Inside Asian Gaming

IAG SEP 2020年9月 亞博匯 72 IN FOCUS UNSEALED, REVEALED Facing a US$11.6 million federal court judgment to compensate illegal workers injured at the Garapan site, IPI has denied responsibility for the workers. But the indictment unsealed last month “provides further confirmation that IPI played an active role in the scheme to use underpaid Chinese workers lacking work visas to build its casino,” Aaron Halegua, an attorney for the workers, says. If authorities find IPI engaged in human trafficking, it could be ineligible for US foreign worker programs that provide crucial labor in CNMI, which has a population below 55,000, 90% of it on Saipan. “I think we need to reassess the viability of the casino industry in the CNMI, particularly in light of bleak tourism projections, limited access to workers, the possibility of losing Chinese [visa-free access] altogether, and local regulatory capacity,” Sablan, a member of the legislature’s minority opposing the governing Republican Party, says. Whether CNMI’s bet on IPI ever pays off centers on three key questions: Can IPI’s Garapan casino hotel succeed? Can IPI build it? Can CNMI regulate it? “Gaming can be an amenity in Saipan, it can’t be what drives tourism,” Global Market Advisors Managing Partner Steve Gallaway says. “A well-run beachfront casino hotel can succeed in Saipan, however IPI have gone about it all wrong,” adds iGamiX Director of Casino Operations Eric Coskun. “IPI’s Garapan project, from a casino perspective, is twice as big as what is required here, however the number of hotel rooms is probably a little on the low end.” When completed, the Paul Steelman designed Imperial Palace‧Saipan will accommodate 193 gaming tables and 365 machines, plus 329 guest rooms and 15 villas. EuroPacificAsia Consulting Managing Partner Shaun McCamley, senior vice president for gaming when Tinian Dynasty debuted in 1998, estimates 500 rooms “would allow IPI to house sufficient patrons from China and other parts of Asia.” CASHA FLOW In July last year, IPI paid US$23.7 million for a 50% stake of American Sinopan, developing a hotel complex north of Garapan with the potential for 1,700