Clockwise from top left: The construction site of Imperial Pacific in Saipan. Taj Mahal Casino. Rendering of the Imperial Pacific in Saipan. Provided to China Daily.com.cn

 

Imperial Pacific International Holdings Ltd, or simply Imperial Pacific, is exploring new ways to expand its gaming industry in Saipan. CEO Mark Brown is confident that this beautiful island, located a mere 4.5 hour flight away from Hong Kong, will become a top destination for the rich and leisure.

From October of 2015, the VIP table of a limited time only casino experience in Saipan has produced a 2 billion USD rolling chip turnover for Imperial Pacific. "We are expecting similar fantastic results in 2017, when Imperial Pacific will reveal the Grand Mariana Imperial Pacific Resort, a permanent resort and casino that opens its doors in sync with the coming of the year of the Chicken," said Mr. Mark Brown.

Brown has extensive experience in the gaming industry with names such as the Venetian Macau and Wynn casino populating his impressive client list. When asked how he felt about the work in Saipan, Mr. Brown said: “in June last year, when the investors asked me about what’s going on in Saipan, I had nothing to offer. But now Imperial Pacific has made progress in construction, and we have built the basic steel bone structure of the hotel, that’s exciting.”

It's hard to separate his very successful career of building casinos with the rest of his life. Mark Brown joined the first casino of Atlantic City at the tender age of 18 in 1979 and for the next 36 years he has witnessed the formation of the global gaming industry from its infancy to supremacy. And Mark Brown has been preparing himself for this role by ever since.

Brown’s rich experience in gaming, particularly his 10 years of working with Donald Trump, the legendary business magnate who now draws global attention as the Republican Party's 2016 presidential candidate, has been a guiding light for Imperial Pacific in Saipan.

In the decade of working for Donald Trump, Mark Brown rose from managing the first casino built by Trump to running four Trump casinos simultaneously as CEO during the golden age of gaming in Atlantic City. He had taken Trump as a guide and role model and they worked closely together for the same precise goals. When Trump gradually faded from the Casino scene to prioritize other businesses of his life, such as creating the global phenomenon The Apprentice and mentoring his daughter Ivanka Trump to take over the top management of his legacy —— The Trump Group, Brown chose to stay firmly rooted in the gaming world and has been honing his skills and craftsmanship ever since.

Imperial Pacific CEO Mark Brown with US President Barack Obama this year. Brown with Donald Trump and Ivanka Trump during Taj Mahal Casino's celebration of Chinese New Year.Provided to China Daily.com.cn

Imperial Pacific’s Exclusive Casino License

“Imperial Pacific holds the 40-year exclusive integrated Casino Resort Development License in Saipan. Though we must pay a fee of $15 million a year, it was quite a bargain," Mark Brown commented on the relatively low tax of Saipan recently.

The legal representative of Imperial Pacific is Mr. Ji Xiaobo's mother —— Ms. Cui Lijie, who has been running multiple businesses in Macao.

Imperial Pacific started the construction of its 550 million USD Grand Mariana casino resort in mid-2015. The company believes the investment return will be several times their ROI comparing to Macao —— the current gaming capital of Asia. Taking into account the hotels, villas, casinos, shopping malls, water parks, conference centers and future hotels, the whole project is estimated to be worth US$7 billion.

That all makes Saipan a hot land of investment opportunities.

At present, the tourists of Saipan comprise mainly of people from China, South Korea, Japan and the United States. There has been a significant boost in Chinese tourists after a 45-day visa-free policy was introduced to China, so much so that the 2800 hotel rooms on the island are constantly at full occupancy. It is worth noting that a majority of flights to Saipan originate from North Asia and, to capitalize on the 4.5 hour flight time, from this month on, direct flights from Hong Kong to Saipan are being flown twice a week.