Northern Mariana Islands may abolish Commonwealth Casino Commission

The House Committee on Gaming wants to expand the types of gaming allowed in the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).

Northern Mariana Islands.- The House Committee on Gaming is reportedly drafting a bill that would dissolve the Commonwealth Casino Commission (CCC) and enhance the authority of the Lottery Commission to take over the casino regulator’s main functions.

In an interview with Mariana’s Variety, committee chair rep. Ralph N. Yumul also said the committee is analysing the possibility of broadening the types of gaming permitted in the CNMI. He noted that many residents are opposed to having a physical casino on the island, so authorities are exploring the option to make the islands a hub for offshore gaming.

This would require the Lottery Commission to permit internet gaming. Yumul said that rather than specifically legislate to allow online gaming, legislation would give the regulator the authority to determine which gaming it deems appropriate for the Commonwealth. “It will be up to the lottery commission to decide which types of gaming can be allowed in the CNMI,” he said.

He added that the committee is searching for a suitable model from the US that could be adapted to the CNMI.

In January, CCC board chair Edward DeLeon Guerrero said the commission was “in desperate need of money” and that commissioners were owed pay. The commission’s office at the Springs Plaza in Gualo Rai has been closed since January 19, 2023, following the closure of IPI, which halted casino operations in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Since IPI’s shutdown, the CCC has not collected its annual regulatory fee of US$3.15m, leading to layoffs of over 50 employees. The commission continues to maintain regulatory responsibilities.

Court approves IPI assets sale plan

In January, the District Court for the NMI, under the supervision of designated bankruptcy judge Robert J. Faris, approved the bidding procedure proposed by Imperial Pacific International (IPI) and its unsecured creditors to sell the company’s unfinished Garapan hotel casino and real estate assets.

The minimum bid for all IPI assets was set at US$10m in cash. IPI and the committee will choose an initial “stalking horse” bidder, schedule an auction and set up procedures to assign and assume contracts. Both IPI and the committee aim to schedule a sale hearing on March 25, at 9am.