OUR VIEW: Transparency needed in gambling operations – Pacific Daily News

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Gov. Eddie Calvo has allowed casino operations at the carnival grounds on a regular basis while gambling is illegal.

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Pacific Daily News 5:12 p.m. ChT Feb. 11, 2017

Sunday cartoon for 02/12(Photo: Roland Miranda/For PDN)

While the voters of Guam have repeatedly rejected attempts to legalize gambling, Gov. Eddie Calvo has allowed casino operations at the carnival grounds on a regular basis.

The casino was supposed to close at the end of the Guam Island Fair Liberation Day Carnival in August, but the gambling operations Texas HoldEm, roulette, blackjack, baccarat and other games were extended. Then, mayors started using the casino for their village fiestas on weekends, with approval from Calvo. Jose Cruz, president of Linala Sin Casino, recently wrote a letter to Attorney General Elizabeth Barrett-Anderson and Rev and Tax Director John Camacho, asking them to investigate the ongoing use of the Tiyan carnival fairgrounds for fiesta-related casino events on weekends.

The Mayors Council or GovGuam insists on continuing this activity in spite of numerous occasions where the people of Guam have resoundingly rejected casino gambling on our island, Cruz wrote.

Sinajana Mayor Robert Hofmann said its because many villages dont have the facilities to offer gambling during their fiestas.

Every district is different in size and capabilities, some mayors have it there some mayors dont, Hofmann said.

He also said the proceeds from the casino go toward programs in the villages. He said Sinajana has raised about $2,500 from gambling. But there is a lack of accountability with casino operations. How much money did the casino make during the carnival, and how much of that went to the mayors and villages? How much does the casino pull in during fiestas, and how much of that goes to community programs? Mayors need to provide this information in an open and transparent manner on a regular basis. And the Calvo administration needs to re-evaluate whether the casino in Tiyan should continue to be used for gambling on a regular basis.

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OUR VIEW: Transparency needed in gambling operations - Pacific Daily News