The Northern Maraianas House of Representatives approved a new bill yesterday that allows casino gaming on Saipan and is sending it to the Senate for a fourth time in four years.
The Senate is expected to hold a session today but there's still no telling if they will be tackling House Bill 18-179, which passed the House on an 11-6 vote.
The bill's main author, House floor leader Ralph Demapan, hopes the Senate will have a different view about the bill this time, given that circumstances have changed since the time Senators shelved the last bill.
Those circumstances include a 25-percent cut in retirees' pension, the government's annual payment to the settlement trust fund, and the higher cost of health insurance premiums.
The bill requires a minimum of 2 billion US dollars as investment for the holder of an exclusive casino license on Saipan.
But the 2 billion dollars is not only on the casino itself and the construction of a new hotel with at least 2,000 rooms, but also on related tourism amenities.
