Poker status to be defined in CNMI

The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) is demanding the dismiss of a poker lawsuit.

The High Court of the US territory Northern Mariana Islands has been notified by the local government in order to stop a legal process regarding poker activity. As revealed by the national press, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) has demanded the High Court to stop the poker lawsuit.

During the Saipan and Northern Mariana Islands Legislative Delegation session, authorities rejected a bill that would’ve allowed the extension of the deadline to move poker arcades out of residential places for two years. Demapan said that the people who need a responsible gambling program are not casino high rollers but those in the poker industry. “It’s not too late to talk about [additional] regulations for the poker industry,” commented Representative Angel Demapan, who introduced the proposal.

Under the government’s petition, the High Court could dismiss the poker lawsuit “plaintiffs challenged Saipan Adult Machine Business Zoning Law of 2013.” “The lawsuit over the implementation of the was filed by two poker arcade operators, who claimed a violation of their due process rights. They asked the federal court to overturn the law, which obliges all operators to relocate their poker arcades to designated commercial areas announced as permitted by the aforementioned law,” explains the statement.