Sheraton San Juan Hotel & Casino Is One of Seventeen Gaming Locations in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is seeking to lure casino gambling interests to boost its local economy. The Caribbean island believes its location in the tropics and the benefits of a US jurisdiction could attract multiple resorts, if local business and political leaders work together.
The Puerto Rico Department of Economic Development and Commerce and the Roosevelt Roads Local Redevelopment Authority are working together to market new entertainment options at the moment. One of these options is a casino development.
Receiving Petitions from Casino Developers
To make way for such a development, the two Puerto Rican government agencies released a form request for qualifications to interested developers. The location of a proposed Puerto Rican casino is a 3,000-acre plot of land were a U.S. Navy station once existed. As one might expect, the former naval station includes prime coastal real estate. The Roosevelt Roads area has more than enough room to accommodate an integrated resort and casino.
Malu Blazques Arsuaga Lists Roosevelt Roads’ Advantages
Malu Blazquez Arsuaga, Executive Director of the Local Development Authority, says the area has everything a casino operation needs. Arsuaga told journalists, “Roosevelt Roads promises extraordinary development opportunities that are made attractive by our tax incentives, a pro-business environment, skilled and competitive workforce, political stability, and the benefits of a U.S. jurisdiction.”
Sounding like a member of the local tourism bureau, Director Blazques Arsuaga said, “Not only is the land’s vast size and pre-existing infrastructure unusual, but it also offers unparalleled access by sea and air, a year-round tropical climate, passport-free travel for US citizens and competitive tax benefits for investors.”
Puerto Rico has nine zones which are being planned for development. These include a waterfront dristrict, an industrial park, a residential area, corporate offices, eco-tourism lodges, a sustainable entertainment area or two, and an entertainment center. This last zone is the one which would likely contain a casino operation.
World Class Tourist Destination
If the various agencies and local business leaders have their way, they will transform the Roosevelt Roads area into a world-class tourist destination. The area is near the beaches of Vleques and Culebra. The area is also in close proximity to the famous El Yunque rainforest. The location is accessible to sea traffic and air transit, as well.
The government officials believe a Roosevelt Roads casino resort would provide an economic boost to the area, providing the kind of enthusiasim that would attract other employment opportunities for the locals. Puerto Rico’s current governor, Alejandro Garcia Padilla, to turn the U.S. territory into an economic force. The governor believes such a development could create as many as 20,000 jobs, while luring as much as $2 billion in investment capital into the island.
About Roosevelt Roads
The Roosevelt Roads Naval Station was built in 1943 under the orders of U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. FDR wanted the naval station built as part of a coastal screen against German u-boats operating off the U.S. eastern seaboard and in the Caribbean. By 1943, the War in the Atlantic versus Nazi Germany was reaching its climax.
During the Cold War, far-flung naval bases were needed to house U.S. naval assets, especially as Cuba was becoming a hotspot in the international Cold War politics in the late-1950’s, so Roosevelt Roads was expanded in 1957 to accommodate these needs. The naval station served this purpose until it was decommissioned in 2004. Since then, the area has been largely unused, though the infrastructure built by the U.S. military remains.
Like the state of Hawaii, Puerto Rico’s residents have an ambivalent attitude towards the United States. The island became a U.S. territory during the Spanish-American War of 1898 and 1899. While U.S. involvement in Puerto Rico has brought development, stability, and U.S. citizenship to the island’s residents, many Puerto Ricans would like to see full independence. They believe continued development might build more proserity for the common folks of Puerto Rico, if they island was not quite so open to one-sided deals with American business interests. Others believe American investment capital is a boon, especially when it brings as many jobs as the Roosevelt Roads casino project promises to create.
