IF he could, Gov. Juan N. Babauta would phase out poker arcades in the CNMI.
“Personally, I would like to see that poker machine operations are phased out completely in the CNMI,” Babauta told reporters yesterday.
In the meantime, the administration has already decided to enforce security measures on poker arcade operations, he said.
The governor wants poker arcade operators to put in place a surveillance camera or assign a security guard at their establishments. Otherwise, a poker arcade should not operate beyond certain hours, Babauta said.
He said he and Lt. Gov. Diego T. Benavente had also discussed how to address the spate of poker arcade robberies that has so far resulted in the deaths of two persons since last year.
Attorney General Robert T. Torres yesterday released the data on poker arcade robberies from July 1995 to May 2002.
For the last seven years, 47 poker-related robberies were recorded out of the 326 robbery cases reported commonwealth-wide, Torres said.
Three of the poker robberies resulted in unsolved homicides.
Babauta said the figure “is too much.”
Babauta said he and Benavente agreed to take out poker arcades from residential areas and relocate them in business or commercial areas.
There will be other “necessary changes” in existing poker regulations, the governor said.
The administration’s proposals will be submitted to lawmakers in the form of legislation, Babauta said.
Public Safety Commissioner Edward C. Camacho, in a separate interview, said the Department of Public Safety received 17 “leads” last month regarding unsolved murder cases, including the three poker-related homicides.
Camacho credited the increase in the number of “tips” to Babauta’s support, particularly his personal appeals to the public to assist the authorities in solving crimes. (See related story inside)
“Our investigators are diligently working, but we also want to thank the governor for conveying to the community the seriousness of these cases,” Camacho said.
