Senate Vice President Jude U. Hofschneider, R-Tinian, in an interview yesterday said the operators of the five poker machines did not renew the licenses.
Because the annual license for each machine cost $4,000, Hofschneider said this means a $20,000 loss in gambling revenue for Tinian this fiscal year.
The three main islands allot poker and pachinko machine revenue for scholarships, school activities and medical assistance.
Hofschneider said the anticipated drop in Tinian’s local revenue is a “concern.”
He noted that any decrease in the current revenue impacts next year’s funding.
Hofschneider also hopes that businesses that have been granted tax breaks through the Commonwealth Development Authority’s qualifying certificate program will not forget Tinian and Rota.
He recalled that when Bridge Capital donated funds to the CNMI recently, none were for Tinian.
The Tinian delegation chairman urges CDA board members, especially those who represent Tinian, to make sure that investors who get tax breaks will “remember” students on Tinian when they donate funds.
Hofschneider said Tinian students may have to tap federal grants which means they should also maintain good grades.
They should learn to be more creative in financing their education, he added.
Yesterday, the Tinian delegation approved House Local Bill 17-42 appropriating $64,000 poker and pachinko revenues for the island’s municipal scholarship program.
