Members of the Tinian Casino Gaming Control Commission will no longer receive annual compensation after the senate on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill suspending payments.
According to Marianas Variety, the bill – an amendment to the existing casino law – was passed by the Tinian and Aguigan Legislative Delegation and will mean that commission members no longer receive their annual US$55,000 payment.
The amendment states, “Provided that if there is no appropriation due to lack of funds, the annual compensation of the commissioners shall be suspended until funding is available and approved by appropriation, and instead the commissioners shall receive compensation of no more than US$60 for a full-day meeting and no more than US$30 for a half-day or shorter meeting.”
The bill also seeks to prohibit retroactive annual compensation payments.
The suspension of compensation is a direct result of the absence of any license fees following the closure of Tinian Diamond Hotel and Casino in December 2024.
Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino shut down in late 2015 after US authorities issued a US$75 million fine to its owner, Hong Kong Entertainment Investments, for anti-money laundering violations. The property’s license was revoked in 2016.
The newly amended bill notes that, without the ability to collect fees from those now shuttered casinos, “there is no funding source for the compensation of the commissioners.”
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