$1 million requested for Casino Commission's 9 employees

Nearly one million dollars were requested by Commission Chairwoman Gizette Thomas to the finance Committee in St. Croix for the next fiscal year. According to The Daily News, she said the amount would be used "exclusively to fund salaries and fringe benefits for the personnel of the commission,"

At present, the commission has seven employees, made up of two commissioners, an executive director, one special assistant, two casino inspectors and an archivist. The Senate confirmed that two other commissioner nominees would bring the number of commission employees to nine.

Thomas requested an amount that is equal to the allocation set by Gov. John deJongh Jr. in his proposed General Fund budget. This amount shows an increase from the amount set aside for the last few years. The current fiscal year had a total of $894,250 appropriated by the commission and $663,487 was available in FY 2025; this is according to deJongh's budget documents.

The personnel costs are likely to come from the general fund money as the Commission is requesting the monies from that fund; all other operating costs for FY 2025 will come from the Casino Revenue Fund and Casino Revolving Fund, said Thomas. The total costs requested from those funds are expected to total $438,000 for FY 2025.
Both the Casino Revenue Fund and Casino Revolving Fund receive monies as fees and taxes that are imposed on the casino industry. It is hoped that in the near future, with more than one local casino, the personnel costs will come from those two those funds. Thomas said at that point, the commission will be self-sustaining.

The commission is tasked with regulating casinos and racinos on St. Croix. Only one casino--Divi Carina Bay Resort and Casino--is regulated to operate on St. Croix.