Inside Asian Gaming

SEPTEMBER 2018 INSIDE ASIAN GAMING 13 Politician calls for more Saipan casino licenses to be issued A Saipan politician has called for the island’s gaming law to be revised to allow for more casino licenses to be issued amid growing concerns over the future of Imperial Pacific International’s (IPI) Imperial Pacific Resort. Speaking to the Saipan Tribune , Rep. Edwin K Propst expressed grave doubts over the health of Saipan’s sole casino resort following lengthy construction delays, reports of ongoing payroll problems and the departure of two key executives in recent weeks. “Because there’s only one licensee, perhaps we should revisit that and allow other casinos to compete,” Propst said. “Competition is good. “Factoring all the recent events, we need to be very concerned about the future of our casino, because they are not just one competitor. This is a sole source, single license. It is a monopoly. “It’s one thing if there were competitors and one was not doing well, while the other is thriving. But that’s not the case here. The frustration is that because if there’s only one license, if it fails, the entire casino industry fails.” IPI issued a statement on 17 August promising to pay all staff after experiencing “transfer issues” to fund the company’s payroll. The company also farewelled Chairman Marco Teng after seven months in the role, while Cai Lingli – a relative of majority owner Cui Li Jie – stepped down as a director of the company and chairperson of the executive committee.