Whatever David Cohen said to Rudy Pamintuan piqued his curiosity about Tinian and the Chicago businessman headed for the island after his conversation with the deputy assistant secretary at the Department of the Interior.
Whatever Tinian officials said to Pamintuan and whatever he saw on the island convinced him Tinian was a place to do business and a beautiful location for a new hotel and casino.
Whatever Rudy Pamintuan said to his partners inspired them to launch a casino project sight unseen.
Both political parties on Tinian are pro-gaming so one can imagine the welcoming atmosphere Pamintuan found in his meeting with local officials.
Similarly the Tinian Dynasty Hotel and Casino must be equally pleased to have another voice in the gaming community and another presence down the road. As Wal-Mart and Kmart — and Burger King and McDonald’s know like businesses in close proximity attract more traffic.
Tinian could certainly do with the investment and the Northern Mariana Islands can certainly do with the 18% tax revenue from gaming.
The new casino seems set to offer a new draw for China’s growing outbound tourist market and an additional attraction for tourists on Saipan as well.
No doubt the construction industry will add the project to its list of good things around the corner.
If Phillip Mendiola-Long senior policy adviser to the mayor of Tinian is right — and there is no reason to suppose he isn’t the new facility will prove a magnet for those around the region seeking jobs.
Mendiola-Long told the Journal “We will probably see some Guamanians looking for jobs. I’ve heard some are going to Las Vegas. They can come up here and work ‘next door.’ It’s 30 minutes to the north.”
And just the thought of landscaping transportation services and all the ancillary businesses that will spring up around the casino is a mouthwatering thought for a business community looking for development and opportunity for its population.
All of us in the business communities of the Marianas are delighted for our cousins in Tinian.
But with the stalled gaming initiative in Guam tourism industry members on this island are watching not only with interest but undoubtedly with envy as well.
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