Barriers to this mega-casino idea

These are the things we should question and think about now that this bill is signed. 
– The manpower for the construction of the building and the availability of services needed for these projects.

– The timeline for this casino to materialize. Will it be finished in time to generate the expected revenue to help retirement, utility, and health care issues?

– Workforce issues. Does the CNMI have enough qualified local workers for this industry?

– Are there any prevention and intervention plans to address addiction and crimes, as well as regulations and policies that are needed for the safety and wellbeing of the people of CNMI?

– At present, many businesses and investors are struggling with the high utility cost and the need for qualified local workers. Are our leaders ready to address those issue?

– Evidently our leaders are incapable of addressing the issues for the one only casino (Tinian Dynasty Hotel and Casino) still operating in CNMI. How do we know they are capable of handling this bigger casino they dream of having?

– Saipan just got out of a power outage problem. Would allowing this mega-casino, which will need to bring in many experts to work and train locals, jeopardize our present utility service needs? What will happen to Saipan if the casino siphons off most of the power? Another wave of rolling blackouts?

– Allowing another casino on Saipan could cause an impact that our government might be incapable of handling. There are many issues that could be threatening our wellbeing and our government. Other than funding issues, one example of these are crimes that might arise and we are unable to control. Even now with poker establishments only, there are many homicide cases not being solved.

– Other hotels and businesses might shut down in the face of the challenges this mega-casino might bring in. Would this affect the projected budget income? Did our leaders make plans to prevent these issues should they arise?

– Tinian Dynasty is not going to sit back and wait for its doom. Besides that, they have more experience in running a casino here in the CNMI. Are you sure our leaders are ready to face those challenge should it arise?

– Who will be the clients of this mega-casino?

What if the people of Saipan decide to impeach the governor and all those responsible for passing this law? What’s going to happen to this casino and how is this going to make us look should this disaster arise?

– How will we benefit from it?

– Is Saipan ready or does it have a plan on how to manage the revenue generated from this mega-casino? Are they capable of handling them? On Tinian our revenue was misused by our leaders first before the people got the report on how much revenue our municipal treasury is generating. It took almost six years before they made the report on the revenue made from the casino and up until now only a few have the knowledge on how to access the reports on this revenue. I wonder how Saipan’s casino is going to be handled.

– What about the workforce issues? How and what guarantee do we have that we have enough workers to provide or is Saipan ready to face that challenge?

– There will be more demands for public safety, livings necessity, housing, and transportation. Do we have enough to share? What are your plans on these issues? For example, our hospital at present still lacks manpower such as nurses, doctors, pharmacies, equipments, bedding, and other supplies. Do our leaders have plans on these issues? At the Department of Public Safety, do they have enough rooms for criminals or juvenile delinquents? (These are issues that might arise and will need to be funded too.)

So before you make your final decision, think about these things. Our leaders need our support in finding a solution to fix the Retirement’s Fund’s problem, CUC, health care, and education. All these need funding and we need to submit something to help them. Right now casino is the only solution they have. I just wish they’ll share why they say this is the only solution. Because there are still potential barriers that could jeopardize their fantasy of making this solution a reality. More development means more money. So, like I said, if they lobby for this casino to pay our debt, plus allow them to provide CUC and healthcare with the financial assistance to hire the experts that we need, then I will support this idea 100 percent. I don’t support the idea of getting small money for big development. Big money and big development makes more sense. What do you think?

Winnie Atalig
San Jose Village, Tinian