The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Lottery Commission voted unanimously, 4-0, to grant a conditional casino license to Best Sunshine International LTD, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-listed Imperial Pacific International Holdings Ltd., beating out rival Marianas Stars Entertainment Inc.
Representatives of Best Sunshine will now meet with officials of the Lottery Commission to finalize the terms and conditions for the 40-year license. The group plans to create a US$2 billion multi-phase casino resort including four luxury hotels and villas with up to 2,000 guest rooms.
The decision came only a few days after a bill was signed to fix a number of ambiguities in the Saipan casino law. One of the clauses in the bill allowed the Lottery Commission to exercise its full power to award the casino license. With this authority, the commission consulted the two US-based firms—The Innovation Group of Companies and B2G Global Strategies—who investigated and reviewed the applications then received a recommendation for Best Sunshine to get a license consideration.
However, citizens of the Pacific island have been vocal in wanting the bidding process to be stopped at least until after specific changes in the bill were addressed. Russell Schow, from the Marianas Economic Research and Development Foundation, is part of the initiative calling for a review of the legislation.
“Really, what we’re suspecting is public corruption,” Mr. Schow told Pacific Beat.
“It’s a sole-sourced contract, of that there is no doubt. The biggest suspicion is that they went and met with (Best Sunshine), this company told them what to write in the bill.
“The legislators knew we had this initiative going out; we had them printed, then they rushed off to Macau, came back, forced this bill through, killed our opportunity to do the initiative. It’s very suspicious,” Schow pointed out
Marianas Stars disputed the process and has filed a lawsuit that includes allegations of misconduct by legislators.
