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Jun 17, 2010
Is MBS operating like a dedicated casino?
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I REFER to Tuesday's joint letter by the Building and Construction Authority, Casino Regulatory Authority (CRA) and Singapore Tourism Board on the licences issued to Marina Bay Sands ('MBS licences only after all criteria met').
It was reported in The Straits Times on Feb 8 ('Dice to roll at Resorts World Sentosa by Chinese New Year') that to be granted a casino licence, the integrated resort (IR) must fulfil several conditions - at least half of the resort's gross floor area must be completed and at least half of the committed investment must be spent.
In a recent report on the Bloomberg website ('Las Vegas Sands says Singapore site to top estimates'; June 2), Las Vegas Sands chief operating officer Michael Leven was reported to have said that the overall MBS resort is only 'about 25 per cent open'.
It is not difficult to infer from this which part of the IR has the lion's share of the 25 per cent.
I find it strange that the CRA would allow an IR to open only 25 per cent of its operations despite granting the casino licence on the premise that at least half of the resort has been completed.
Are the authorities saying that as long as half of the resort is complete, the IR has the prerogative to open the most lucrative part of the resort first while the rest wait? In doing so, the IR is operating like a dedicated casino with very little other attractions to show.
In the same Bloomberg report, Mr Leven revealed that 'about 550,000 people visited the MBS casino in the first 25 days of May'. He used the word 'casino' instead of 'resort' for good reason. Where else would one expect half a million visitors to go if the resort is not required to open at least 50 per cent of its operations?
The gaming industry is a magnet for crime and social ills. It has a propensity to attract undesirable and illegal activities. It is imperative that the authorities here ensure everything that relates to this industry is as transparent as possible.
Is the CRA satisfied that only 25 per cent of MBS has been opened despite certifying that 50 per cent of the resort has been completed?
Png Eng Huat
Jun 17, 2010
Is MBS operating like a dedicated casino?
<!-- by line --><!-- end by line -->
<!-- end left side bar --><!-- story content : start -->
I REFER to Tuesday's joint letter by the Building and Construction Authority, Casino Regulatory Authority (CRA) and Singapore Tourism Board on the licences issued to Marina Bay Sands ('MBS licences only after all criteria met').
It was reported in The Straits Times on Feb 8 ('Dice to roll at Resorts World Sentosa by Chinese New Year') that to be granted a casino licence, the integrated resort (IR) must fulfil several conditions - at least half of the resort's gross floor area must be completed and at least half of the committed investment must be spent.
In a recent report on the Bloomberg website ('Las Vegas Sands says Singapore site to top estimates'; June 2), Las Vegas Sands chief operating officer Michael Leven was reported to have said that the overall MBS resort is only 'about 25 per cent open'.
It is not difficult to infer from this which part of the IR has the lion's share of the 25 per cent.
I find it strange that the CRA would allow an IR to open only 25 per cent of its operations despite granting the casino licence on the premise that at least half of the resort has been completed.
Are the authorities saying that as long as half of the resort is complete, the IR has the prerogative to open the most lucrative part of the resort first while the rest wait? In doing so, the IR is operating like a dedicated casino with very little other attractions to show.
In the same Bloomberg report, Mr Leven revealed that 'about 550,000 people visited the MBS casino in the first 25 days of May'. He used the word 'casino' instead of 'resort' for good reason. Where else would one expect half a million visitors to go if the resort is not required to open at least 50 per cent of its operations?
The gaming industry is a magnet for crime and social ills. It has a propensity to attract undesirable and illegal activities. It is imperative that the authorities here ensure everything that relates to this industry is as transparent as possible.
Is the CRA satisfied that only 25 per cent of MBS has been opened despite certifying that 50 per cent of the resort has been completed?
Png Eng Huat
