Bridge Investment Group LLC has already paid the $500,000 annual casino license last January and the plan is to open its casino on Tinian this September, according to Tinian Mayor Edwin P. Aldan on Saturday. <\/p>\n
Aldan disclosed in an interview that BIG also paid the same amount for the license fee last year and that he is excited for the casino opening because of the revenue it will bring to the municipality.<\/p>\n
Separately, in response to Saipan Tribune\u2019s request for an update on the Commonwealth Ports Authority\u2019s complaint against BIG last year, CPA board chair Kimberlyn King-Hinds said yesterday that, according to BIG\u2019s most recent submissions as part of the permitting process, it has agreed to build a waste treatment facility for the casino.<\/p>\n
King-Hinds said it wasn\u2019t just CPA that asked for the waste treatment facility, but also the Tinian leadership, which wants to make sure the island\u2019s primary community beach will be protected from any contamination. The proposed casino will be adjacent to the Tinian dock.<\/p>\n
She said BIG is still pushing to be allowed to build a temporary waste treatment system in the interim so that they can open the casino as soon as possible. King-Hinds said, however, that she has seen too many projects where something presented as temporary becomes \u201ctemporary permanent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnless there\u2019s a compelling reason to allow for such a move, I don\u2019t think that CPA can support that request,\u201d King-Hinds said.<\/p>\n
Aldan said Saturday that the last time they met with BIG representatives, they were targeting this September to open their casino.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe the equipment are there. I\u2019m not [going to] quote how many equipment, but there are a couple of containers that came in and they were already on site,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Aldan said this is why his office is pressuring the permitting agencies to already go inside the building and start plugging up the electrical that are needed for the computers. \u201cThey\u2019re one of the latest computers; e-gaming is what they brought in. These are for electronic gaming,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The mayor said BIG\u2019s casino is almost as big as that of the defunct Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino. <\/p>\n
As to the market of the casino, Aldan said BIG is targeting a regional approach, such as gamblers from Guam, Saipan, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. <\/p>\n
\u201cChina is out of the picture. Michael Kwan is out of the picture,\u201d he said, referring to the former chairman of Hong Kong Entertainment (Overseas) Investments Ltd., the company that previously owned the defunct Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino. <\/p>\n
Aldan said they are not asking for 1,000 gamblers, but only the capacity to accommodate 200 to 300.<\/p>\n
He said the casino will provide work for the people of Tinian and generate revenue. <\/p>\n
Aldan said he believes the dispute between CPA and BIG has already been resolved.<\/p>\n
In July 2020, CPA directed BIG to immediately stop the allegedly unauthorized construction of a casino, a restaurant, and VIP rooms at a building on Tinian that CPA had authorized only for a ferry terminal.<\/p>\n
BIG is building the Tinian Ocean View Resort & Casino. In March 2019, BIG and Wyndham Hotel Group held a hotel management signing ceremony for the Wyndham Hotel brand to create a Tinian luxury hotel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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