Mix of old and new as casino offers 500 tables at opening
By Ong Dai Lin , TODAY
SINGAPORE: The soon-to-be opened casino at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) will cater to the Asian palate - gambling-wise.
There are 19 games available, and an announcement in the electronic version of the Government Gazette on Monday revealed a mix of games.
There will be popular ones like baccarat and roulette and newer games like money wheel and three-card poker. And the mix is definitely catering to the Asian market, said those in the industry.
"The games are very Chinese and are like what the Macau casinos are offering. Western casinos offer more poker games and jackpots," said Mr Felix Ling, senior partner of gaming consultancy Platform Asia.
Mr Ling added that RWS' move to cater to the "primary" Asian market is one in the right direction as it is "less likely" that Westerners will fly to Singapore to game.
RWS spokesman Robin Goh told MediaCorp that in line with the company's vision "to provide games that will cater to all casino patrons", the casino will offer a variety of slot machines and more than 500 tables upon its opening.
The games offered at RWS is similar to the mix offered at the Genting casino in Malaysia, according to the chief executive officer of a training school for the industry.
Mr Ramachandar Siva of International Club Games Training Center said: "This shows that they have a good understanding of what games are popular and what works for them as a business."
But having more than 500 tables upon opening is an ambitious act.
Genting's casino started with less than 300 tables and only increased them to 400 in 2002 - after 20 years of operation, he said.
When contacted, Marina Bay Sands - which is slated to open in April - told MediaCorp it will have four levels of gaming with a wide variety of table games and slot machines featuring the latest games such as video poker and electronic roulette.
At RWS on Tuesday, workers were hurrying to put in the last touches before the casino welcomes its first punters this weekend. A worker said: "We are all looking forward to opening the casino with a bang."