Marina Bay Sands
Marina Bay Sands
Bayfront Subzone, Downtown Core, Singapore
10 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018956
27 April 2010 (soft opening)
23 June 2010 (official opening)
17 February 2011 (grand opening)
2,975
15,000 m2 (160,000 sq ft)[1]
Sands SkyPark
The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
The Sands Expo and Convention Centre
Bay Floral
Marina Bay Club
Marina Bay Sands Art Path
ArtScience Museum
Wonder Full
Land-based
CE1 DT16 Bayfront
Marina Bay Sands is an integrated resort fronting Marina Bay in Singapore and a landmark of the city. At its opening in 2010, it was deemed the world's most expensive standalone casino property at S$8 billion (US$6.88 billion).[2][3] The resort includes a 2,561-room hotel, a 120,000-square-metre (1,300,000 sq ft) convention-exhibition centre, the 74,000-square-metre (800,000 sq ft) The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands mall, a museum, a large theatre, "celebrity chef" restaurants, two floating crystal pavilions, art-science exhibits, and the world's largest atrium casino with 500 tables and 1,600 slot machines. The complex includes three towers topped by the Sands Skypark, a skyway connecting 340-metre-long (1,120 ft) with a capacity of 3,902 people and a 150 m (490 ft) infinity swimming pool, set on top of the world's largest public cantilevered platform, which overhangs the north tower by 66.5 m (218 ft).[4][5] The 20-hectare resort was designed by Moshe Safdie architects.[6][7]
The resort is owned by Las Vegas Sands in agreement with the Singaporean authorities. Marina Bay Sands was originally set to open in 2009, but its construction faced delays caused by escalating costs of material and labour shortages from the outset exacerbated by the global financial crisis. This pressured Las Vegas Sands to delay its projects elsewhere to complete the integrated resort. Its owner decided to open the integrated resort in stages, and it was approved by the Singapore authorities.[8] The resort and SkyPark were officially opened on 23 and 24 June 2010 as part of a two-day celebration, following the casino's opening on 27 April that year.[9] The SkyPark opened the following day. The theatre was completed in time for the first performance of Riverdance on 30 November. The indoor skating rink, which uses artificial ice, opened to a performance by Michelle Kwan on 18 December. The ArtScience Museum opened to the public and the debut of a 13-minute light, laser and water show called Wonder Full on 19 February 2011 marked the full completion of the integrated resort.
The opening of Marina Bay Sands was held on 17 February 2011. It also marked the opening of the seven celebrity chef restaurants.[10] The last portion of the Marina Bay Sands, the floating pavilions, were finally opened to the public when the two tenants, Louis Vuitton and Pangaea Club, opened on 18 and 22 September 2011, respectively.[11]
Marina Bay Sands is set to have a fourth tower constructed by 2028, at an estimated cost of S$4.5 billion (US$3.3 billion). The expansion plan was announced in early April of 2022, with the new tower containing 1000 hotel rooms and an adjoining concert venue with seating for 15,000 guests.[12][13][14]
Mass Rapid Transit (MRT)
Public buses
Water taxi
Controversy[edit]
Marina Bay Sands was reportedly under investigation by the US Department of Justice over whether there were breaches of anti-money laundering regulations.[51]
In late 2011, Marina Bay Sands had a dispute with Madam Choo Hong Eng, on whether she could obtain a big sum of money, which a slot machine had shown that she had won on 18 October 2011. The jackpot in question was SGD$416,721.12. A casino manager claimed that it was a machine error. Upon negotiation, the casino offered to give her a car which was worth SGD$258,962 instead. Ms Choo appointed a lawyer to demand that Marina Bay Sands pay her the whole sum. Several days later, the casino agreed to pay her that amount. The Singaporean government department - Casino Regulatory Authority, condemned the casino for failing to keep its machine operating properly. The mass media reported that Ms Choo had donated the whole of her winning to charities instead of keeping it to herself.[52][53]
In 2011, the Marina Bay Sands resort publicized lucky punters on its webpages. The Singapore government noticed that and said it would take action against the company, according to the rule that casino operators in that country are prohibited from publicizing the winnings of patrons. The online information in question was subsequently removed.[54]
About one month before Marina Bay Sands opened, Reuters reported that Sands had links with Hong Kong criminal organizations operating in Macau, according to court documents of a case of attempted murder. Several male gangsters of the criminal group Wo Hop To, were put in jail for that case. Witnesses testified that the mastermind was Mr Cheung Chi-tai, who operates a VIP room related to the murder attempt in the casino of Sands Macau. Mr Cheung is also a leader of the same criminal group. This raised concern in opposition parties like the National Solidarity Party and the mass media, in Singapore.[55][56]
In late October 2023, Marina Bay Sands reported a data leak of some 665,000 members of a shopper's rewards program.[57] Marina Bay Sands reported that Members' personal information were access by an unknown third party operator. While there has not been reports of the leaked information being used to cause harm, personal information such as members' names, e-mail addresses, phone numbers, etc. could be used against them in phishing and other scam campaigns. The incident has been reported to the appropriate authorities. [58]
Aerial of the rooftop pool of Marina Bay Sands
Notes
Further reading