There’s a certain belief from most people that you reap what you sow, whether good or bad. When you met certain criteria and put in the effort, you stand to gain rewards, including perhaps a higher salary, a new sport car or maybe even 10 puppies.
It’s sensible, after all.
Thus, perhaps it’s understandable when you hear that Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), after having its tourism performance accessed as “unsatisfactory” by an evaluation panel, has had its casino license renewed for a period of two years instead of the usual three.
Damn, that sounded hurtful. Imagine being one of the biggest platforms of gambling in Singapore and being told that you are substandard.
What Happened
The Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) had announced, in a statement dated 18 Nov, that the new RWS license will be in effect for two years from 6 Feb 2025.
GRA had made its decision after evaluating RWS’ integrated resort under Section 45A of the Casino Control Act (CCA).
This allows for a panel to assess criteria such as visitor appeal, ability to meet prevailing market demand, and contribution to the tourism industry in Singapore. The evaluation panel, in this case, was appointed by the Minister for Trade and Industry.
The panel assessed that RWS’s tourism performance for the period of evaluation from 1 Jan 2021, to 31 Dec 2023, was deemed “unsatisfactory”, shared the GRA. This included variety of areas that required rectification and substantial improvement, with another evaluation to be carried out in 2026, as recommended by the panel.
GRA also elaborated that it took the views of the Ministry of Trade & Industry (MTI), Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) into account when making the decision. The authority will continue to work with MTI, STB, and SDC, to develop, maintain, and promote RWS as a compelling tourist destination in Singapore.
Caveats and Challenges
It cannot be denied, however, that the tourism and hospitality industries in general globally have seen multiple challenges that have devastated them on a widescale since 2020 due to the pandemic.
This, of course, includes Singapore, a country that relies heavily on tourism and its position as a country that relies on attracting foreign talent.
This is something that Genting Singapore, RWS’s operator agrees with, sharing in a statement released on 18 Nov that the tourism industry in Singapore in general, including RWS, faced “very significant challenges” during the evaluation period.
“RWS continues to accelerate its transformation to refresh and rejuvenate existing offerings to deepen its destination appeal and visitor experiences,” concluded Genting Singapore.
This is not the spelling of doom for the integrated resort, despite these recent challenges.
RWS is currently in the midst of an expansion worth $6.8 billion, slated for completion in 2030, which will be more than enough time to improve and meet the standards required by the GRA before the deadline.
The expansion will see the existing RWS property expanded by more than 164,000 sqm, which accounts for around 50% more land.
Highlights of this expansion will include a 88m-tall light sculpture, two luxury hotels, and a scenic “mountain trail” that takes visitors through Sentosa.
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