess Grand Jamaica Resort in Green Island, Hanover, a development officials have long pointed to as the likely site of the country’s inaugural gaming venue.

A Long-Awaited Milestone for Jamaican Gaming

The CGC described the approval as a historic milestone in the development of Jamaica’s regulated casino industry. Jamaica’s path to legal casinos has been a slow one — the framework allowing casino gaming only as part of large-scale tourism investments, rather than as stand-alone gambling halls, dates back more than ten years, and the Princess Grand property has been floated as the presumptive first location since at least 2024, when a tourism ministry official projected an opening sometime in 2025. That timeline slipped, but the license is now official.

According to the Commission, the license was granted only after a rigorous due diligence process examining Adamas Grand Casino’s ownership structure, financial capacity, integrity and overall business competence, all under the standards set out in the Casino Gaming Act. Jamaica’s regulatory model requires that casinos exist only as a complementary amenity within an Approved Integrated Resort Development (AIRD), rather than as freestanding gambling properties, which is why the license is tied directly to the Princess Grand Jamaica Resort complex.

Grupo Orenes Steps In as Casino Operator

The casino itself will be run under a management agreement with Grupo Orenes, a Spanish gaming and hospitality company with existing casino operations in Spain, Mexico and Andorra. The deal marks Grupo Orenes’ entry into the Jamaican market and represents another step in the company’s broader push into the Caribbean gaming space.

The Princess Grand Jamaica property sits within a roughly $400 million resort development that also includes the Princess Senses The Mangrove hotel, a complex that was officially inaugurated in December 2024. Before the casino can actually welcome its first players, Adamas Grand Casino must still satisfy a list of additional regulatory conditions, including approved internal controls, surveillance systems, responsible gaming safeguards, anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing measures, and full integration with the Commission’s Gaming Management Information System.

What Comes Next

The CGC says it will continue working with Adamas Grand Casino Limited to ensure all remaining pre-operational requirements are cleared before the doors officially open, and that compliance will be monitored on an ongoing basis for the life of the license. No firm opening date has been announced. Entry to the casino will be restricted to patrons 18 and older.

For a Caribbean tourism market that has watched neighboring destinations lean further into resort-style casino gaming, Jamaica’s first license is a notable turning point — and one that bettors and casino fans tracking the region’s expansion, including those who already follow the best casino apps and offers stateside, will want to keep an eye on as the property nears its debut.