CCC transition team recommends negotiation of settlement agreement with IPI

The team has also suggested the Northern Mariana Islands should issue three casino licences instead of one.

Northern Mariana Islands.- The Commonwealth Casino Commission (CCC) transition team has recommended the negotiations of a settlement agreement with casino operator Imperial Pacific International (IPI). The report also recommends more casino licences and electronic gaming.

In January, the CCC suspended its regulatory operations due to a lack of funds because of IPI’s failure to pay its licence fees since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Joe Rios, the leader of the transition team, noted that the commission was also facing increasing litigation expenses because of its legal disputes with the operator.

The report states that the CNMI government must take a more proactive role in overseeing the gaming industry and that there needed to be more cooperation between government agencies. It also said that the casino licence agreement with IPI had insufficient provisions on how the commission should regulate the exclusive licence holder. 

It highlighted the need for a restructuring of casino laws and suggested the possibility of three licences instead of just one. It also called for the transformation of casino operations into a “subset of tourist accommodations” in existing hotels and resorts and recommended that the Legislature, the Office of the Attorney General, the Department of Public Lands and the Historic Preservation Office work with the commission to achieve this.

Edward C. Deleon Guerrero, chairman of the regulator, expressed no objections to the team’s findings, saying they were consistent with monthly presentations to the public.

See also: CCC board chair responds to accusations of “substandard” casino regulation