Bernard Cruz, a safety officer of the Department of Public Works’ solid waste management division, said lawmakers should support Tenorio’s bill that will legalize casinos on Saipan.
Cruz said because the economy continues to go down, it is time for those who oppose casino to “start thinking and stop talking too much against it.”
But retired teacher Ambrose M. Bennett said it is “ridiculous” for the residents of Saipan to consider a casino “when we can’t even get the poker machines out of the villages, and get them into the hotels where they’re supposed to be.”
Bennett noted that Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino has been struggling since it opened in 1998 and Rota is about to build a casino, “so why create competition for these two islands?”
He said there are not enough tourists arriving in the CNMI for another casino.
CNMI casinos, he added, cannot compete with those in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
Many CNMI residents like Bennett blame gambling for crimes and child neglect cases.
Bennett said a casino on Saipan will only create bigger social problems.
“If you think the poker machines are destroying families and causing robberies that have resulted in deaths, just look at the statistics of a city before and after they got a casino,” Bennett said.
But Cruz said crimes have already happened even before poker and other types of gambling were introduced to the island. “So why blame casino?”
Some parents tend to leave their children behind to talk with neighbors about other people’s business, he added.
Cruz challenged those who oppose the casino bill to come up with something else that can improve the economy.
Bennett said the CNMI needs to have new approach to get more visitors.
“We need new industries and an independent service station so we won’t be hostage to these unrealistic gas prices for all eternity,” he said.
He is very confident that the casino bill will not make it out of the Legislature if its members “truly respect the decision made by the people.”
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