This week’s International Gaming Expo in London was abuzz with rumours about the possible opening date for the casino at Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore.
The casino facility is completed and ready to go. The sticking point is the issuing of the relevant gaming licences by Singapore’s Casino Regulatory Authority.
Resorts World Sentosa currently stands as one of the most expensive non-gaming tourism projects in the world at a cost of US$4.4 billion. Its hotels opened to the public on 20th January. The Universal Studios theme park on site is expected to open soon, but will reportedly limit the number of daily visitors to around 3,000—only a tenth of the capacity—until the park’s management system is bedded down and working at optimal efficiency.
The most pessimistic estimates on the casino opening mentioned by industry insiders at IGE were that it could be March before the gaming permits were granted. That would mean the property would miss out on the huge sales opportunity offered by Chinese New Year, which falls on 14th February this year.
The lunar new year tends to be a particularly good time for Asian casino operators or those in other territories with large Asian clienteles. This is because the festival is seen as a time of renewal, a time to settle outstanding debts and a chance to start a new chapter when it comes to good luck and good fortune. Consequently, betting volumes at Chinese New Year tend to be well above the average recorded at other times of the year.
“It would be a massive blow to Resorts World Sentosa if they aren’t able to open the casino in time for Chinese New Year,” one insider told IAG.
“The difficulty is I can’t be sure if this suggestion of March is based on firm intelligence or just the recycling of the same rumour,” the industry source added.
Another contact was more optimistic about the opening date.
“I hear the CRA has ordered the sealing of the gaming machines on the floor this week. That suggests to me that they will be ready to open within days rather than weeks.”
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