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Minority lawmakers air concerns on casino’s socioeconomic impact
The opening of a casino in Garapan will have socioeconomic impacts that the community should be prepared for, according to some lawmakers.
Rep. Vinson Sablan (Ind-Saipan) said the community should not “just see the dollar sign, but the effects of it in the CNMI.”
“Will it have any impact on crimes such as theft or money laundering?” Sablan asked.
An increase in population might also be inevitable, he added, because this it what usually happens to places where a gaming industry exists.
“It is no secret that these things comes with the gaming industry. I understand it is coming, whether it happens this week or two years from now, it will happen,” Sablan said. “The money will come. What comes with that money is my worry.”
The lawmaker said he is hoping that the Department of Public Safety will be ready once the casino opens.
“The thing is, DPS is coming to the Legislature asking for more funding. The department needs to be up to speed as this casino industry happens,” Sablan said.
He added that a casino happening “is not much of a surprise.”
“I’m sure there will be some good things that comes with it, but we just have to be prepared. A lot of people are seeing the dollar sign, but I always said we have to be careful,” he said.
Rep. Roman Benavente (Ind-Saipan) said he has nothing against the casino. His beef is that there are laws that do not apply to the casino and only to the community. He said this “bending of some laws” is what worries him.
He said, though, that it is happening and that what he hopes is that regulators will be ready to handle the industry. “The money we will be getting from the casino is small compared to its social impact,” he said.
Best Sunshine International, Ltd., which has an exclusive license to operate a casino on Saipan, will reportedly open a “live training facility” in Garapan this month.
The casino will be a first on Saipan, but BSI has yet to give a definite date on its opening.
