DUE to the spate of robberies at poker arcades, the administration may impose new restrictions on these establishments.
These include requiring poker arcades without security guards and installed surveillance units to close operations by midnight and resume the following day, Gov. Juan N. Babauta said.
Public Safety Commissioner Edward C. Camacho agrees.
“If they do not have security measures in place then they have to cut their business hours,” Camacho said.
Attorney General Robert T. Torres said limiting the location of poker establishments may also be necessary.
“We do not want (criminals) to feel that they can get away with these kinds of violent crimes,” the governor said. “We want to make our community safer for all of us here, as well as for our visitors,” Babauta said.
Senate President Paul A. Manglona says he supports the administration’s proposals, but added that government officials should also meet with poker arcade operators.
“Let us hear from them also since they are the ones mainly affected,” Manglona, R-Rota, said.
Torres said the number of poker-related crimes committed since 1995 has “dramatically increased.”
He said the cost in terms of lost lives and the need to enforce and protect the businesses and its employees outweighs the benefits of having poker arcades in the commonwealth.
“It is about time that gaming is controlled and regulated,” he said.
Torres said the Attorney General’s Office has also been receiving report and comments from residents who are concerned about the proliferation of poker arcades in their villages, and the danger these establishments pose to the community.
