Gov. Ralph Torres has defended the Commonwealth of Northern Marianas Islands’ (CNMI) reliance on the casino industry as its primary cash cow.

Torres came under fire as critics demand the governor to look for other means to improve CNMI’s revenue, according to The Saipan Tribune.

But the governor shrugged off the concerns of his critics, saying that the casino industry has created a positive domino effect in the CNMI. Since the establishment of the casino industry in the pacific island, Torres pointed out that there had been an influx of tourists in CNMI.

The casino, according to Torres, also brought other investments to CNMI.