Of the 50 people who signed up, about 20 indicated they were against the casino legalization on Saipan, 16 said they were undecided while 12 checked only the “yes” column on the attendance sheet.
Twelve spoke during the public hearing. Six were against, four were in favor and two were neutral on the controversial measure.
At the hearing in Kagman last Friday, only three showed up.
Also attending the hearing on Monday were members of the two committees of the Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation tasked to work on House Local Bill 17-44.
They were Vice Speaker Felicidad T. Ogumoro, Covenant-Saipan; House Floor Leader George N. Camacho, Ind.-Saipan; delegation Ways and Means Committee Chairman Ray N. Yumul, R-Saipan; delegation Judiciary and Governmental Operation Committee Chairman. Joseph M. Palacios, R-Saipan; the bill’s author Rep. Stanley T. Torres, Ind.-Saipan; Reps. Ralph S. Demapan, Covenant-Saipan; Fredrick P. Deleon Guerrero; Ind.-Saipan; and Francisco S. Dela Cruz, R-Saipan.
Lorenzo LG. Cabrera, an anti-gambling advocate, said what the CNMI really needs is a viable revenue-generating industry.
The bottled water business that recently opened on Rota, Cabrera said, is a good example. The money that the Legislature appropriated to help the Rota casino should have been invested on the bottled water venture, he told lawmakers.
Casino, he said will not make money for the commonwealth since the islands do not have the population that can help sustain it. He also does not believe people from other countries will visit the CNMI just to gamble.
A Saipan casino will only make the situation worse due to the “collateral damage” it will bring to the community, he added.
The government, he said will end up spending more than what it can earn from the casino in addressing the social problems the gambling industry will create.
But Ignacio Demapan, resident director of the Indigenous Affairs Office, said he believes a casino on Saipan will be controlled so there should be no worries about “collateral damage.”
He also believes there are casino investors willing to do business here.
Richard Pizzaro, a student of Northern Marianas College said casino will be a waste of money. He thinks it will target the local community and Saipan, like Las Vegas and Macau, will see an increase in its crime rate once the casino is legalized here.
NMC political science instructor Sam McPhetres said a CNMI casino venture is not realistic. Successful casinos, he added, are located in a populated area or surrounded by populated places.
