THE Tinian Diamond Hotel and Casino will hold its inaugural baccarat tournament on Sept. 28-29, 2024, with a top prize of $7,500.
According to Tinian Diamond Hotel and Casino Vice President for Casino Operations Michael J. Mascio, the first round of the qualifiers will be held on Saturday, Sept. 28 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., and the second round from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
The championship round starts at 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024.
For inter-island participants, the casino will provide roundtrip airfare or a ferry ride on Sept. 28, 2024. Participation also comes with hotel accommodations for two nights and airport or ferry transfers from and to the casino and hotel.
Mascio said it will be the first time they are holding a tournament since the casino opened on Nov. 29, 2023. They have a total of six gambling tables — three baccarat tables, one of which is designated for VIPs; two Black Jack tables; and one roulette table. They also have 18 slot machines.
Business “is kind of slow,” Mascio said, but according to Tinian Mayor Edwin P. Aldan, the hotel and casino is helping the municipality as far as providing employment is concerned. “There are people working down there,” the mayor said.
The hotel and casino, which opened last year, has hired Tinian residents for several positions involving security and food and beverages. Tinian residents are also working as casino dealers, Aldan said.
For its part, the Tinian municipal government has been collecting gaming tax and license fees from the hotel and casino in addition to the $500,000 in annual casino license fee, which is due in November.
Aldan said he was told that a ferry to transport residents to and from Saipan will be arriving in Tinian “very soon.”
Former Sen. David Cing, in a separate interview, said although not a lot of people are seen at the gambling tables, the slot machine section is “busy every day.”
The Tinian Diamond Hotel and Casino is owned by Bridge Investment Group LLC.
