Saipan’s Commonwealth Casino Commission (CCC) has requested a budget of nearly US$4.3 million for fiscal year 2025, including a little over US$1.1 million for wages and board compensation, Saipan Tribune reports.
Although CCC members have acknowledged the fact that public sentiment is negative and prefers to shut down the regulator due to the island’s casino, IPI’s Imperial Palace • Saipan, having been shuttered since April 2021, they explained that the CCC should exist for as long as there is a valid casino license.
The US$1.1 million in wages would be the minimum required to keep the CC afloat, while the full US$4.3 million would cover operations and other related costs to implement its casino statutory and regulatory mandates.
As reported by Inside Asian Gaming, the CCC was forced to slash staff and close its office following the casino’s 2021 closure and on the back of IPI’s failure to pay its annually mandates license and other fees.
CCC funding was supposed to come from a US$3.15 million casino regulatory fee to be paid by IPI, however the company has not paid this fee since 2020.
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