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Singapore Casinos challenge Las
Vegas
for second place in world gambling |
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It seems unlikely that the law abiding folk of the chewing gum banning island city state of Singapore could
generate enough gambling revenue to challenge Las Vegas for the number two spot in world gaming, but they have help. Its even more surprising when you consider
there are only two casinos officially in Singapore, but again, they have help. Look further into the data for the last complete year without major disruption
(pandemic), which is 2019, you find that Singapore comes second in the world list of countries that spend per person on gambling.
Australians are Big Spenders
Top of the world in terms of per capita spend on gambling is, as it has been for many
decades, Australia. Around $950 is spent on gambling for every single person who lives in Australia which is way ahead of the citizens of Singapore at around
$650. Even still this seems very high for this small nation that boasts very high levels of education and professional people. Its even more odd when you
consider that for somone who is a citizen or resident in Singapore it costs S$150 (US$112 or £81) for a 24 hour pass to enter into either of the two
casinos in town, Marina Bay Sands Casino and Resorts World Sentosa Casino. If they want a year pass
its S$3000 ($2250 or £1620).
The high cost for locals to play in their own casinos is a clue as the state rulers want to deter their own citizens
from getting into gambling trouble as only the well-off are likely to pay the fee. The casinos are then orientated entirely to the tourist trade and have been
created as destinations in their own right and cost more to build than any other casino in the world. Number one in the world is the Marina Bay Sands at $5.7
billion and number two is Resorts World Sentosa costing $4.5 billion. Being a short trip from Indonesia and Malaysia, both with restrictive gambling laws,
means there are plenty of people on short stay trips just going to get their fix at the casinos.
Marina Bay
Sands
The Marina Bay Sands is famous for its triple towers with the infinity pool high up on the roof but the casino has over 700 game tables
with many private rooms for the whales to get the attention they think they deserve. Along with its massive retail hall of over 800,000 square feet it makes it
one of the favourite destinations for those big spending Australians for whom even the best au online
casinos simply can't cut the mustard. They want luxry and a destination gambling trip in an exotic location. The resort has agreed development plans to add
another tower and increase retail and casino space.
These two casinos together gross a little over $4 billion which is someway short of the Las Vegas
strip casinos at around $6.6 billion. But there is more to Singapore than there appears at first glance. They have a trick which not only overcomes the limited
development space on the island but also gets around any state laws restricting gambling licenses and taxes that need to be paid to the government. The trick
is to have multiple cruise ships leaving from the Marina Bay Cruise Centre that head to international waters when they can then open the casinos they have on
board without restrictions from any country being applied. They are fully loaded cruise ships with the full range of facilities and they will start visiting
islands again once the all-clear signal is given from the pandemic.
So a trip to Singapore gives every type of punter the chance to gamble and
experience everythnig that this little corner of South East Asia has to offer. So whether you are from Australia or Europe and you are quite bored with your
typical leroi johnny casino enligne experince, great though it is, Singapore is a great gambling destination in a
way that Macau and Las Vegas are not. And absolutely everyone who works there speaks English to a high standard.
Resorts World Sentosa
If you have a family then you will be well catered for at the Resorts World Sentosa where there is a full
array of attractions on offer including the Universal Studios theme park as well as the world's largest aquarium and many other family friendly adventure park
activities. You can even book Ocean Suites that are attached to the aquarium so you have your bedroom with a window into the world of amazing sea creatures.
RWS has also agreed a $3.3 billion expansion plan which will see it grow by another 50% and add attractions minion Park and Super Nintendo World and calling it
RWS 2.0.
Conclusion
A holiday in Singapore is by no means cheap but you can experince all the
types of vacation that there are in one place, except maybe countryside experiences. And play in the biggest casino in the world. Alternative if you are on a
budget is Monte Carlo, a surprisingly cheap place to stay if you book one of the small local hotels. The helicopter ride from Nice airport to Monte Carlo is
cheaper than a taxi if you are single and its worth going just for that. |
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