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Few Americans have made as much money in China as Sheldon Adelson. His company, Las Vegas Sands, went public in 2004, and over the next two years his net worth soared by $17.5 billion. That works out to almost $1 million an hour, weekends, holidays and nights included. "He got richer faster than anyone else in history," said Peter W. Bernstein, co-author of "All the Money in the World," a book about the people on the Forbes 400 list. What has this to do with the Marina Bay Sands Singapore? Just about everything. To amass this amount of money and this amount of acclaim you have to be a unique person. Extra, extra, large is the clue. Not around the waist but between the ears, where it counts; an extra large thinker, one who has super-clear vision. Mr. Adelson, 74, holds $19 billion worth of stock in the Las Vegas Sands, which operates the Venetian and also a pair of giant casinos in Macao - the Chinese territory near Hong Kong that has surpassed the Las Vegas Strip as the world's top gambling market. On Thursday, the Venetian formally opens its new Palazzo tower. And with 7,200 rooms, the expanded Venetian is the world's largest hotel. Las Vegas Sands has committed to invest S$3.85 billion in the Marina Bay Sands project, not including the fixed $1.2 billion cost of the 6,000,000 square feet site, which by most estimates will make it the most expensive casino in the world. In addition to the casino, other key components of the plans include three hotel towers with 2,500 rooms, a 200,000 square-foot arts and sciences museum and a convention centre with 1,200,000 square feet of space, capable of accommodating over 52,000 people. The resort, inspired by card decks, was designed by Moshe Safdie, the Israeli architect. The company has promised to create 10,400 jobs for the project, 75 percent of them reserved for Singaporeans. So let's get this project on the rails, Sheldon. I'm ready to roll the dice already!
With the construction nearing completion for Singapore's elaborate Marina Bay Sands casino resort, there are clearly big changes ahead with regards to land-based gambling in Singapore. But what about online gaming? The population of Singapore is about 75 percent Chinese and it is well-known that gambling is highly popular among the Chinese. Yet Singapore is unable to make up its mind about online gambling? Singapore is torn - it wants it - but it doesn't. The Marina Bay Sands may change everything once it is up and running. This will be no ordinary neighborhood casino. It will change Singapore dramatically. Visitors will fly in from all over just to experience the casino, just to be in an environment like this for a few days. Visitors will come to admire the 2009 architecture, to marvel at the stunning engineering, to gasp at the interior design and to drool over the gardens. And they will gamble. They will take few spins on a slot machine, drop a chip on a roulette table, or roll a dice at a noisy craps game. Then they will go home with a small gambling bug deep inside and they will want to gamble again. The moment an online casino in their language and tasting of their own flavor opens, they will flock to play in it. The online casinos in Singapore will have an icon to beat - the Marina Bay Sands. They will have great graphics and sound and videos to make every player feel that he is inside the casino. Will it be impossible for the Singaporean government to ignore the growing beast that is online gambling? Is a gambling law just around the corner? Only time will tell.
Casino industry provides hope - In the midst of a severe economic crisis comes a ray of hope. Two mega-casinos set to open their operations in Singapore will need up to 20,000 employees. The casinos in question are the Marina Bay Sands and the Gentings Resorts World at Sentosa. The human resources departments of these resorts have begun hiring in earnest with up to 3,500 people already having applied to work in Singapore's first-ever casino. Everyone from housewives to hotel and admin executives began applying for work at the new resorts - as many of half of them applied via a national hotline. The US based casino have reached out to the nation's poorest and most neglected communities in their search for employees - a move appreciated by the island nation. Crisis unfolds for corporate employees Not far from the recruitment drive, several corporate executives from Merril Lynch were seen packing up their belongings. This comes hot on the heels of major retrenchments, divestitures and layoffs worldwide. The casino industry is predicted to take off just at the right time, with fears of global recession now becoming a hard reality for many. Jobs are scarce and Singaporeans are grateful for the opportunities being provided. Despite some opposition, many people are now in favor of the job creation prospects. If predictions stand true, then economic growth could increase by 2% and tourism could yield a further $30 billion in revenues within 7 years. Casino gambling policy There is presently a 10-year ban on the establishment of further casinos - a reality that will certainly allow these two to flourish. Calls for more casinos have rung out as pundits believe that prosperity and tourism will occur as a result of the new ventures. There are safety measures in place to ensure responsible gambling with as many as 29,000 gamblers already barred from entering the casinos. A fee of $100 will be charged for entry - perhaps an effective deterrent against lower-income earners gambling with their family's livelihoods.
