Jamaica’s finance minister says the island nation is forging ahead with plans to regulate online gambling to keep abreast with the changing pace of technology.

Last week, Jamaica’s Finance Minister Audley Shaw (pictured) gave the keynote address at the 7th Caribbean Gaming Show and Summit, which was hosted by the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC) in Montego Bay.

Shaw announced that the BGLC was “in the process of drafting legislation establishing a licensing regime as well as regulatory supervision for operators of interactive gambling.” Shaw said the government had decided to “fast track” this legislation due to the rapid pace of technological change and “the need to facilitate the growth” of the local gambling industry.

Shaw also announced that the country’s three state gaming bodies – the BGLC and the racing and casino regulators – would be merged into a new all-powerful body called the Jamaica Gaming Commission (JGC). The merger is expected to be finalized by the end of 2017 and the online gambling regulations are expected to precede the merger. Until the merger, the BGLC will oversee online activity.