Apr 27, 2010
Marina Bay Sands casino opens
Hours before the official opening, earlybirds started streaming into
the integrated resort, hoping to be among the first to catch a glimpse
of the new tourist attraction. Those waiting to enter the casino were
ushered into the Sands Expo and Convention Center to take a queue number
and wait in comfort. SINGAPORE'S
second casino - the US$5.5 billion (S$7.5 billion) Marina Bay Sands
- opened its doors to the public at the auspicious time of 3.18pm on
Wednesday, giving a fresh boost to the city's tourism sector.
Built
by US gaming giant Las Vegas Sands, it is the group's first casino in
Asia outside Macau. Las Vegas Sands chairman Sheldon Adelson, who flew
here for the opening, said he expects to recoup his Singapore investment
in five years.
'Most
of the high-end players are reputable business people. They have to
travel anyway so they typically would travel to the major cities, like
Hong Kong and Singapore, wherein they do business,' he told reporters.
Hours
before the official opening, earlybirds started streaming into the integrated
resort, hoping to be among the first to catch a glimpse of the new tourist
attraction. Those waiting to enter the casino were ushered into the
Sands Expo and Convention Center to take a queue number and wait in
comfort. They were later allowed to enter the casino in the order that
they have arrived. This was a measure taken by MBS to prevent a repeat
of the overcrowding and crush at the Resorts World Sentosa opening on
Feb 14.
Marina
Bay Sands was originally set to open at the end of 2009 but faced repeated
delays caused by a number of factors, including material and labour
shortages and financial problems due to the downturn. It managed to
clinch the casino licence only on Monday.
Tuesday's
opening includes the casino and 963 out of 2,560 hotel rooms, a portion
of the shopping mall, some restaurants, an exhibition and convention
centre and the events plaza. The remaining hotel rooms and suites, a
skypark and more shops will open on June 23, while a museum, theatres
and other stores will start operations later in the year, the management
said.
