The Guam Election Commission has reported that they have received 12,000 signatures supporting the new slot machine initiative proposed by Guam Greyhound. In spite of the numerous signatures supporting the slot machine addition, so far roughly 7,500 have been counted, but only a small fraction of those signatures are from registered voters. The number of verified voter signatures is only roughly 2,000 which is well below the 4,959 needed to pass the slot machine initiative.

They not only need the required signatures, but they also need to receive the Election Board’s approval before they can be included in the General Election.

Anti-gambling group Lin a’la Sin Casino spokeswoman Jackie Marati wrote the election commission requesting that the signatures that have been approved be re-checked and verified again. They feel that people who are signing the slot machine petition may have done so in a hurried manner and thus do not necessarily understand what it is they are signing. There are no specific laws against the $5 per signature offer by Guam Greyhound, but Election Commission Executive Director Gerald Taitano will be deciding whether or not to allow the re-verification when he comes back later this week from an off-island trip.

Back to August Archive or Slot Machines