Social activists in Papua New Guinea are opposing a $43 million casino proposed for the capital of Port Moresby. They claim the South Pacific nation lacks the infrastructure to properly regulate gaming.
The National Gaming Control Board May 28 signed an agreement with Paga Hill Development Corp. to build the casino resort to help generate tourism.
Transparency International condemned the deal. Its local board chairman Peter Aitsi declared, “They (the NGCB) are the referee responsible for applying the rules of the game; they should not be running around as a player on the field.” He continued, “The global experience with casinos suggests an increased likelihood of money laundering and undue political influence where the regulator is weak or is compromised.”
Paga Hill COO George Hallit said the casino will create thousands of jobs directly and indirectly. “China’s growing middle class is forecast to account for a quarter of all international tourism by 2030. Eighty per cent of Chinese first-time international tourists visit a casino, and 90 percent of Chinese visitors to the US visit Las Vegas,” he said.
Other critics say the country doesn’t have the social welfare structure to deal with issues such as problem gambling. According to Paul Barker, executive director of the think tank Institute of National Affairs, said slot machines already affect society. Residents are “hooked and squandering their limited incomes in the hope of many a win, but instead leaving themselves in increasing debt and often failing to feed their facilities, breaking their families, causing people to lose their jobs and livelihood.”
