Imperial Pacific International (IPI) has told the Commonwealth Casino Commission (CCC) that it will complete construction of 374 hotel rooms at its Imperial Pacific Resort in Saipan by August 2018, with 15 luxury villas likely ready as early as January.
The company’s progress report was handed to the CCC late last week and includes confirmation that IPI is currently working on the second floor of its gaming area as well as its food and beverage offerings which it aims to open by August.
“So basically, the focus right now is the completion of the 15 villas and the restaurant,” CCC Executive Director Edward Deleon Guerrero told Marianas Variety.
IPI moved casino operations from its temporary Best Sunshine Live facility to Imperial Pacific Resort early this month but is yet to be granted the full gaming license it will need once its new gaming facilities are further expanded.
Mr Guerrero said it was too early to tell what impact the move would have on IPI’s July revenue.
“They have more gaming tables but fewer slot machines,” he said.
“In Asia the gaming tables are where the activities are, but in the US it’s the slot machines. As far as the day-to-day operation is concerned, we have been observing it, watching it and we have been monitoring it, but it’s still too early to make a meaningful comparison between T-Galleria and the new facility.
“We don’t know yet if there is a significant increase in revenue … but we anticipate that because it’s a large facility, there are more tables and it’s a much better place, so obviously we anticipate that there will be more revenue. In a few more days, or in a month, we should have a report.”
