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Marianas Poker
23.02.2005

Northern Marianas Chief Public Defender Masood Karimipour has called for a total phase out of poker arcades in the commonwealth, citing the alarming number of people addicted to video poker who end up in the criminal justice system.

"For the sake of a few dollars of profit today, we are destroying the future of the commonwealth by unleashing this horror on our kids," said Karimipour in an interview with the Marianas Variety.

Mr Karimipour said although he is pushing for the total poker ban, he is aware that there are vested interests in this community who would never allow the phase-out.

If a total ban is not possible, he said, the Legislature should do the responsible thing by providing proper regulations and taxation so that the taxpayers will not be left behind to pay for the poker industry's mess.

From 1,357 poker machines in 2003, the number went up to 1,578 in 2004 or a 16 percent increase. The number is expected to further increase as new operators have reportedly joined the industry this year.

Mr Karimipour said if lawmakers and government leaders don't believe that there is a cost associated with the proliferation of poker machines in the villages, they should visit his office.

"Let me show them the graveyard - broken families, local families that are broken permanently. Children's lives are broken. Children who are left abandoned. This is the future of the commonwealth we are talking about," he said.

"Poker is a very destructive force in this community. People abandon their children, mothers spend their babies' milk money to gamble. Husbands blow paychecks on poker and come home empty handed. There are otherwise very bright young people going out to steal so they can play poker," he said.

Mr Karimipour said poker addiction has a huge impact on the society that taxpayers' have to pay for.

"Poker addiction is really an anti-social behavior. You close your family, you close your loved ones. You go hide in a dark room somewhere and you take the money that you are supposed to support your family with and you pump it into the machine for the thrill and the excitement of winning. And it is a sucker deal," Karimipour said.

By Marianas Variety

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