The February 28 deadline for presentation of Request For Concept (RFC) proposals has arrived. It is believed that as many as ten different companies have submitted their ideas for a billion dollar tourist complex development with integrated casino, and the initial costs, in many cases, are over US$1 million.

The resort complex project has still to be considered by the government, which will examine the concepts submitted before coming to a decision on whether to proceed with allowing a casino in Singapore. The government has said it is considering Sentosa Island and Marina Bay as possible sites for a casino, and its decision should be announced in April.

Major players in the bid for a Singapore casino licence come from the United States and include Wynn Resorts, MGM Mirage, Harrah’s Entertainment, and Las Vegas Sands. Other major players are Kerzner International, Genting Berhad of Malaysia and Tabcorp of Australia. PBL, also of Australia, is reported to be interested, although a joint venture with Melco International of Macau is reportedly being delayed by Australian regulatory bodies’ ratification. Lesser-known players in the Singapore game are the Hong Kong based hotel and cruise operator New Century Group and a Las Vegas based company Eighth Wonder.

Some of the ten companies are known to be in joint venture deals with local Singapore property developers, whilst others appear to be going it alone. The concept submissions had to be presented at the Singapore Tourism Board by noon today and, if the government decides to proceed with its plan, Requests For Proposals (RFP) will be the next stage in the bidding. The game is far from over for those interested in becoming Singapore’s first casino operator. (E-02.28.05)

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