Group opposes casino in Guam

The anti-gambling group said that the gambling facility is being constructed on carnival grounds.

Guam.- Anti-gambling organisation Keep Guam Good supporter Atty. Jay Arriola, came forward with his complaints after last week saw the construction process to build a casino on carnival grounds being in Guam.

Arriola questioned how the company obtained a permit for building a permanent structure on Government of Guam property, for government use, as the permit details. Arriola believes that the Department of Parks and Rec needs to be inquired upon as to how they were able to build such a structure, and who provided the funding for it. “Whether there was any bid put out, whether the people were investigated, whether background checks were performed on who’s really building the structure, who’s funding it. It certainly looks a lot like a Saipan structure going up, with the gold doors and the Chinese characters on the front. We have serious concerns that have never been answered by the Mayors Council: who’s the vendor, how much does the Mayors Council or the Guam Liberation Historical Society make every year out of this, and where is all the money going, and most importantly, where are the documents that are supposed to be filed at Rev & Tax?,” he said.

As reported by Pacific News Center, the permit to build the casino was obtained during the first week of May for Xiang Wang Construction to begin construction of a US$30.000 project. Agana Heights Mayor Paul McDonald said that they want to use the casino to fund the 73rd Guam Liberation Carnival, and that’s why they oppose the bill. “All we want to do is not go and beg for funds to fund our liberation festivities,” he said.

“We’re just trying to do with what we have, and I’m sure that, going back to the funding, we’re happy to… we don’t have to bid it out, we just have the funding to go and have the festivities once a year. And we’re fine. We don’t need a casino if the money is there,” added McDonald. Both Mayors Council of Guam and Liberation Historical Society are currently in charge of gaming services during carnivals, following current casino laws. If legislators approve the bill 50-34, those legislations will be dismissed. Meanwhile, the government is carrying out a poll to take into account the popular opinion about casinos.