The head of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce in the Northern Marianas says the new law allowing construction of the island's first casino is not in the best interests of the local people.
Alex Sablan says tax and rebate structures are missing from the legislation.
He says given long standing financial concerns in the CNMI, it is hard to comprehend why the new law has limited the gaming tax to 15 million US dollars a year.
"We at the Chamber do not necessarily reject gaming outright. But the last three pieces of legislation that have come forward including this one have all not been in our view in the best interests of the people of CNMI. Especially since this bill is calling for exclusivity to one permit holder for Saipan"
Alex Sablan says the CNMI government has no social programmes to address the most simple forms of gambling addiction stemming from existing poker machines.
