The government is cracking down on illegal gambling by modernising the offence structure and significantly strengthening penalties for illegal lottery activities.
This was reiterated by Minister of Planning, Economic Affairs and Development and Minister in the Ministry of Finance, Dr. Kennedy Swaratsingh, in the Senate on Tuesday, as he contributed to the debate on the Finance Bill, 2025.
“For far too long, Mr. President, illegal gambling has thrived due to low and outdated penalties which fail to reflect the scale of the problem. By increasing penalties and making clear that these offences attract serious custodial sentences, this government is sending a clear and unmistakable signal that illegal lottery activities will not be tolerated.”
As he contributed to the debate on the Finance Bill, 2025, Minister Swaratsingh reminded that amendments to the Gambling and Betting Act will be implemented to discourage unlawful operators and disrupt organised illegal lottery activities.
“On summary conviction, the penalty rises from $3,000 and 12 months’ imprisonment to $250,000 and three years’ imprisonment. On conviction on indictment, the penalty imposed is $3 million and seven years’ imprisonment.”
Dr. Swaratsingh said these strengthened penalties aim to ensure proper regulation of lotteries and prevent abuse of the system.
He also gave the government’s commitment to improve the Board of Inland Revenue.
“The Board of Inland Revenue is reconstituted, expanding it to nine commissioners. The new Board will comprise six public officers from the Inland Revenue Division, instead of the previous five, and now includes an Attorney-at-law with at least 10 years of experience, an accountant with at least 10 years of experience, and a Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance as an ex-officio commissioner. The President will appoint the professional members, and the Permanent Secretary and the Chairman will continue to be selected from among the public officers of the Inland Revenue Division.”
This new structure, he said, strengthens the professional capacity of the Board, ensures the presence of specialised legal and accounting expertise, and aligns the governance of our tax administration with international best practice.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says the government’s proposal to amend the Liquor Licences Act is necessary for revenue generation.
The proposal would see the tax on gaming machines increase from $6,000 to $25,000, electronic roulette tax increase from $120,000 to $200,000 per device, and establish new licence duties – measures that are not sitting well with members of the Barkeepers’, Owners and Operators Association of Trinidad and Tobago (BOATT).
However, the Prime Minister defended the proposal: “We must have revenue earners, regenerating measures, and these are some of them that will go at matters that are not essential to the life of enjoyment of property and people, so that these are some, as I say, with the regulatory aspect of revenue earning, but on the other side, there’s a social side to it. The Minister of Finance can tell us a little more. We were told in our research the amount of monies that they make could exceed in excess of $30,000 per month, these gambling places.”