When the Sands Macao opened in 2004, Asia's first Las Vegas-style casino prompted an extraordinary boom for Macau and casino owner Las Vegas Sands (LVS). Thereafter, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong reversed decades of ruling party opposition to approve two casino resorts, hoping to emulate Macau's and LVS's success. Macau and LVS are now both reeling as the world's economies take a turn for the worse, and some analysts forecast Singapore's integrated resorts (IRs)...

Las Vegas (AP) -- Las Vegas Sands Corp. said Friday that officials from the Singapore government and senior executives from the resort developer met to discuss the completion of the Marina Bay Sands resort in Singapore amid continued concern about tightness in the credit markets. Las Vegas Sands said discussions included construction and marketing efforts to bring more conventions and exhibitions to Singapore.

A former adviser to the Singapore government said yesterday that the island city is losing foreign investment to countries with greater growth such as China, adding that Macau could work with the region to increase its attractiveness. In an interview with the Straits Times management guru Dr Kenichi Ohmae said Singapore had done well in the past in attracting foreign investment...

A Singapore-based company has won the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s bidding for M/V Philippine Dream, a floating casino. Mandaue City Revenue Election Officer Emir Abutasil, chairman of the bidding, said that Aston submitted a bid of USD 1.3 million. The bidding was held at the BIR district office in Lapu-Lapu City as the vessel is anchored along the strait of Mactan. Abutasil said the bureau auctioned the floating casino after its owner failed to pay USD 1.3 million in tax liabilities.

Singapore (AP) - Singapore said Monday it was no longer concerned about Genting International's business integrity after the casino operator took measures to clear its links to a Macau tycoon. Malaysia-based Genting, which held a groundbreaking ceremony Monday for its 5.2 billion Singapore dollars (USD 3.4 billion, EUR 2.5 billion) casino project, was warned by Singapore in February that the company and its associates would have to prove they could run a clean gambling venue.