In a recent meeting with the House Ways and Means Committee, the Commonwealth Casino Commission (CCC) Chairman, Edward C. Deleon Guerrero, suggested that the local legislature consider removing the exclusivity of the gaming license.
Guerrero believes that despite the only gaming licensee, Imperial Pacific International (IPI), currently being in the process of bankruptcy, the casino industry can help revitalize the local economy.
According to the local media outlet, Marianas Variety, Guerrero noted that Public Law 18-56, which legalized casino gaming on Saipan, provided for an exclusive casino license to fund the government’s retirement program. He stated that times have changed and it is now time for the Legislature to consider removing that exclusivity.
He mentioned that the CCC proposes to take a different approach once the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) government allows multiple casino licenses.
The CCC has failed to collect the $3.15 million annual regulatory fee from IPI since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Meanwhile, IPI is currently entangled in a multifaceted legal dispute with the CNMI government and multiple officials.
