Durrant Pate/Contributor

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett says that Montego Bay’s Rose Hall corridor, located about seven air miles east of the city centre and a popular tourist destination, is being positioned as Jamaica’s first casino zone.

The minister divulged that the location is currently under development as Jamaica’s version of the Las Vegas gambling strip. Rose Hall is surrounded by many four- and five-star resorts, including Hyatt Zilara, Hyatt Ziva, Dreams, Iberostar, Half Moon, Jewel Grand, Sandals, Riu Palace and the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Montego Bay, which is slated to open by the end of next year.

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is bringing another 1,000 hotel rooms to the Rose Hall corridor. Construction on Hard Rock broke ground in April 2023 for the all-inclusive resort, which will include a “full-scale casino,” per the Jamaica Casino Gaming Commission. 

At 1,000 rooms, Hard Rock will be Montego Bay’s second-largest hotel. Hard Rock officials say a subsequent expansion could double the number of rooms at the property in the coming years. Montego Bay’s largest hotel, Moon Palace, is slated to open this fall with approximately 1,350 guestrooms and will have casino gaming operations. 

Moon Palace and Hard Rock 

This will be Moon Palace Resorts’ second development in Jamaica, as the Rose Hall property will complement its Moon Palace Jamaica Grand resort in Ocho Rios.

Speaking at the recently held 64th annual general meeting of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), Bartlett declared that more than 6,000 new casino hotel rooms are in the works for Montego Bay, specifically, the Rose Hall corridor. 

Moon Palace Resorts and Hard Rock International are among the resort developers. “It’s unlike anything Jamaica has seen,” Bartlett told the AGM of the Moon Palace and Hard Rock developments, saying, the corridor “will become Jamaica’s casino zone, without question.” 

As Jamaica is getting ready to become a bigger player in the global gaming market, the government is pushing full speed ahead with casino gambling to further attract leisure travellers and business convention organisers to the island. The Moon Palace and Hard Rock destinations are part of Jamaica’s broader push to become a premier destination for luxury retreats and vacations. 

In order to attract investors in developing Jamaica’s casino gaming resort push, the country is providing incentives for developers. Widely considered Jamaica’s most popular tourist city, Montego Bay is home to a cruise line terminal and many resorts, both west and east of the downtown area.