National Security Council to tackle lottery scamming amid decline in global services sector

Jamaica's National Security Council (NSC) announced it will escalate efforts to eradicate lottery scamming, a move that comes as the nation's $900 million services sector experiences a downturn. The council highlighted a significant drop in employment within the Global Services Sector, from approximately 60,000 to 40,000 workers, and a decrease in annual foreign-exchange earnings to between $700 million and $900 million.

Despite these pressures, the NSC emphasized that the services sector remains a crucial export industry and a leading earner of foreign exchange for Jamaica. Protecting and revitalizing this industry is therefore deemed a national strategic priority. The council concluded that lottery scamming has evolved into a substantial threat to both Jamaica's economic security and the safety of its citizens.

"It has increased the cost of doing business, weakened Jamaica’s competitiveness in an intensely price-sensitive global market, undermined investor confidence and damaged the country’s reputation as a trusted destination for global digital services," the NSC stated. In response, the government is committed to eliminating lottery scamming and dismantling the entire criminal network that supports it.

To achieve this objective, the NSC has approved legislative and policy reforms. These include modernizing lottery scam legislation, strengthening criminal penalties, aligning Jamaica's legal framework with international standards on cybercrime and digital fraud, enhancing intelligence gathering and prosecution efforts, and improving regulatory oversight within the Global Services Sector. The council also stressed the need for deeper operational cooperation between government, regulators, and industry stakeholders to maintain Jamaica's standing as a secure destination for global digital services.

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Economic security is national security. The Global Services Sector is one of Jamaica’s most strategic national assets. We cannot aspire to become a premier nearshore destination while tolerating organised criminal enterprises that increase the cost of doing business, undermine investor confidence and erode our competitiveness. The Government has resolved to eliminate lottery scamming and dismantle the entire criminal ecosystem that enables, facilitates and profits from it.