Seeking to enter the Jamaican lottery market, Mahoe Gaming has reportedly requested the courts to allow it to enter into an ongoing legal dispute seeking to prevent the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC) from deciding to issue a licence for new players in the sector without a survey of the market needs.
Reported by the Jamaica Observer, Mahoe Gaming chair Michelle Myers Mayne is said to have filed an application in the Supreme Court in an attempt to acquire permission for the company to be added to the lawsuit as an interested party.
It was argued by Mayne’s lawyers that Mahoe Gaming has a vested interest in the case due to the fact that its unnamed technology partner has already invested over $3m in the development of not only lottery systems but also in the manufacturing of lottery terminals in anticipation of a lottery licence being granted to the organisation.
In addition to this, Mayne is also reported to have filed an affidavit in support of Mahoe Gaming’s request to join the BGLC as an interested party.
The signing of the affidavit follows on from the lawsuit filed by deputy chairman of Supreme Ventures Limited (SVL) Ian Levy. He asked the court for a stay of proceedings, or alternatively, an injunction, due to the fact that 20 years ago when SVL was granted a licence to operate in the Carribean country it was instructed that new applicants to the market could not offer the same game types as the existing licensee.
According to Levy, Mahoe Gaming would be offering the same games as SV and would therefore breach that previous instruction.
Mayne stated: “Mahoe Gaming has had to put itself in a position of readiness in the event it is granted a lottery licence, so that [any] delay arising from a restraint in the [BGLC’s] exercise of its statutory discretion in its consideration and determination of Mahoe Gaming’s application will result in ongoing losses in investments Mahoe Gaming has made such as staff, office premises, investment in technology, branding development, marketing, and more.”
It is reported that Mahoe Gaming’s legal team have advised that there is no realistic prospect of an SVL success in the case, however, Levy’s lawyers are said to have rejected any argument put forward by Mayne and continue to urge the Supreme Court to reject Mahoe Gaming’s application.
A final ruling is expected by the Supreme Court on May 6.