Hotels are closing. We need hospitality training for our citizens to teach them how to treat visitors to our island and how to be more friendly. Opinions differ as to how much time it will take to build a casino hotel. But the application process is indeed a long one but not uncommon in other jurisdictions. The present VI law, act 6069, was modeled after the New Jersey law.
Every investor conducts a due diligence feasibility study and understands the application process.
J.W. Ledbetter, Director of Enforcement for the Mississippi gaming commission agrees that it take years to get organized. When Mississippi voted for gaming in 1991, the industry took off before we were firmly established, staffed or trained. But still the question of how long will it take for a casino hotel to open has not been answered. We presently have over 100 investors that have asked for applications but we have no way of knowing when and if these applications will be returned completed. Employment and revenues is what St. Croix is looking for most residents agree.