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Senate President Reyes also supports phase out of poker
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Posted on Dec 23 2008
Senate President Pete P. Reyes expressed support yesterday to the Governor’s Strategic Economic Development Council’s resolution that seeks to eliminate all poker machines, except those at licensed casinos, in the CNMI by June 30, 2009.
In an interview with Saipan Tribune, Reyes said he is in favor of relocating the poker machines to a zoned area and eventually phasing them out.
“I think the poker machine [business] is not a good thing for the CNMI people. There’s a lot of families that are suffering because of addiction to poker. So I hope that eventually it will be phased out,” the senator said.
On Tuesday, Gov. Benigno R. Fitial, through press secretary Charles Reyes Jr., stated his support for SEDC’s resolution.
Reyes said that Fitial agreed with the reasons cited by SEDC in passing the resolution.
SEDC co-chairs Robert Jones and Marian Aldan-Pierce and assistant co-chairperson Teresa K. Kim had urged the governor and lawmakers to work collaboratively to enact laws for the orderly phase out of poker machines, except inside licensed casinos, in the CNMI.
SEDC cited as reason for the phase out the increasing poker addiction in the CNMI that not only affects the gambler but also his or her family members and other residents, often in the form of crimes and loss of jobs.
Asked about his position on the poker phase out issue, Reyes said he does support legislation that would eliminate poker machines or, at the very least, relocate the machines to a zoned area established by the Zoning Board.
Reyes said that poker arcades, however, should be allowed to operate on Tinian and Rota where operating casinos is legal.
There are reportedly 680 poker machines on Saipan, 52 on Tinian, and 59 on Rota.
