Church Senator Joins Push to Rework Gambling Law

The Senate was busy today, and one hot topic on the agenda was the Gaming and Lotteries Control Bill 2025. This proposed law aims to repeal, replace, and consolidate several pieces of legislation that govern gambling in Belize. Now, after a lively and robust debate, senators decided to hold the bill back for some fine-tuning. Why? Well, two senators pointed to News Five’s own investigative report on Caribi Bleu Casino, using it as evidence that the bill needs more work to tackle emerging challenges in the gaming industry. One of those voices was Church Senator Louis Wade, who stressed that the legislation must address loopholes and protect the integrity of the system.

 

Louis Wade, Church Senator

“I am not saying close them all down, we will not accept the bill. This bill does not serve the good of the Belizean people to cover the issues of the last fifteen years that we know exist, including the issues such as the Rima Ray which is currently before us. So if a person wants to have a gambling house, a casino, a gaming shop, in a particular community is to write this organization, this organization, give licenses and come back with that license and go for a trade license and demand. As they have done in the past and they try to give them golf cart, this story was properly covered by colleague Paul Lopez at News Five. It is present in the news for us to learn from.”