The following is an official statement from the Commonwealth Casino Commission (CCC) of the CNMI regarding the recent events surrounding Imperial Pacific International Holdings Ltd.

Mr. Edward DeLeon Guerrero, Chairman of the CCC stated, “IPI needs to fulfill its obligations, not only to the people of the CNMI, but also to their employees, vendors, and other parties who are contracted to work with their organization. We are deeply disappointed in IPI’s decision to request an abatement of their annual license fee and casino regulatory fee. The CCC is continuing its enforcement and investigations of its recent Orders that encompass the entire range of any payables or contributions owed to public entities and prepared to seek all remedies under the CNMI gaming laws and under the Casino License Agreement as they relate to IPI’s nonpayment and other non-compliance matters.”

About the Commonwealth Casino Commission:

The Commonwealth Casino Commission seeks to ensure that CNMI casinos are operating with high integrity, that the games operate fairly to each patron and that the casino is following best practices. To meet those goals, there are robust controls on all functions of the casinos. The Commission may discipline its casino, vendor, or gaming employee licensees to encourage compliance. The discipline may include monetary sanctions, license suspension, or – at the very worst – license revocation.

The Commission employs personnel who audit every part of the gaming operations including slots, table games, advertising and promotions, revenue accounting, security, and surveillance. As regulators of the CNMI’s casino, our mission is to hold the casino operator and employees accountable to the Commonwealth’s very high standards.