Regulators issue more vendor licenses

The Commonwealth Casino Commission has issued more vendor licenses, bringing the total provisional licenses to seven, according to commission executive director Edward Deleon Guerrero.

The casino commission in June issued the first provisional license for a casino vendor outside the CNMI.

The casino vendor will now have a provisional license to provide its machines to Best Sunshine International, Ltd.

Deleon Guerrero said Konami Gaming, a global company, met the commission’s requirements. Konami Gaming also paid the $7,500 provisional license fee as required by the commission.

A vendor wanting to conduct business with BSI needs a provisional license from the casino commission.

Deleon Guerrero did not name the vendors, which were awarded the licenses. He said the casino commission will meet Friday to discuss more details and updates on the licenses.

The casino commission has also finally moved out of Capital Hill to set up its own office.

It is still yet to complete its hiring process, as it anticipates to conduct more regulatory work on the local gaming industry.

Aside from regulating a soon-to-rise casino on Garapan, the commission is also tasked to oversee poker and pachinko machines on the islands.

As of the latest estimate, there are some 700 poker machines in the CNMI.

The commission is set to conduct an audit and inventory of the machines and will tap a foreign firm to conduct the certification of the machines.

Deleon Guerrero said this is in preparation for the commission’s eventual takeover of regulating these machines from the Department of Finance.

Deleon Guerrero said GLI, a certification company based in Australia, is being eyed to assist the commission with the planned audit.

There was no schedule given on the actual audit.

According to Deleon Guerrero, the oldest machines were manufactured in 1985, while the most current machine was manufactured in 1991.

Currently, the license fee per poker machine on Saipan is $12,500, but the law prohibits the issuance of licenses for these machines starting April of this year. The law will only allow new machines to be used exclusively inside approved establishments including hotels and casinos. The purpose of the law is to stop the proliferation of poker parlors or poker rooms in the CNMI.