House defers action on poker arcade bill

Failing to reach a consensus, House members decided yesterday to defer action on a bill that aims to mandate the removal of poker arcades from residential villages. It may be acted on today as the House resumes its session this morning.

House majority leader Rep. Oscar M. Babauta said that House Bill 14-267 addresses the concerns aired by the community on the social ills caused by poker arcades.

As proposed, he said, poker shops would only be allowed to operate along the main thoroughfares, namely the Middle Road and Beach Road.

“There’s a compelling concern from the community that clients have continued to be on the rise. So we need to control it. This measure prohibits the proliferation of poker [arcades] in the residential areas,” said Babuata.

He cited that statistics provided by the Department of Public Safety showed that his own district, Susupe and Chalan Kanoa, has the highest number of poker-related crimes such as theft, burglaries, attempted murder, kidnapping, and child abuse.

“The main goal is to remove poker machines from inner villages,” he said.

HB 14-267 states that no amusement machine shall be operated within 250 ft. from the closest boundary of any public or private school, childcare center, nurseries, and churches.

It also prohibits operations of these machines adjacent to or within the same facility or complex and under the same roof where commercial laundromats or grocery stores are located.

Also, the bill prohibits promotion of giveaways or other prizes “if the purpose of such program is to attract or induce more customers.”

It also provides that no poker or amusement slot game room shall display signage that is larger than 2 ft. high and 4 ft. long. “All signs shall be fixed and attached to the front of the building and shall not stand alone,” it said.

The bill provides that no unlicensed machine shall be kept in any game room. Immediately upon expiration, the machine shall be removed from the premises.

During yesterday’s session, Rep. Heinz S. Hofschneider said that, despite the increase in license fees—from $6,000 to $12,000 per machine annually—poker shops continue to proliferate in the CNMI. He favors further increasing poker license fees.

Hofschneider estimated that there are some 1,100 poker machines on Saipan, from a mere 242 machines during the 12th Legislature.