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SINGAPORE: The Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) has renewed the casino licence of Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) for just two years, one less than the usual three, over the integrated resort’s “unsatisfactory” tourism performance.
The new two-year term begins on Feb 6, 2025.
GRA said on Monday (Nov 18) that it had looked at the ability of RWS to develop, maintain and promote its integrated resort as a “compelling tourist destination that meets prevailing market demand and industry standards”, among other factors.
In doing so, GRA said RWS’ tourism performance for the period of evaluation from Jan 1, 2021, to Dec 31, 2023, was “unsatisfactory, with a number of areas that require rectification and substantial improvement”.
This was the opinion of an independent evaluation panel, appointed by the Minister for Trade and Industry.
The views of the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) were also taken into account.
In response to CNA’s query about where RWS fell short, MTI said on Tuesday that it was “unable to disclose the details of RWS’s performance in relation to their licence renewal”.
Genting Singapore, which owns RWS, said the evaluation period coincided with the global pandemic.
Singapore’s tourism industry faced “very significant challenges” during this time, it said in a statement on Monday.
“RWS continues to accelerate its transformation to refresh and rejuvenate existing offerings to deepen its destination appeal and visitor experiences,” said Genting Singapore.
“With its RWS2.0 expansion plans underway, RWS is dedicated to maintaining its status as the premier lifestyle tourism destination.”
The evaluation panel has recommended that RWS’ next evaluation be carried out in 2026.
“GRA will continue to work with MTI, STB, and SDC, to ensure that RWS meets the requirement to develop, maintain and promote its IR as a compelling tourist destination,” said GRA.
In December 2023, GRA fined RWS S$2.25 million (US$1.7 million) for failing to perform due diligence checks when receiving cash of S$5,000 or more from third parties to deposit into customers’ accounts.
It is mandatory for casino operators to conduct such checks on depositors when they receive cash of S$5,000 or more, said GRA then, adding that the fine was the biggest penalty it had imposed on a casino operator thus far.
RWS operates one of Singapore’s two casinos. Marina Bay Sands runs the other.
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