January 1995: Casino License Issued to Lone Star
November 12, 2025
•2 min read
Marianas Press presents “Micronesia Moment.” In this new series, we dig into the archives at the Northern Marianas College to share moments from Micronesia’s history.
Take a look at this January 1995 front page of the Tinian Observer with the headline “Casino License Issued to Lone Star.”
“The Tinian casino complex is a two-stage development. The first stage is to be a prefabricated 50,000 sq.ft. In the short term, Lone Star Casino Corporation will establish any supporting or service businesses that the casino requires and are not already available on-island, but it is hoped that local enterprises will develop to meet the casino's needs,” the article explained.
Back then, the projected revenue was estimated at $70 to $77 million in the first year of operation.
“As this is the first casino operation in the CNMI we can only estimate or anticipate, but our research indicates that we should be able to run a 24 hour operation in the not too distant future, once we have established adequate transport facilities," said President and Chief Operating Officer of Lone Star Casino Corporation, Mr. Roger W. Cope.
Want to learn more? Contact CNMI Archivist Raymond M. Muña at raymond.muna@marianas.edu or call (670) 237-6883.
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