Gambling, he added, is a personal decision.
“It is up to an individual to assess his or her own values and priorities,” he said.
The church, schools and families should also provide guidance to the members of the community, he added.
Atalig, who is also the president of the Association of Mariana Islands Mayors, Vice Mayors and Municipal Council Members, said he opposes the Saipan Economic Development Council’s report recommending the phase out of poker machines — except those operated by licensed casinos.
There is only one casino in the CNMI — Tinian Dynasty.
A local business group, the SEDC said poker machines have negatively affected family values, and resulted in the loss of jobs due to gambling addiction.
Atalig also opposes relocating poker machines from residential areas, which he described as “not workable.”
Poker operators, as businesspersons, should be given freedom of choice, he said.
“It’s a goal of business entities to generate revenue and they should be allowed to participate in our free enterprise system,” Atalig said.
Instead of limiting poker machine operation, arcades should be allowed to spread out to different communities, he added.
Gov. Benigno R. Fitial supports the SEDC’s report, according to his Press Secretary Charles P. Reyes Jr.
Atalig said SEDC’s proposal will be bad for the islands’ already dismal economy and is not fair to poker operators whose machines are not in a casino.
