Rota delegation approves $305,000 bill for casino commission after cutting travel funds and adding reporting requirements

The Rota Legislative Delegation on Nov. 13 passed House Local Bill 24-27, a $305,000 appropriation intended to fund ongoing operations and oversight of the Rota Casino Gaming Commission (RCGC), after debate over training and travel costs and a unanimous vote to amend the bill.

The delegation moved the bill into a committee-of-the-whole for members to question commissioners about the request and then returned to adopt an amendment that reduced the operations line, restricted travel spending, and reserved part of the fee revenue for future appropriation. Senator Paul offered the amendment, which the clerk recorded as passing unanimously; the final, amended bill then passed 4-0.

Why it matters: the funding comes from license fees and gaming revenues that the commission and the delegation both say must be managed to sustain oversight across multi-year licenses. Members pressed commissioners for a clearer breakdown of immediate training needs, past balances and how license fees will support both online and land-based regulation.

Commissioners asked for the appropriation to cover training scheduled in December and…