Imperial Pacific's Saipan casino to kick off in July

According to its casino license agreement with the government, Imperial Pacific’s initial gaming facility can only be opened and operated if the 250-room requirement is completed, Marianas Variety reported.

Phase 1 of the project was scheduled to be finished this year, but due to workforce problems and other issues, the completion of the hotel portion of the project has been delayed. However, the Lottery Commission amended the casino license agreement to extend IPI’s deadline for completing the Phase 1 project from its original schedule of Aug. 31, 2017 to Aug. 31, 2018.

Lottery Commission said the amending of the casino license agreement to allow the licensee to transfer the gaming operations from T Galleria to the initial gaming facility before the complete construction of the facility is in the best interests of the CNMI and the licensee.

In an interview, Commission vice chairman Joseph Reyes said the amendments to the casino licensing agreement and to the casino regulations are necessary so that all ambiguous language is cleared up and everything can move forward.

“They have been granted conditional approval already, so they can proceed with their next plan,” he said on Thursday.