Supplier News
Northern Marinas – Typhoon forces Tinian Dynasty to shut
By Phil - 19 August 2015
The Tinian Dynasty Hotel and Casino in the Northern Marianas has been forced to shut down temporarily due to the effects of Typhoon Soudelor.
The Tinian Mayor’s said in a statement: “In a meeting with representatives from Hong Kong Entertainment and Spectrum Gaming, HKE’s casino operation consultants, it was confirmed to Tinian Mayor JP San Nicolas that Tinian Dynasty was closing its casino operation floor temporarily starting on Friday afternoon. This decision stems from the inability of tour operators to sell its two-island destination tour package, which includes Tinian and Saipan, as a result of Typhoon Soudelor’s recent devastation of the CNMI. Charter flights are currently unable to land on Saipan during its scheduled night arrivals due to the airport’s limited day time only operational hours.”
The typhoon, which hit on August 2, has so far seen more than 9,000 tourists cancel their holidays to the CNMI, causing an estimated loss of US$24m.
The closure is the latest in a long line of issues for the casino, which have included allegations that it has violated money laundering laws.
The Tinian Casino Gaming Control Commission wants to transfer ownership and operational control of the casino to an entity called HKE and Tinian Entertainment.
The Mayor added: “TCGCC and HKE will work cooperatively toward the goal of reopening the casino operations and in the interim, execute a temporary closure plan that will maintain the integrity of the industry in the interim.”
