MBS Bans RWS Chief Casino Officer From Its Premises for Allegedly Trying to “Poach High Rollers”

By
Ryan Low
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Move over James Bond, Singapore has its own version of Casino Royale, albeit without the stunts.

Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) chief casino officer Andrew MacDonald and RWS assistant vice-president of business development Louise Ng have been banned from the premises of Marina Bay Sands (MBS) for reportedly trying to poach high rollers.

Integrated resort operators RWS and MBS operate the only two licensed casinos in Singapore. Casino licenses in Singapore are only issued to those who can develop, maintain and promote an integrated resort.

So, what happened?

MacDonald Allegedly Poached High Rollers

MacDonald and Ng were issued persona non grata notices, and are now prohibited from “entering or remaining on any part of Marina Bay Sands integrated resort premises, including but not limited to the hotel, mall, convention centre and casino”.

The ban is set to remain in force until further notice, and Marina Bay Sands Pte Ltd reserves the right to take legal action against him should he attempt to enter or remain in any part of the MBS premises.

MacDonald was allegedly found to have attempted to poach MBS customers and staff on various visits.

MacDonald, however, has denied these allegations in his comment to the press and claims that the visits were purely social.

The Australian alleges that he had made these visits with a close friend, former Crown Melbourne executive Mike Sugrue, who was visiting from Australia.

While he had spoken with two “high value” players he personally knew at MBS, MacDonald says that the interactions were coincidental and not initiated by him. Another local high roller had supposedly initiated a conversation with him while he was having a meal with Sugrue.

MacDonald had also visited MBS on another two occasions.

The first was to dine at Tong Dim Noodle Bar, which is located within the casino. Though in the aftermath of this incident, it may be advisable for MacDonald to get his noodle fix elsewhere. He would have no shortage of options here in the Core Central Region, ranging from a Michelin-starred hawker to the Chinese noodle stores operating late-night along Selegie Road.

MacDonald’s second visit was on 26 July, following the release of Las Vegas Sands Corp’s (the parent company of MBS) second-quarter 2024 financial results, which he said was a routine practice to stay abreast of gaming offerings.

MacDonald’s lawyer Salem Ibrahim has argued against the extensive nature of the notice and the restrictive effects it would have on Mr MacDonald’s access to public areas.

Mr Salem said, “It is unprecedented because Marina Bay Sands integrated resort is a quasi-public place. The integrated resort has inter-connectivity to public infrastructure like the MRT and Gardens by the Bay. It was intended to be the nation’s civic core”.

Who is Andrew MacDonald?

Andrew MacDonald is a “juggernaut” in the casino business.

According to his Linkedin, Mr MacDonald, had been in the casino industry for more than 40 years.

He was appointed executive vice-president of casino operations at MBS in 2010 and became the chief casino officer for Las Vegas Sands Corp (LVS) in 2012, overseeing gaming operations across all LVS properties, including MBS.

After leaving MBS in July 2021, he joined RWS as chief casino officer in September 2022, following the expiration of a non-compete clause in his separation agreement.

Given “a remit to oversee and revamp gaming operations and casino marketing across the integrated resort”, MacDonald’s move was touted as part of RWS’s broader strategy to close the gap on MBS locally, and re-establish the gap between itself and its fellow Genting Group casino, Resorts World Genting.

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Ryan Low