Tuesday, 25 August 2020 (Saipan, CNMI) The Commonwealth Casino Commission of Saipan (also referred to as the ‘CCC’) has strengthened its commitment to enforcing compliance by Saipan’s gaming operator with all required local and federal regulations. In a recent interview, the CCC has made clear its commitments to preserving the integrity of the gaming license and ensuring that the operator follows the required regulations as part of their ongoing ability to operate within CNMI.
This includes ensuring that the operator adheres to any and all Commission Orders as required by the CCC in order to achieve a good standing within CNMI. The CCC and its administration will remain committed to monitoring gaming operations within the territory and, when required, issuing such orders to maintain a safe and fair environment for operators, their staff, contracted vendors and the CNMI population as a whole. The CCC has noted that this may, at times, require extraordinary measures to ensure a safe and sustainable operating environment. These types of measures are required and will be non-negotiable to ensure the development of a fair and sustainable gaming industry within the CNMI.
Mr. Edward C. DeLeon Guerrero, Chairman of the CCC, stated: “The Commonwealth Casino Commission of Saipan will remain committed to ensuring all casino gaming operations in Saipan comply with both local and federally mandated regulations. The CCC’s operation includes monitoring of all gaming facilities, including twenty-four seven surveillance operations at our only casino operation.“
Several recent orders by the CCC to the gaming operator Imperial Pacific International (CNMI), LLC. have included:
CCC Order No. 2020-002 – Order Requiring Licensee to Appoint a Chief Executive Officer CCC Order No. 2020-003 – Order Requiring Casino Licensee to Maintain Sufficient Working Capital to Pay Three Months’ Payroll in a Bank in the CNMI or USA CCC Order No. 2020-004 – Order Requiring Casino Licensee to Settle Accounts Payable
Chairman DeLeon Guerrero also re-confirmed that the CCC will continue to do what is best for CNMI’s casino gaming industry – this includes creating an environment where the gaming industry can thrive. It was also made clear that this does not specifically refer to assisting any particular company or operator, nor does it mean that any favorable terms would ever be developed to assist a particular company or operator over another.
All terms of the Casino License Agreement were developed and are amended only by the CNMI Lottery Commission. The CCC has no authority to issue an exclusive casino license, and the license can only be suspended or revoked upon finding of clear and convincing evidence during a hearing pursuant to 1 CMC §9101 by unanimous vote of the CCC.
About the Commonwealth Casino Commission
The Commonwealth Casino Commission seeks to ensure that CNMI casinos are operating with high integrity, that the games operate fairly to each patron and that the casino is following best practices. To meet those goals, there are robust controls on all functions of the casinos. The Commission may discipline its casino, vendor, or gaming employee licensees to encourage
compliance. The discipline may include monetary sanctions, license suspension, or – at the very worst – license revocation.
The Commission employs personnel who audit every part of the gaming operations including slots, table games, advertising and promotions, revenue accounting, security, and surveillance. As regulators of the CNMI’s casino, our mission is to hold the casino operator and employees accountable to the Commonwealth’s very high standards.
Website: https://cnmicasinocommission.com/
