ACTING Gov. Jude U. Hofschneider praised the Tinian leadership for the “revival” of the casino industry on their island.
In an interview on Friday, Hofschneider, who has been a Tinian senator since 2006, said the island leadership has “never changed our stance in supporting the industry.”
He said Tinian is grateful that a new licensee came in to “revive” the industry that once brought revenue to the island and provided jobs for its residents.
Since the closure of Tinian Dynasty Casino Hotel in 2015, many residents had been left jobless and the Tinian government with diminished tax revenue.
When the casino ceased operations, the CNMI’s second senatorial district became heavily reliant on funding from the central government and on Tinian’s $2 million share of the Saipan exclusive casino license fee paid by Imperial Pacific International, which shut down in March 2020 amid the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
About two years ago, Big Investment Group applied for a $500,000 casino license on Tinian. To date, it has renewed its license twice.
The company’s Tinian Diamond Casino located in the island’s harbor is now completed. Key employees have been hired and the casino is expected to open before the end of the year.
“We’re grateful that, despite the challenges, we still have a licensee that is continuing on with their plan,” Hofschneider said. “So we are just anticipating an official opening of the new facility and then, we’ll go from there.”
He noted that the Tinian leadership has always believed that there is still an industry that Tinian people can continue to support and revive once again.
The Tinian elected leadership comprises Mayor Edwin P. Aldan, the Tinian Municipal Council and the Tinian and Aguigan Legislative Delegation chaired by Sen. Frank Q. Cruz.
Hofschneider said it feels great that the Tinian casino industry is back.
“It just shows that the leadership is making sure that the industry the people of Tinian overwhelmingly supported is still in existence today. There are challenges, but the industry is still there,” he added.
Senate President Jude U. Hofschneider, right, and former Tinian Mayor Ramon M. Dela Cruz, who is also the Tinian Republican Party president, pose for photo in the Francisco “Tan Ko” M. Palacios Baseball Field’s press box on Friday.
