Finance keeping an eye on pokers

With the increase in the number of poker machines on Saipan, the Department of Finance is planning to beef up its monitoring team to ensure compliance of tax laws and licensing requirements by new operators, according to Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio’s financial advisers.

Since the implementation of Public Law 11-25 that lifted the cap on the poker machines allowed to operate on the island, Saipan was flooded with over 500 additional machines, almost double the number of previously licensed machines.

Around 244 poker machines were authorized to operate on the island prior to the enactment of the law.

Michael S. Sablan, special advisor on budget and finance to the governor, explained this dramatic rise would require enforcement of monitoring teams under the Revenue and Tax Division of the department to accommodate the increase in poker machines.

“Since the enactment of that law, we feel there is a need to strengthen the compliance monitoring team to address the increase in number of poker machines,” Sablan said in a phone interview.

The law was put in place early this year to help the financially-troubled government raise money to fund part of its operations.

The government is expecting to collect more than $3 million from licensing fees, which are funneled to the general fund, the Northern Marianas Retirement Fund and the Job Training and Partnership Act.