The numbers are in. According to the CCS (Credit Counseling Singapore) up to 27.8% of all bad debts in Singapore are gambling related. This figure is up from 23.9% a year ago. Against the backdrop of a world economic slump, these figures have authorities a little concerned. With layoffs a certainty and a general decline in economic output on the cards, people are turning to casinos to reverse their fortunes. Some strike it rich, some don't. Difficulties caused by stagnating wages and rising costs are luring people into casinos. They see the bright lights and big prospects as an easy way out of the economic quagmire. Irresponsible conduct Numbers of reckless gambling cases have risen, most notably for lower-income groups. Gambling is seen as a solution to economic problems, but some gamblers in Singapore are maxing out their credit cards trying to fund their habit. As of June 2008 there were some 1 million credit card holders in the island nation. What concerns the CCS to a degree is that 40% of credit card holders have revolving credit. The numbers of bankruptcy filings have risen sharply. Up to 300 petitions were filed for the year as of July - more are expected as the world economic slump continues. CCS provides hope However it's not all doom and gloom. The casinos do provide work opportunities in an array of sectors like hospitality, leisure and tourism. Additionally, the CCS is working hard to help people to put together effective debt-management programs. Many are benefiting from work and the leisure activities of these casinos.
Thanksgiving is a time of being together and showing how much you appreciate the good things in life, and how much you care about the people close to you. But while we should always be grateful for what we have, why not try and win a little more? In celebration of this wonderful holiday, north American in origin but globalized like the best and rest of them, Eurogrand is offering a wide range of special holiday bonuses, Thanksgiving raffle promotions and other treats to their most valued Singapore players. This is the casino's way of giving thanks to their loyal customers, who deserve every cent of it. One of the characteristics that sets Eurogrand apart from the rest is that they really understand that their clients are the ones who keep their business running from day to day, and their management and customer service teams are enthusiastic about showing their appreciation. Worthy of special notice is one of Eurogrand's many enticing welcome bonuses: Make a first deposit of $4,000 or more into your account and you'll be fit to receive a $1,000 first deposit bonus! Besides their incredible range of new slot games, like Around the World and Genies Hi Low Jackpot, Eurogrand shows their passion for the classics by providing one of the best Poker rooms available. All in the wish that you enjoy a happy, healthy fun-filled Thanksgiving!
For years Switzerland and Monaco were the preferred havens for the flashy cash of the world's jetsetters and gambling high-rollers, but now it's the Singapore city-state that is competing for the lion's share. Lion City F1 came and went but what has lingered is the feeling that the Singapore city state is the preferred destination for jetsetters and high rollers to spend their cash. Add that to Singapore's stringent banking secrecy laws and it's easy to see why investors and big spenders are keen to pump their money into Singapore. For years Switzerland and especially Monaco reigned supreme, but could the time be ripe for Singapore to compete for that elite market? Encouraging signs Asian high rollers view Singapore as the place to enjoy a lavish lifestyle. Wealth managers racked up some $250 billion in assets in 2007, so Singapore is leading the Asian tigers in what is clearly a thriving economy. Europe's richest like the Singapore concept because it's not subject to the EU savings tax directive as Luxembourg and Switzerland are. But it's not just Europeans who are excited at the Singapore idea -Mid East nationals are too! Wealth Center Singapore is now firmly established as a wealth center and big-name companies are dropping anchor in the country. In excess of fifty financial businesses offer services from Singapore and the list is growing. Additionally the guarantees that are typically limited elsewhere are guaranteed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore to the tune of S$150 billion to cover their deposits. These security guarantees aren't offered by other offshore centers. As good as gold The Singapore government backs investors as it expands its reach as a lucrative and vibrant offshore center. Despite attempts by various governments including the European Union to tighten the noose on offshore centers by imposing the EU's tax directive efforts, Singapore is holding its own. It's a bustling start to 2009 as a grand new casino complex is set to open its doors in Singapore!
