Members of the Casino Control Commission, including Chairman Marvin Pickering, center, heard testimony on staffing shortages at the Division of Gaming Enforcement and a proposal to fund the unit with 10% of casino tax revenue. Photo Credit: V.I. CONSORTIUM.
A lack of staff is hindering the ability of the V.I. Department of Justice's Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) to deal with a growing backlog of applications, members of the Casino Control Commission were told during their quarterly meeting on Tuesday.
According to the director of the DOJ's DGE Oliver David, the backlog of due diligence investigations currently stands at 396. This number will grow, he warned, “if the staffing needs at the DGE are not addressed.”
Mr. David disclosed that VICC Chair Marvin Pickering has been “working tirelessly” to assist DGE ease its staffing woes, including pushing a proposal that would give the Division 10% of the gross casino revenue tax. “That is something that I've been advocating for for over 20 years and we have not received this,” Mr. David noted. He said that assurances of additional funding two years running have not yet borne fruit. “I'm not sure exactly where we are at this time, but again, it is very important that if DGE does not get the funding that it requires, we cannot do what we are required to do in a timely manner,” he insisted.
This year, the territory's two casinos reported gross revenues from October 2024 to July 2025 of $16,276,303, an eight percent increase over the same period last year. The gross revenue is taxed at 12 percent, therefore the Casino Revenue Fund would receive almost $2 million. If DGE was approved for its 10% request, that would have meant approximately $200,000 in funding from less than a full fiscal year of revenues.
Currently, two recently recruited interns have been performing some of the tasks normally assigned to an administrative assistant, digitizing the voluminous paper applications and opening case files. “They have been very helpful to me,” Mr. David said. “However, we just need additional staff.” He again thanked VICC Chair Pickering for his attempts to assist. “We'll do the best we can with what we have, but it's not an easy task,” Mr. David concluded.
In his estimation, the DGE needs three additional employees, Mr. David said – one administrative staffer and two investigators. Currently, the gaming technicians are doubling up as investigators, he noted, while he reviews every application and also conducts complex investigations when necessary. “We'll be able to reduce the length of time it takes into background investigations with additional employees,” Mr. David asserted.
Advertisements
