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Inos says video lottery needs new regulations
Inos
Gov. Eloy S. Inos said the government has made its due diligence by issuing requests for proposal to attract companies interested in investing in video lottery operations on Saipan.
So far, no concrete proposal on video lottery has landed on the governor’s desk, which could result in the reevaluation of existing regulations for the industry.
“We have an RFP for video lottery. The only [thing] lacking right now are the regulations. There were regulations but it was inadequate so what the Lottery Commission has to do now is republish those regulations,” he said.
With the legalization of casino and e-gaming on Saipan, Inos said video lottery could be another industry that could generate much-needed revenue for the CNMI.
“Video lottery is one source of revenue that the Legislature passed. It would’ve been good if we only had e-gaming, but video lottery is also interesting. There are some folks who actually would rather go video lottery.”
Inos earlier said the government has received proposals from Canadian and Taiwanese firms interested in video lottery operations on Saipan. In fact, the governor said, one of the investors is looking at operating some 500 machines.
The preferred site of video lottery operations is the Francisco C. Ada-Saipan International Airport. However, the airport’s main concessionaire and the Commonwealth Ports Authority have to approve any such proposal, too.
Inos signed the video lottery law in October 2013, two months before electronic gaming became law, and five months after the Saipan casino law’s enactment.
Since then, Best Sunshine International Ltd. has already been awarded an exclusive Saipan casino license and it now plans to invest $7.1 billion in an integrated resort project. E-gaming, meanwhile, is up and running with the opening of Club C at the Kanoa Resort in the middle of this year.
Under Public Law 18-20, video lottery terminals are strictly limited to golf resorts, hotels that have at least 100 rooms, or at any airport departure area that is accessible to departing passengers only.
