Casino Control Commission and Department of Justice outline licensing, revenue and staffing shortfalls; urge legislative help on internet gaming and enforcement

The Virgin Islands Casino Control Commission and the Department of Justice's Division of Gaming Enforcement appeared before the Senate Committee on Economic Development and Agriculture on July 14 to report on licensing activity, revenues from licensed casinos on St. Croix, problem‑gambling programs and a persistent backlog of investigative work at the Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE).

The commission’s chairman and chief executive officer, Marvin L. Pickering, told senators the commission regulates casinos under the Virgin Islands Casino and Resort Control Act and related Title 32 provisions and receives revenue through three main channels: the general fund (salaries for commissioners and staff), the casino control revolving fund (license fees and fines) and the casino revenue fund (a share of the 12% tax on casino gross revenue). "These statutes and all relevant amendments and rules and regulations promulgated there too, established a basis for the governance and operations of the commission and its staff," Pickering said.

Tax, payroll and spending. The commission reported taxable casino revenues of $18,527,135 (FY2024) and $18,743,392 (FY2023) for the two casinos operating in the St. Croix casino zone. Casino revenue taxes paid through April of FY25 totaled $1,306,248 to date; the commission reported casino revenue taxes of $2,216,528 (FY2024) and $2,176,423 (FY2023). The commission said park tenant-type companies and licensees provide payroll and jobs: payroll was $9.74 million for 296 employees in FY23 and $10.51 million for 313 employees in FY24; for the first two quarters of FY25 payroll was $5.29 million with 304 employees. Licensees' nonpayroll spending in FY24 totaled $21,994,355 and was $10,736,640 so far in FY25.

Licensing and backlog. The commission provided a licensing table showing 690 licenses and work permits issued in FY24 and 432 through May of FY25; commissioners projected FY25 will exceed FY24 totals. The DGE, which conducts background due diligence and machine testing, opened about 115 new investigative files between November 2024 and June 2025 and reported an open backlog of about 390 investigation files. R. Oliver David, assistant attorney general and director of the DGE, told senators, "I have only 2 staff working with me at the division," and said that limited staffing forces the office to prioritize machine testing and other time‑sensitive work and delays background investigations for licensing.

Temporary statements of compliance. To prevent labor and business disruption while investigations proceed, the commission issues statements of compliance or work permits when an application package is complete; the commission may later suspend or revoke permits or licenses if later investigation turns up disqualifying information. Legal counsel clarified the statement of compliance is provisional and the commission retains authority to suspend or revoke it pending adjudication.

Responsible‑gaming efforts. The commission described a territory‑wide responsible‑gaming program that includes voluntary self‑exclusion, a multilingual PlayWiseVI.org website and an MOU with the Department of Health to train six behavioral‑health counselors in problem‑gambling treatment. Commission officials said PlayWiseVI materials and signage are on casino floors and that the commission funds 1% of casino revenue fund receipts for problem gambling prevention and treatment (about $22,000 per year under current revenue levels).

Internet gaming and legislative agenda. The commission and DGE reviewed Act 6419 (the Virgin Islands Internet Gaming and Gambling Act), which remains unimplemented because federal law and interstate legal questions must be resolved and state-level statute language updated for a modern online market. Pickering said the commission has contracted outside firms to review Title 32 provisions and perform a market impact analysis; the commission planned a summit for July 31, 2025 to present findings. The commission also recommended that the Legislature consider reallocating portions of the casino revenue fund to restore funding for the JAGVI youth employment program (previously funded from the casino revenue fund but later defunded) and to provide DGE with additional staffing to address the investigation backlog.

Why it matters: Commission officials described steady revenue and employment from casinos on St. Croix but said enforcement and licensing capacity are constrained by staffing and funding rules. Officials argued modernizing internet‑gaming statutes and shifting a small portion of casino fund allocations would let regulators pursue illegal online activity, expand lawful online offerings and increase territory revenue if careful protective measures are included.