After several slot machine operators have claimed that increases in slot machine licensing fees will drive them out of business, the governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Ralph DLG Torres says he wants to form a working group to address the issue.
Recently MP Holdings LLC has announced it won’t seek to renew 15 expired gaming licenses for slots at its Club 88 in Garapan, Saipan. The number of machines at Club 88 is now 58, down from 73. This was in reaction to the recently passed Saipan Local Law 22-6, which doubles the $2,500 license fees per machine.
Saipan introduced the new fee last month. Besides MP Holdings, Mariana Entertainment and Saipan Vegas Resort have said the doubled fees would force them to close.
The governor said he hoped the Saipan legislative delegation “can come back and look at how we can maintain the [affected e-gaming operators] or any other potential companies that will come in, and see how we can have a working group to address concerns.”
