Sunday, October 22, 2006

Politicians planning online gambling regulation in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas (CNM) were regarding the new US anti-internet gambling law with some disappointment this week. The CNM House Speaker Oscar Babauta said that pending legislation in the region may face setbacks after President George Bush signed a bill that effectively criminalised the financial process of placing online bets in the USA. Babauta says the CNM bill seeking to regulate online gambling and authored by Floor Leader Florencio Deleon Guerrero, has been pending in the CNM House of Representatives for months. The proposed legislation has Asia as the primary market in mind, which has the potential to generate substantial annual licensing revenues of around $6 million for the Commonwealth. "The intent of the House bill is to allow and regulate Internet gambling in the Commonwealth, with Asia as the primary market. The bill's author says this industry can lead to about $6 million in revenues every year," the Speaker said. "But naturally, if the U.S. government bans online gambling, there is no way that we can do it here in the CNMI," he added. Press secretary Charles P. Reyes Jr. said that the administration did not have an official position on Internet gambling yet. "We will have to consider any federal legislation that may impact our decision. We do fall under the U.S. government and we need to abide by certain federal regulations. If there's a new law that bans Internet gaming, that may apply to the CNMI as well," Reyes said.