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Japanese investor keen to re-open Rota casino
A Japanese investor is eyeing to re-open the casino on Rota and is planning to bring more tourists to the island.
Watanabe Masahiro, president of Rota Treasure Island Casino and Hotel and also a junket operator for the Japan market, said he has no date yet on when to open the closed casino.
Rota Treasure Island Casino and Hotel is the first casino on Rota but it closed down a few years ago. It is one of two casino license holders on Rota.
Masahiro, through an interpreter, said he is still interested in investing on Rota and one of the ways to do that is to re-open the casino.
Masahiro visited Rota recently to meet with the Rota Mayor Efraim M. Atalig and Vianney Hocog, the vice president of Rota Treasure Island Casino and Hotel.
Aside from himself, Masahiro said he also brought along Korean investors who are looking to invest on Rota, this time for a golf course.
The golf course will be located near Rota Treasure Island Hotel, Masahiro said.
The investor, however, said he cannot yet name the investors as the projects are still in the planning stages.
Of his junket business, Masahiro said he will still try to bring in Japanese tourists to the CNMI. He acknowledged that the Japanese market continues to dwindle but that he “will try” to bring in the tourists.
Masahiro said he is willing to work on Saipan, aside from his investments on Rota.
Masahiro said he is willing to work with Best Sunshine International, Ltd., the exclusive casino licensee on Saipan, to bring in Japanese tourists for the casino that Best Sunshine is currently constructing.
The temporary casino Best Sunshine will be operating, Masahiro said, will be “good for tourists.”
