After CNMI lawmakers held a press conference defending their trip to Manila to attend a gaming conference, Sen. Corina Magofna is speaking out and doing the same, including for a trip she made to San Diego for another gaming convention right after traveling to the Philippines. She said she's preparing to publicly release her trip report.

"I would like to clarify that the trips, both trips, were not junket at all," she said "This was completely arranged by myself. I paid everything out of my own pocket.

She also said she'll be reimbursed for the trip.

"It is after all a business trip for the benefit of the people," she said. "As the chairwoman for gaming and economic development I felt it was necessary to do something about it."

After attending both summits, she said industry experts agree that the NMI should revoke the exclusive casino license, issue multiple licenses for smaller-scale gaming, have stricter regulations, and actually enforce them.

"It is quite obvious that the casino industry is not going to be feasible here on our islands so since we still have the casino law in place I am pretty sure we may have to amend the law," Magofna said.

The senator told KUAM that the "trip confirmed the Committee’s discussions to pivot away from the casino industry and adopt a hybrid of Puerto Rico’s model and the Indian Gaming concept." She explains it's to, "focus on Integrated Resorts with Gaming as an amenity and using the Indian Gaming concept where our people will become stakeholders. The Puerto Rican model is basically a small casino operating inside a hotel so they...the casino does not own the hotel like how IPI was moving forward with."

She said she still needs to meet with gaming committee members to get on the same page after some of its members declined to go on the trip.