By Gemma Q. Casas
Variety News Staff

REPRESENTATIVE Crispin M. Ogo says amusement machines should be allowed to operate at Rota’s airport and seaport facilities to enable the Commonwealth Ports Authority to finance expansion projects at its offices there.
Ogo, Covenant-Rota, in an interview said CPA needs additional revenue to undertake much needed improvements at the island’s airport and one way to generate additional income is to allow the operation of poker machines.
Ogo has introduced House Bill 15-234 which seeks to authorize the commercial operation of amusement machines at Rota’s airport and seaport facilities.
The bill proposes to waive license fees for amusement machines as well as remove certain restrictions on how many of them are allowed to operate on Rota.
However, the bill states that the machines should be either owned and operated by CPA or owned by a CPA concessionaire to qualify for the waiver.
Poker operators pay a $12,000 annual license fee for each machine on Saipan and $10,000 on Rota and Tinian.