On 28 September a warning was issued that unless the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) agreed a balanced budget for 2011, the government would be forced to shut down non-essential services. The shutdown is now into its sixth day. On Monday the Senate floor leader commented that the failed Saipan casino bill, proposed by the House Speaker, was being used as a bargaining tool in budget negotiations.

House Speaker Froilan C Tenorio now says he will resign his position but not because of the failure of his casino bill. He believes that expanding casino operations to Saipan, which unlike Rota and Tinian has no casino legislation, would redress the Commonwealth budget shortfall within one or two years. Without casinos he feels the government will be unable to meet its projected $132 million 2011 revenue target. Saipan voters have twice rejected casinos at the ballot box.

The contentious casino bill was passed in the House of Representatives on 24 August by a 10 – 6 vote with three abstentions. The bill increased the share of gaming revenue for Rota and Tinian to 25% in a bid to gain the support of Senators from those islands. However, on 3 September the bill was rejected in the Senate by 7 – 0 with one abstention. One person pleased with how the Senate vote went was Tom Liu, general manager of the Tinian Dynasty Hotel and Casino. He said that a casino industry on Saipan would compete with the struggling casino industry on Tinian. (E-10.06.10)

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