If it's excellence in online gambling you're seeking then Europa Casino could be the perfect destination. This online casino has top-notch software developed and maintained by leading software giant Playtech. Besides fair, accurate and responsible gaming practices, Europa Casino is also running a series of unforgettable promotions that are sure to generate user interest. Whopping welcome bonus There are good promotions and then there are promos that take the cake. Europa Casino is offering a 100% up to SGD100 monthly deposit bonus plus SGD25 every week as an added loyalty bonus to players. That's a full year worth of bonuses that totals to SGD2,400 for all players. Loyalty bonuses The second half of the SGP2,400 comes from the SGP25 per week loyalty bonuses. That totals around SGP100 per month for a year to complement your SGP100 monthly deposit bonus. Place your first bet and enjoy the loyalty bonus offers. High roller bonus For players wanting to make bigger plays, there is the high roller bonus. When you make your first deposit of SGP1,000 or more, Europa Casino will credit you with SGP500 and you'll be considered for VIP membership too. What games you can play With all this big bonus money, you're going to want to play lots of games. That's exactly what's available at Europa Casino. The casino offers more than 100 exciting games including craps, slots, roulette, video poker, keno and blackjack, for all players.
It's great news for slots fans as an all new Mega Moolah progressive slot is unveiled at Jackpot City Casino. The fantastically popular game has been given an adventure racing theme with 5 X multipliers and 4 winning tiers. Race to win Millions of dollars are on offer as eager players jump in the driving seat in an attempt to reach the jackpot finishing line. Players will find all their favorite features from the original Mega Moolah, plus much, much more. Irresistible features The new slot variant provides a 20 position jackpot wheel with varying amounts of jackpot winnings up for grabs. Players can enjoy wild and scatter symbols, multipliers and free spins on the 15 pay-line slot. Prize money is tiered according to bet amounts. For a max bet of $15.00 players stand to win the Mega Jackpot of $1,000,000 (minimum). From high to low Mega Moolah 5 Reel Drive offers a betting range of $0.01 to $0.05. But remember, the bigger the bets, the bigger you stand to win.
Dream of going to college but can't afford it? Perhaps wanting to save the few dollars you spend playing at online poker rooms? Well, the answer is Collegepoker.com, where you play for free and can win a college scholarship fund. With two tournaments a week, hosted by Cool Hand Poker, players can win $250 (on Tuesdays) or $500 (Wednesdays) and $50,000 (come June). Tuesday practice At tournaments played on these days in preparation for the Wednesday tournaments you can take home your share of $250. Wednesday tournament The top 10 players walk away with a total of $500 in scholarship prize money and are automatically entered into the final tournament. The final tournament The prize here is a generous scholarship fund worth $50,000. Yes - play for free and win a year (or more) of higher education.
In an article titled "Right balance for casinos," the Strait Times of Singapore spelled out the delicate balancing act that the Singapore government will be required to pull off if it wishes to maintain a healthy and crime-free casino gambling industry. In 2010, two casinos are planned to open: Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World. They will surely drive tax income to the country, but at what cost? Keeping out criminal elements is a must, the Straits states quite obviously. It then adds that protecting the players is the other end of the stick. The Casino Regulatory Authority revealed last month its hybrid approach: two arms to 1) keeping crime out, and 2) protecting Singaporeans from gambling beyond their means. "The challenge before us is to balance the competing imperatives," said Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng. This policy follows the US and Australian models. Even though Singapore lacks the experience these two countries have, it seems that it has the challenge covered with best intentions and clarity.
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