Ambiguous Saipan casino law to get revamp

Jul 09, 2014 Newsdesk Latest News, Macau, Top of the deck, World  

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Lawmakers in the House of Representatives for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (pictured) on Tuesday passed a bill to repeal and re-enact a casino law for Saipan, to “clarify ambiguities” in the original statute, reported the Saipan Tribune newspaper.

The lower house has now passed the enabling bill to the jurisdiction’s Senate for action on Thursday.

Last week Superior Court Associate Judge David A. Wiseman, sitting in Saipan, criticised the original law, describing it as “haphazard and poorly drafted”.

Imperial Pacific International Holdings Ltd – a Hong Kong-listed investor in the profit stream of Macau VIP operator Hengsheng Group – is seeking via a wholly owned subsidiary to secure the licence for a resort requiring a “minimum US$2 billion” investment according to the Saipan authorities. The subsidiary, Best Sunshine Ltd, is one of two applicants currently involved in the process.

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