John Gonzales
JOHN Gonzales, speaking on behalf of Save Garapan, said the group’s “biggest issue” with House Bill 23-85 is its key provision, which would allow hotels or resorts with a minimum of 30 rooms to engage in the gambling industry in western Garapan.
Save Garapan has been circulating a petition opposing House Bill 23-85 since Dec. 22, 2023.
The bill, which was introduced by Rep. Ralph N. Yumul, would amend Public Law 18-30, which legalized casino gambling on Saipan.
Currently, under P.L. 18-30, only a single hotel with at least 100 rooms or a single hotel with a golf course may operate casino-style electronic gambling.
Under H.B. 23-85, any business that owns multiple hotels can operate electronic gambling machines, so long as those separate facilities have a cumulative 100 rooms.
In a phone interview with Variety on Sunday, Gonzales said the bill’s minimum room requirement is “too low.”
“Any physical building can likely qualify for the 30-room minimum requirement,” Gonzales told Variety, saying that he worries that businesses could count their apartment holdings as “hotels.”
“This opens up an unregulated Pandora’s box to allow overnight transformation of vacant buildings that are not aesthetically ready or possibly may not qualify under zoning,” he said.
In addition, Gonzales noted that western Garapan does not have enough parking spots.
“There’s really not an adequate number of parking stalls, and people who may be interested in gambling may not really be prone to following parking [rules],” Gonzales said, adding that “haphazard” parking may block roads that police and fire crews will need in times of emergency.
Gonzales said western Garapan can again be used for community events when the Garapan revitalization project is completed.
But “you don’t want [gambling] near [community events] because…gambling parlors [are] attractive to substance abusers and gambling addicts,” Gonzales said.
He reiterated that Saipan’s main tourism industry customers are Korean families while most gambling patrons are locals.
He said to cater to the island’s main market of tourists, Garapan should be more “family friendly.”
“We would like to have really nice middle- to high-end shops that cater to families and teenagers and young adults who want to stay away from the snow,” he said. “They can come here and be able to shop. We are hoping that the Garapan tourist district, once the Garapan revitalization projects are done, will upgrade [our island as a tourist destination].”
