The Cayman Islands has pumped the brakes on plans to impose stiff new penalties on unauthorized gambling operations.

On Saturday, Cayman Islands Attorney General Samuel Bulgin issued a brief statement saying the government had “put off amendments to the Gambling Law” in order to provide “time and opportunity for a further review of existing provisions.” Bulgin said the public would be updated once this review was completed.

Bulgin said the “further look” at both the existing law’s provisions and those of the proposed Gambling (Amendments) Bill 2018 was necessary but failed to explain precisely why the government was backing away from its plan to update the nation’s gambling laws, which date back to 1964.

Ezzard Miller, leader of the Cayman legislature’s official opposition, had come out early and strongly against the government’s “draconian” proposal, saying it would only push gambling operations further underground. Miller advocated instead for a policy of regulation and taxation both to ensure gambling activities are above board and that the government gets its proper cut of the proceeds.