Regulation and licensing guidelines for promoters who bring in high-rollers to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands casinos are ready to go.
The Commonwealth Casino Commission (CCC) has approved regulations and guidelines for junket operators who wants to do business with Saipan, Tinian, and Rota casinos. Commission executive director Edward Deleon Guerrero confirmed that junket operations will be implemented soon after applications for junket license have been finalized and released to Best Sunshine International, Ltd., which is building a Saipan casino, and other parties.
At a September meeting, the commission set a $1000 licensing/renewal fee for junket operators, which will be valid for two years, unless revoked by the commission.
The casinos must keep a log of junket representatives registered by junket operators and make it available to the commission. Casinos will also be required to pay .01% of the rolling volume as a regulatory fee.
In addition, several restrictions such as prohibiting the casino to offer or provide complimentary cash, chips, wagering credits or instruments to any restricted person—Commonwealth board member, officer, or employee—will also be implemented.
Guerrero believes that junkets are an essential part of the casino industry in CNMI as they provide “extensive marketing effort.” However, for this operation to be a success in the region, well-managed regulations have to be in place.
“The success of Best Sunshine, or the [Tinian] Dynasty, or Alter City [Group] or any other” casino in this part of the world is “through this program, the junket,” said Guerrero. “Basically, they are the travel agency going around the world to get VIPs to come to Saipan.”
Guerrero also noted the difference between CNMI and Macau junket operations.
“In some places in Macau, the junket operator takes over the VIP room,” Guerrero told the Saipan Tribune. “They actually in a sense run the casino. Here, we do not allow that. The junket operator cannot take over a VIP room—it would have to be Best Sunshine and Best Sunshine’s approved and licensed dealers and pit boss that are operating the casino.”
Imperial Pacific VIP rolling chips reaches $1.44 billion in Saipan
Meanwhile, Best Sunshine’s parent company Imperial Pacific Holdings Ltd., in a filing with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, announced that its VIP tables handled $1.44 billion in December, lower than the $1.63 billion in VIP turnover in November, its first full month of operations.
Imperial Pacific Casino Garapan, the temporary casino / training facility at the T. Galleria shopping center on Saipan, is part of a $7 billion casino resort project on the island, with the first phase to be fully completed within 14 months.
