Although he does not agree with some of the comments made by Lee regarding the Saipan casino measure, the former governor said, “I am impressed with the guy.”
Tenorio, Covenant-Saipan, knew what he was talking about when he made a presentation to lawmakers in the governor’s conference room last Monday.
He said Lee made sense when he said nobody would invest over $500 million on a Saipan casino.
Lee believes no one would also invest $25 million, but Tenorio disagrees.
“We have investors interested to put in $25 million,” Tenorio said. He also disagrees with Lee’s saying that high rollers won’t come here to gamble.
“That is his opinion. My opinion is that some of them will come over here provided that we allow what [Lee] suggested to us,” Tenorio said.
He said Lee discussed frankly the facts about the casino industry.
“I suggested to the governor to retain Ben Lee as a consultant so he can advise us over here,” Tenorio said.
No deal
He also denied that the House leadership supported Coral Ocean Point Golf Resort’s 15-year land lease extension to ensure that more lawmakers would back House Local Bill 17-44, the Saipan casino measure.
He said he does not expect senators to change their position on the issue just because the House leadership supported the COP lease extension.
But, Tenorio added, “they should consider what Ben Lee said: there is no chance for Tinian and Rota casinos to succeed so they better support a casino on Saipan so they can get benefits from it as well.”
The Senate and the House of Representatives unanimously approved last week the application for land lease extension of Suwaso Corp. which promised to invest $22 million in the golf resort.
Revision
In related news, Rep. Stanley T. Torres, the author of H.L.B. 17-44, said he will propose changes to his bill based on Lee’s recommendations.
Torres, Ind.-Saipan, in a statement said he also cannot support the changes made by the other members to his bill.
The current draft, he added, “stays away from my original intent to encourage multiple investors.”
Torres wants the provision on the $575 million exclusive license removed.
“Along with my own opposition to this exclusivity, there has been expert criticism against the idea of exclusivity and the problems of monopolizing the casino industry,” Torres said.
“It’s also a pie-in-the-sky scheme that will discourage diversity and expansion of Saipan’s business sector. It will further minimize the number of jobs for local residents, and it will make the five-member commission useless if it happens,” he added.
Torres moreover, wants the $25 million investment rule for existing hotels removed.
“This is an exorbitant amount of money to pay for just an application fee. The idea of existing hotels becoming casinos in a short period of time and having taxable casino gaming revenue spread over the future is the objective of this bill, which will provide continuous financial stability to the people of Saipan, the Northern Islands and the commonwealth as a whole,” he said.
It won’t work
In a separate interview, Lorenzo LG. Cabrera, a known anti-gambling advocate, said regardless of what the “experts” say, the casino proposal won’t work.
“It’s too much ‘bola-bola,’ ” he said.
“What do they know that we still don’t know?” he added.
Casino, he said, will not help the CNMI economy but will cause damage to the islands.
Even if the casino bill is passed, he added, it will take years before it brings in revenue.
But the government would have to pay the commission and its staff and spend for its operation right away, he said.
