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Following on the heels of Dr. Cort’s Budget presentation in Parliament on Wednesday November 30th , 2005, David Carruthers, CEO of BetonSports announced to the Government his companies firm commitment to expand its operations in Antigua.
“The Board of Directors of BetonSports at its Annual General Meeting which was held on December 2, 2005 in Antigua took the decision to expand its marketing and research development unit in Antigua. This will initially create 25 new jobs. Mr. Carruthers indicated that his board’s decision to expand the company’s base in Antigua was as a result of the Governments commitment to the industry and the proactive stance the Government, through the Minister of Finance has taken to win-back gaming companies. The CEO stated that the Minister’s “Win-Back Initiative” held in San Jose Costa Rica signaled to him and the Board that Antigua and Barbuda is being proactive in branding itself as a well-regulated premiere i-gaming jurisdiction with regulations which are of the highest international standards and best practices. As a result, the Board deemed that Antigua and Barbuda would fit their strategic plans for future development.
The Minister of Finance and the Economy was very pleased by this announcement and indicated to the CEO that the Government was encouraged by the decision of BetonSports to expand operations in Antigua and Barbuda. The minister underscored the point that the Government remains very committed to the future growth of Internet Gaming in the jurisdiction and expressed the Governments appreciation to the company for positively demonstrating its commitment to Antigua and Barbuda and looked forward to the company increasing its complement in the future.
The Director of Gaming, Ms. Kaye McDonald, is very pleased with the recent decision taken by BetonSports and stated that the initial expansion will bring the companies Antigua staff compliment to about 38 which is positive as it will create employment opportunities for a young and dynamic labour pool. She further stated that FSRC, Division of Gaming welcomes this expansion as there are recommendations being proposed by the Division to ensure, through regulatory measures, that gaming companies licensed by the state to conduct Interactive Gaming and Interactive Wagering have a physical operating presence in Antigua and Barbuda.
Betonsports is one of the largest on-line sportsbook and casinos in the world and is a publicly listed company on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM), which is a part of the London Stock Exchange (LSE). Presently, most of the company’s operations are based in San Jose, Costa Rica. |
