According to the Tinian Casino Gaming Control Commission, the Tinian Dynasty Casino will open with a gambling license this month. Marianas Variety reports that commission executive director Lucy Blanco-Maratita has stated, “The Dynasty requested that it be allowed to reopen on Dec. 9, 2015 and the commission approved it with conditions and certain requirements that it must fulfill prior to reopening.”

However the casino operators have since asked to delay the opening until December 15.

The casino and hotel operators, Hong Kong Entertainment (HKE) underwent an ownership change after a U.S. Treasury investigation showed that they were not reporting suspicious transactions as required under U.S. banking laws. 158 criminal charges were filed against HKE in November 2014.

Criminal charges were dropped by the U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona in July this year at the U.S. government’s request.  HKE agreed to forfeit $3.03 million in a non-prosecution agreement, that assures the former owners of the company will not go to jail for their mismanagement. HKE tendered a check for $2.5 million in August. The forfeiture posting ran on the governments website from September 18.

In late November the operators announced that they would not be accepting financial instruments, only cash. Some believe the week delay may mean that they have worked out the mechanics to be able to process funds.

The casino closed in August with management and local government officials stating it was the result of devastation from Typhoon Soudelor which struck the islands on August 2, 2015. The typhoon  wreaked havoc on the infrastructure and transportation systems the casino relies on to bring gamblers to the resort. Some of that has been repaired but reports indicate that charter flights are not up and running yet and there is currently no commercial traffic from the Saipan airport.

Tinian Dynasty is the oldest casino in the Northern Mariana Islands. The Treasure Island Casino and Hotel on Rota was a VIP only venture but closed within months of opening. Best Sunshine (Imperial Pacific) has opened a temporary casino and training facility in Garapan on Saipan and has begun construction on an integrated resort. They are also seeking land to complete the final phase of their casino plans there which total $7 billion in investment. The temporary casino posted VIP roll of $1.6 billion for the first month of VIP operations.