An Imperial Pacific filing with the Hong Kong Stock exchange shows that their temporary “Best Sunshine Live” casino at?the T Galleria in Garapan, Saipan generated?US$1,629.6 million (HK$12,646 million) in roll on VIP tables for?November. The accounting was unaudited and in the filing Imperial Pacific said that it?will announce unaudited VIP table games rolling figures on the second day of each month?for the previous month going forward.
VIP gaming began at the sprawling training center and temporary casino on November 1 and the company plans to work with junket operators from December onward. Best Sunshine is a Macau linked junket investor (Hengsheng Group) owned by Imperial Pacific. The casino and training center currently employs about 600 and offers 45 gaming tables plus 106 slot machines around the clock.
A soft opening occurred on July 26 and an official opening was held on November 27. Revenues generated from the casino could?be used to finance part of the company’s overall development plan, promised to be worth some $7 billion. The $500-million Grand Mariana Casino and Hotel Resort, currently under construction is to be the first phase of the development.
The company is still in the search for land to build Phase II which ?they plan to construct on the north or south end of the island. The finished development would have about 20 hotels, a 1km long shopping plaza, and?the world’s largest water park to augment unspecified casino square footage.
The Garapan facility is?Saipan‘s first licensed casino. Local residents are divided on the issue with fevers running high on both sides of the debate. So far 590 people have become employed, not all locals, and that number is expected to grow to about 700 at the current facility. The?Grand Mariana Casino and Hotel Resort is expected to employ 3,500-4,000.