Imperial Pacific delays casino in Saipan

Imperial Pacific International Holdings Ltd. obtained the permission to delay the installation of its permanent casino.

Northern Mariana Islands.- Ralph Torres, the governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), has granted Imperial Pacific International Holdings Ltd. the permission to delay the installation of its permanent casino in the biggest island of the state, Saipan, according to the local press.

“We want to grant and extend Imperial Pacific’s request, for reasons [factors] that they cannot avoid. I already asked the Lottery Commission to give [Imperial Pacific] the extension they needed and they are going to meet to look into the request. The Lottery Commission would look into the extension request and what are the requirements,” the official told to the Saipan Tribune newspaper.

Since July 2015, Imperial Pacific’s subsidiary, Best Sunshine International Ltd. has been operating a temporary casino in Saipan. The agreement with the local authorities would be extended in the following weeks. The company already has a gaming license and it is constructing the permanent venue, which was delayed due to business and climate difficulties.

The government has agreed on extending the deadline, as the delay conditions “were justified.” The original date of construction was April 30, 2017, but the process would be delayed to October 31, 2017. Casino operations would begin between August 11, 2017 and February 11, 2018.