The Saipan government has expressed doubts on whether casino operator Imperial Pacific International (IPI) will be able to make its casino completion deadline of October 2018.
IPI reported that the integrated resort is at 62 percent in mid-September 2017. But the Saipan Tribune reported that Commonwealth Casino Commission Vice Chairman Joseph Reyes cast doubt on whether IPI will hit its October deadline. He noted the lack of workers needed to build the high rise casino facility.
“Even those tower crane operators are not easy to find,” Reyes said, according to the news report. “It was indicated that efforts are taking place in trying to bring U.S. workers here… I give [IPI] credit for that.”
Aside from the lack of manpower, Reyes also noted that the weather conditions also contributed to construction delays of Imperial Casino.
“I am sure [IPI is] fully aware of it. They said they are doing the best they can, but one thing they should consider is if a storm comes this way,’ he said.
Should IPI fail to meet the deadline, Reyes said that it is likely that the Casino License Agreement (CLA) will be amended. IPI, according to Reyes, will not be penalized for the failure to meet its deadline as provided under Public Law 18-76 and 19-24.
“The liquidated damages does not apply to the current project,” Reyes explained. “The liquidated damage is not imposed on the initial gaming facility.”
The only time that IPI will be penalized is if the casino operator fails to meet the deadline of full completion of its Phases I and II, which has been set in August 2023 and 2028, respectively.
Imperial Pacific opened its permanent casino’s gaming floor in July as unpaid construction workers staged a protest outside the facility.
At present, only the Resort’s spacious lobby and its 140k-square-foot gaming floor – which will eventually feature over 70 gaming tables and 190 electronic gaming machines – is open and ready for business, and even some of the tables are reportedly still not ready to handle gamblers.
