The company that runs Saipan’s sole casino resort now says it wants to go online. Hong Kong-listed Imperial Pacific International, whose Imperial Palace resort has seen revenues tumble and debts climb in the past year, has acknowledged its “interest in entering into Saipan online gaming operations.”
In a June filing, the company stated that the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, where Saipan is located, “is set to vote on a bill that would allow licenses to be issued for online gaming after the CNMI House Committee on Gaming recently approved a measure to establish the CNMI as a new base for online gaming operators in the region.
“If approved,” IPI added, “the group shall apply for an online gaming license and the industry would also be regulated by the Commonwealth Casino Commission.”
Commonwealth Casino Commission Executive Director Edward Guerrero told Asia Gaming Brief, “Depending on the final language of the bill, it would be feasible to open up this market to multiple operators.”
