‘Options available to curb gambling impact’

Northern Marianas College students who have been circulating a popular initiative petition in support of tighter control of the poker industry have urged the government to consider the former CNMI public defender’s proposal for curbing gambling-related problems.

In September 2005, then public defender Masood Karimipour issued a report offering two options for reducing the impact of gambling to the community: form a poker task force that would recommend constitutional amendments or create a poker commission with a budget and subpoena power.

According to the NMC students, Karimipour’s proposal could still be a valid option to remedy the negative social effects of the local poker industry.

The proposed gambling task force would consist of government officials and leaders or representatives from the faith community and the business sector

This group was to be chosen by the governor and given the task of gathering existing data on the poker industry, reporting it, and recommend constitutional amendments. This can be done within two months, Karimipour said.

“The best chance for reform is through a constitutional amendment and time is short. Regulation of the industry by the Executive Branch has so far not succeeded. The Legislature has refused to act to cut off the source of income poker licenses generate, or to even direct that income to pay for remedial measures to offset the harm done by the gambling industry to the community,” he explained.

“Therefore, the impetus for reform can only start with the governor and end with the popular vote. A constitutional amendment can be brought about through a popular initiative or a legislative initiative,” he said.

However, no such initiative may be ratified earlier than the next election, which will occur in November 2007.

Karimipour’s other proposal is the commission option, which entails the passage of a law that creates the agency and gives it a budget and subpoena power. This will allow a more thorough study of the problem, he said.

“I suspect much of the most valuable data needed to study the problem, such as the integrity of the poker machines, accounting practices, and other financial data, are in the hands of the industry itself and will not be volunteered without a subpoena. Without this data, any study and its conclusions can only reach so far,” Karimipour noted.

The NMC class reported that there are 1,642 poker machines currently operating throughout the Commonwealth.