Regulators want complete info on casino layout, security setup

The Commonwealth Casino Commission has asked Best Sunshine International, Ltd. to keep the regulator up-to-date on whatever changes the exclusive Saipan casino licensee will make to its gaming floor.

Best Sunshine is currently in the process of setting up its “live-training facility” at the T Galleria in Garapan. The facility is expected to open sometime in June or July, according to BSI chief executive officer Mark A. Brown.

A training school at the adjacent Bank of Guam building in Garapan is set to open prior to the opening of the live-training facility. Those who will be hired will be trained at the school before being deployed to the temporary casino.

Commission executive director Edward C. Deleon Guerrero said the regulators will have to be provided the latest changes—if there are any—on the casino floor being built, including the placing of security cameras and general layout of the tables.

Deleon Guerrero said the regulators “just want to be updated” on CCTV cameras, number of tables, what kind of table games will be used, among others.

He explained that casino service providers may have to undergo certifications from the regulator.

BSI representatives said they will provide the necessary requirements.

The commission earlier it wants BSI to send copies of its lease agreements.

The commission said the lease deals it wants to see includes the lease that BSI signed for the Garapan property where it plans to build its first hotel and casino and the lease for the “temporary live training facility” at the T Galleria.

Deleon Guerrero said the commission wants to review the leases and check if the lessors can be classified as casino service providers.

Deleon Guerrero explained that anytime BSI enters into any kind of agreement, including a lease with a landlord, the commission needs to review it, as per the commission’s regulations.

But if it’s just a landlord-tenant agreement, the regulators might not need to review it, he said.

Commissioner Martin San Nicolas stressed that anytime the casino licensee conducts a transaction involving money, the commission needs to know about it.

“We are just doing our job and making sure that funds are not going through different channels,” he said.

San Nicolas said BSI cannot just insert confidentiality clauses on agreements that the licensee signs and that procedures need to be followed with the regulator—in this case the casino commission.

Deleon Guerrero echoed the same sentiment, saying that BSI cannot just tell regulators that an agreement is “confidential.”

Saipan Tribune tried to obtain comments from a BSI representative but he declined to respond to queries.