CCC proposes amendment to casino law to allow multiple licences

The regulator proposes to end IPI’s exclusive licence.

Northern Mariana Islands.- The Commonwealth Casino Commission (CCC) has recommended an amendment to the current casino law to allow for the entry of new operators.

At its monthly meeting, board chair Edward C. DeLeon Guerrero told vice chair Rafael S. Demapan and commissioner Mariano Taitano he had held discussions with speaker Edmund S. Villagomez and senate president Edith Deleon Guerrero regarding that legislators should consider removing the exclusivity held by Imperial Pacific International (IPI) and consider granting three or more casino licences.

This initiative follows earlier legislative proposals, such as Senate Local Bill 23-5, which seeks to permit internet gaming on Tinian. Authored by Senator Jude U. Hofschneider, it would grant the Tinian Casino Gaming Control Commission (TCGCC) the authority to issue 20-year internet gaming licences to investors interested in developing online gaming. The bill does not set a limit on the number of licences.

House Ways and Means Committee chair Ralph N. Yumul has expressed intent to deliberate on potential amendments in collaboration with the CCC.

Deleon Guerrero suggested that since the community benefit fund is not mandated by the casino law, a gaming tax should be imposed on casino operations. P.L. 18-56 does not impose a gaming tax on IPI, the sole casino operator on the island, which owes the CNMI over US$62m in licence fees and more than US$17.6m in regulatory fees for the years 2020 through 2023: US$79.6m in total.

Deleon Guerrero also proposed removing non-gaming responsibilities, such as hotel and resort operations from the CCC’s list of duties.