Casino commission seeks to clarify finances

The Commonwealth Casino Commission will be seeking a review of its finances as it continues to hire more personnel in preparation for the opening of a casino in Garapan.

The regulatory body is being funded by the nonrefundable, exclusive casino license application fee set by the government.

Two groups—Best Sunshine International, Ltd. and Marianas Stars Entertainment Inc—paid $1 million each for the exclusive license, which ultimately went to Best Sunshine.

Commission executive director Edwar C. Deleon Guerrero, in a public meeting, said the casino regulators are moving to an office in Garapan by May, and that it will also hire key personnel.

He said the commission’s budget is not included in the CNMI government’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2016. Deleon Guerrero said the body has started paying its bills for the office space.

There are also some procurement issues still pending, the official said. Deleon Guerrero said the commission’s staff should be on board by July.

Since the initial budget from the license fees is not replenishing itself, the commission is also requesting funding from the government for fiscal year 2016.

Deleon Guerrero said the budget being asked is $2.6 million.

Commissioner Joseph Reyes said there is a need for the casino commission to “clear up” its current finances with the Department of Finance.

He told his fellow commissioners that the body needs to check if there are “obligations” and that the regulators need to “move forward.”

“We do not want to be hit with an obligation or a bill,” Reyes said.

Commissioner Alvaro Santos said he will set up a meeting with Finance Secretary Larrisa Larson to discuss the matter.

The commission did not disclose how much of its initial $2 million budget is still available.

‘Ready’

Casino Commission chair Juan Sablan earlier said the regulators will be ready once the temporary casino in Garapan opens.

Sablan and the rest of the commission recently traveled to Las Vegas to undergo a weeklong training. The commissioners flew to Las Vegas in March for a three-day training, and again last month for a second round of training.

Sablan said the commissioners “learned a lot” from the casino training, and by the time the temporary casino opens in June or July, the regulators will be ready, he said.

He added that there are still preparations being made, including the hiring of staff that will man the commission’s office on Garapan. The office will be operate 24×7 once the casino is in full-swing.

Sablan said the April training was “intensive,” combining both on-campus and gaming floor training.

The five-man commission underwent training at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas. According to its website, the University of Nevada in Las Vegas offers casino auditing and casino management to improve “casino controls, policies, and procedures.”