and September 2010 this figure fell back below the one million mark, standing at 997,000 and 947,000 respectively.


As a source of visitors to Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia have been consistently at the top of the monthly rankings. In September 2010 visitor arrivals from Indonesia and Malaysia accounted for 339,000 of the 947,000 total arrivals, which represent 36% of the total. The September visitor figures for Malaysia were up 40% year on year. These figures do not record the purpose of an individual’s visit or whether they enter either of the casinos but it is interesting to note that both Indonesia and Malaysia have limited gaming facilities within their borders.


In figures revealed by Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Dr. Balakrishnan in September 2010 local residents made one million visits to the casinos in the first seven months of opening. Marina Bay estimates that one-third of visitors to its casino are local residents. These visits are despite the government’s attempt to lessen the appeal of the casinos to local citizens through the imposition of a casino entry levy. Singaporeans and permanent residents must pay this entry levy, which amount to S$100 for 24-hour access to the casino or S$2,000 for an annual entry. There is a S$1,000 fine for entering the casino without having paid the levy.


Indeed, in the apparent early success of Singapore’s two resorts, it is the government that seems to be least happy with the success. The government continues to take measures to limit the interest of the casinos to Singaporeans and ensure there are no wider social problems caused by gambling. In September 2010 both the resorts were required to stop operating the free shuttle bus services they were providing to bring visitors to the resorts. Politicians complained that the buses were making it too easy for local residents to get to the casinos and that the buses were also acting as advertising for the casinos.


The self-exclusion programme and family exclusion programme have also recently been extended to allow foreigners in Singapore to apply for the programmes. In March 2010, just after the Sentosa had opened, the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) issued 218 self-exclusion orders, compared to 158 for the period between November 2009 and January 2010.


It is still the very early stages of the Singaporean gaming market and its full potential is obviously still to be realised. The two resorts still have about 20% of capacity to be completed and 2011 will be the first full calendar year of operations. In addition, Singapore’s economy appears relatively strong compared to Europe and the United States. This should also aid the resorts’ performance in the coming years. The main threat to continued success could come from the government’s policies on local citizens’ entry to the casinos.


34


casino life magazine


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52