Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING | 36 In FOCUS W hile Saipan is a remote island in the Pacific Ocean, far from Southeast Asia and China and accessible mainly by indirect connections and charters, and while it may not seem at first to be an obvious place for the development of gaming, the potential for a certain type of casino may very well exist. It will never be another Macau, or even another Cambodia or Jeju, but it may have a limited role to play in the Asian gaming market. The main challenges for the territory—the US Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)—have less to do with geography and connections and more to do with strategy and ultimately politics. People will likely never plan a trip to the CNMI just for gaming. For players inclined to travel for gambling, Asia has too many better options closer to home for most. The distances and logistics are indeed daunting. Only two major airlines make direct scheduled flights to Saipan, Delta Air Lines from Tokyo and Osaka and Asiana Airlines from Incheon, Busan, Osaka, Hiroshima and Tokyo, and the journeys are about 3.5 to 4 hours. Delta, Japan Airlines and United Airlines fly to Guam from Japan. United also flies from Manila, Honolulu and Hong Kong to Guam, the last a five-hour flight. From The Pacific Play Casinos could provide a much-needed boost to Saipan’s ailing economy, but the gaming proposal as it currently stands doesn’t make sense for operators People will likely never plan a trip to Saipan just for gaming. For players inclined to travel for gambling, Asia has too many better options closer to home for most.