Jamaica’s First Casino Hotel, Princess Grand Jamaica, Set to Open in November

Casino gaming will officially launch in Jamaica this November with the opening of the Princess Grand Jamaica in Negril, according to Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, who spoke to reporters in New York this week.

The Princess Grand Jamaica will be the island’s first casino hotel and is one of potentially three planned for the country, Bartlett said. The resort is currently under construction in the Green Island area of Hanover and will operate as an all-inclusive property.

Plans, revealed late last year, include 509 oceanview suites—along with Family and Master Suites—three pools, eight bars and nine restaurants. It’s the first Jamaica property for the Spain-based hotel company, and represents, along with its sister property Princess Senses the Mangrove, the largest investment in Jamaican history from an international company.

Still, despite the addition, Jamaica isn’t aiming to become a casino destination, but rather a destination that includes a casino.

“We do not wish to become a casino destination but a destination where casinos will be happening,” Bartlett said.

The Princess casino will be fully integrated into the hotel, and there are no plans to approve standalone casino licenses. The goal, Bartlett said, is to complement Jamaica’s growing tourism sector with gaming, rather than create a major gaming industry.

The other two proposed casinos are still in the early planning stages. Bartlett told reporters that the government is reviewing proposals but emphasized that “there’s a growing demand” for the offering.

“We should be adaptive,” he said. “We’re still reviewing the demand for the product, for that experience.”