The return of a casino on Saipan will help save NMI retirees’ benefits, Sen. Paul A. Manglona said Tuesday.
Manglona, vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Gaming and representing Rota, is presiding over a meeting today, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, to open discussion on Gov. David M. Apatang’s recommendation to revisit Public Law 18-56—the law that legalized casinos on Saipan—and remove exclusivity from the existing but inactive casino license.
The meeting is set for 10 a.m. in the Senate chamber.
The senator invited the public because he wants their input first and foremost. He also invited government officials, especially members of the defunct Commonwealth Casino Commission and the CNMI Lottery Commission.
The Lottery Commission includes the Department of Finance secretary, Department of Commerce secretary, and the Department of Public Safety commissioner.
In his invitation letter to Finance Secretary Tracy B. Norita, Commerce Secretary Remy Mafnas, and DPS Commissioner Anthony Macaranas, Manglona wrote, “we all need to unite and collaborate our efforts to address the casino industry for the benefit of the retirees and the CNMI.”
The Lottery Commission now oversees the casino following then-Gov. Arnold I. Palacios’s disbandment of the CCC under Executive Order 24-2 earlier this year.
Manglona requested the Lottery Commissioners’ presence to answer questions and address concerns on: 1.) Status of the casino industry; 2.) Status of lawsuit involving Imperial Pacific International; 3.) Status of Team King’s purchase of casino assets, and 4.) Amendments proposed in the administration-sponsored bill
Manglona noted P.L. 18-56 was enacted to fund CNMI retirees’ pensions and other related expenses. Since IPI’s closure in 2020, he said, “the CNMI has struggled to pay for the retirees’ pensions and group health and life insurance premiums.”
Recently, the NMI Settlement Fund notified retirees that their pension and health insurance would be reduced by January 2026 if adequate funding was not appropriated.
Manglona is urging NMI leaders to collaborate and save the casino industry for the benefit of retirees and the CNMI.
