Any Caribbean island with good access to the United States could boast an American-style casino to rival Atlantis Paradise Island, according to an expert from the Innovation Group.

For some governments in the region, gambling's ability to attract tourists now outweighs the opposition from religious leaders, says market analyst Suzanne Leckert.

And Ms Leckert believes major gaming plans recently announced in Jamaica could jump start similar schemes throughout the entire region.

Her company is currently carrying out a feasibility study to determine whether Bermuda's gambling laws should be relaxed to allow casinos and a national lottery on the Island.

In an article in 'Casino Enterprise Management', Ms Leckert listed many reasons why islands in the region can be a big winner by introducing gaming.

"While the Atlantis is on Paradise Island, it would likely have been equally successful placed on any Caribbean island with strong access and proximity to the United States," she wrote.

"But, to this day, no other developments have been built that can truly compete with it. This is set to change.

"Many Caribbean governments have been contemplating opening their doors to large casino developments, and now some are getting close to actually doing so.

"More opportunities for casino development are emerging than ever before in the Caribbean. Governments are becoming increasingly aware of the expansion of gaming in major feeder markets such as the United States and Europe, of the widespread demand for it, and of the potential for making themselves more competitive by including gaming in their visitor offerings.

"Countries such as St. Lucia, Guyana, Turks and Caicos, and Jamaica have either passed pro-casino legislation or are considering opening up to casino development.

"They are warming to the idea after seeing not only the success of Atlantis, but the ability of hundreds of jurisdictions to operate casinos efficiently and without high levels of corruption or negative effects on their resident populations.

"The potential for increasing the attractiveness of one's island destination, and bringing in more tourists and more tourist spending, are making the idea of casinos not only palatable, but desirable as well."

She added: "Put simply, many Caribbean governments are starting to view gaming as a competitive advantage in luring visitors to their tourism-based economies."

In the August 2008 article, Ms Leckert referred to Jamaica's decade-long debate over the issue which culminated in the Government awarding two licences for major gaming resorts.

Pointing to a conflict currently echoing in Bermuda, she wrote: "With this announcement and aggressive vision, Jamaica is setting itself apart from its many island neighbours that have yet to move past the inevitable debate that always surrounds the casino question.

"As is typically the case, supporters of the expanded gaming efforts in Jamaica cited job growth and tax revenues that would be used to help fund health, education and security investments as justification for approving the casino licenses.

"Opponents, including religious leaders and other concerned citizens, opposed the measure based upon the perceived social impacts of gaming. The debate is a common one for governments whenever the subject of casinos is raised. In this case, the revenue and employment potential proved too appealing for Jamaica to ignore."

Ms Leckert continued: "Jamaica has recently led (the) charge, looking internationally for developers and operators to help strengthen its position as a leader in tourism and emerge as a leader in resort-style casino gaming.

"We will all be watching closely to see how the developments underway in Jamaica help redirect the Caribbean spotlight, and if they will indeed jump start major gaming investment throughout the entire region."

She added that the Caribbean nations considering casinos are doing so cautiously and deliberately; and legislation is being drafted with little room for corruption and responsive to the concerns of church groups.

The Innovation Group, which is being paid $300,000 for the Bermuda study, describes itself as the premier provider of consulting services for the gaming, leisure and hospitality industry, and has carried out work in nearly every US state and numerous countries across the world.