CNMI governor issues order abolishing Commonwealth Casino Commission
The legislature has 60 days to respond to the order signed by governor Arnold I. Palacios.
Northern Mariana Islands.- Governor Arnold I. Palacios has issued an order to dissolve the Commonwealth Casino Commission (CCC). Executive Order No. 2025-002 would hand the casino regulator’s main functions to the Lottery Commission. The order will come into effect in sixty days unless a majority of lawmakers in each house votes to modify or disapprove it.
Palacios said economic hardship required government functions to be combined to maintain essential public services. He also noted that the casino of the islands’ sole licensee, Imperial Pacific International (IPI), had been closed since 2020, rendering the CCC’s regulatory role inactive for over five years while it continued to incurr operational expenses despite little prospect of the situation changing soon.
According to Mariana’s Variety, commissioner Mario Taitano said he will contact the other commissioners, Edward C. Deleon Guerrero, Ralph S. Demapan, and Thomas A. Manglona, to discuss and form a unified response to the governor’s order. Except for Manglona, the commissioners were appointed by former governor Ralph DLG Torres.
Since IPI’s shutdown, the CCC has not collected its annual regulatory fee of US$3.15m, leading to over 50 layoffs. In March, the regulator submitted a budget request of US$3.1m for the fiscal year 2026.
