Singapore earned its place in gaming history shortly after opening its two casinos in 2010. Two gamblers lost a combined $115 million during baccarat sessions at Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa. They were never named, but one was said to be a Singapore businessman and the other was a gambler from Malaysia. One investment analyst suggested casinos forgave a portion of the losses but still cleared about $86 million.

---

SINGAPORE – The Marina Bay Sands changed the Singapore skyline a decade ago with its unique three curved hotel towers connected on the 57th floor by a 3-acre rooftop Skypark with three restaurants, a 500-foot infinity pool and 360-degree views of the island nation. 

It also changed the direction of Las Vegas Sands Corp.

The company, founded by the late billionaire Sheldon Adelson and now controlled by his widow, Miriam Adelson, sold its Strip resorts and convention center for $6.25 billion in 2022 and is focused on Asia — specifically Singapore and Macau, where it operates five integrated resorts replete with hotels, casinos, convention space and entertainment venues.

Sands reported companywide revenue of $13 billion in 2025 (all from its Asian markets), a 13 percent increase from 2024. Marina Bay Sands accounted for $5.6 billion — 43 percent of the overall figure — and more than 24 percent above what the property reported in the prior year.

Singapore has just two casinos — Sands and Resorts World Sentosa, which is operated by Malaysia–based Genting Berhad. The property includes a Universal Entertainment theme park.

According to Gaming Intelligence, Singapore gaming revenue topped $5.5 billion in 2025, a 24 percent increase from the previous year. Analysts estimated Marina Bay Sands was responsible for more than two-thirds of that total.

When asked if Sands might still have any interest in Las Vegas, Stifel Financial gaming analyst Steven Wieczynski laughed.

"I would say highly unlikely. That ship has sailed," said Wieczynski, who has long followed the company's Asian efforts. 

When the company announced the sale of its Strip properties in 2021, Sands emphasized that despite keeping a corporate headquarters in the city, it was "focused on reinvestment in Asia and high growth opportunities in new markets" such as Texas.

It started when Sands spent $5.5 billion to open the 1,850-room Marina Bay Sands in 2010. Despite high-profile Macau properties, including Venetian, Londoner and Parisian, the Singapore resort has become the recognized face of the company.

Last year, Sands said it would spend another $8 billion in Singapore, not on Marina Bay Sands, but building a second resort across the street from the first property's main entrance. 

With 570 suites and its own 76,000-square-foot rooftop experience — dubbed the Skyloop —  Wieczynski said the new resort allows Sands to grow its presence beyond Marina Bay. The property has yet to be named and won't open until at least 2030. 

"Singapore remains an incredibly attractive destination for ultra-luxury tourism," Wieczynski wrote in a January research note to investors. "If the regulatory environment remains status quo, we think Marina Bay Sands should continue to deliver growth unmatched across the global gaming industry."

That's one reason I've longed to experience the property. Last month, my wife and I spent 19 hours taking three separate flights to Singapore and spent five nights at the resort. I only told a spokesman for Sands Corp. that I was there after we departed.

Unlike Strip resorts, the casino at Singapore's Marina Bay Sands doesn't hit you square in the face with banks of slot machines. When you enter through the main entrance, a visitor is greeted by a nine-story natural light atrium. The lobby area, teeming with activity, restaurants and lounges, connects with the three hotel towers. 

Hotel rooms have views either of the financial district across Marina Bay or southeast across the Gardens by the Bay, a 250-acre park along Singapore's waterfront. Sands constructed a pedestrian bridge linking the resort to the attraction. 

But the casino is easy to find. Signs in the lobby direct guests to an underground pathway beneath Bayfront Avenue. The 24-hour casino is within a separate complex that includes the property's 1.3 million square-foot convention center, an 800,000 square-foot luxury shopping mall, restaurants and a 2,200-seat theater.

Casino patrons are greeted by security officers. Singapore residents pay an entry fee of 175 Singapore dollars ($137 in U.S. dollars). Foreigners, including U.S. citizens, are admitted for free after having their passports scanned.

At 161,500 square feet, the multilevel gaming space is roughly the size of the MGM Grand Las Vegas casino floor. It has 1,600 slot machines and 500 table games that are predominantly popular in Asian casinos — pai gow, Sic Bo and versions of baccarat and poker. 

Sands spent the past few years renovating and upgrading hotel rooms and other areas of the resort ahead of building its next project.

On a quarterly conference call in January, CEO Patrick Dumont (Sheldon Adelson's son-in-law who replaced the retired Rob Goldstein at the end of March) said several public spaces, including the Skypark and shopping mall, could see some upgrades.

"Our goal is to continue to improve the experiences that we offer. The vast majority are done … and you see how our patrons enjoy the changes that we've made," Dumont said. "Over time, we're going to look to improve the property."

---

Noted Vegas criminal defense attorney named to the Gaming Commission

Las Vegas criminal defense attorney Richard Schoenfeld, who, alongside David Chesnoff, has represented several high-profile celebrities and clients, was appointed to the Nevada Gaming Commission on Tuesday by Gov. Joe Lombardo.

Schoenfeld, whose four-year term on the part-time, five-member commission begins April 28, replaces Las Vegas attorney Rosa Solis-Rainey, who was the panel's longest-serving member. Her term ends later this month. 

In a statement, Lombardo said Schoenfeld "brings decades of legal experience and a strong understanding of Nevada's business community to this role."

According to campaign finance records, Schoenfeld has donated $25,000 to Lombardo's campaigns for Clark County sheriff and governor since 2015, including two $5,000 donations in August 2025.

Schoenfeld has practiced law in Nevada for nearly three decades and is a partner at Chesnoff & Schoenfeld. He earned his law degree in 1998 and was admitted as a member of the Nevada Bar that same year.

Among the celebrity clients that Schoenfeld represented, along with Chesnoff, were singer Bruno Mars, former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs and reality television star Paris Hilton.

"It means a great deal to have the opportunity to give back to this state," Schoenfeld said in a statement. "I look forward to contributing to the commission's important work in maintaining the integrity of this vital industry."

---

Analyst: Bally's to complete entertainment district after A's stadium opens

When the Athletics' $2 billion baseball stadium on the Strip is ready for the start of the 2028 Major League Baseball season, one gaming analyst said he believes Bally's Corp. will have completed the aspects required by the team for the ballpark's operations.

However, the bulk of the company's planned 500,000-square-foot retail, entertainment and dining district will come later.

Truist Securities gaming analyst Barry Jonas said Bally's is moving at a slower pace with potential business partners looking to eventually surround the 33,000-fan capacity ballpark. 

"There is visible progress on the A's baseball stadium," Jonas wrote in an email to The Nevada Independent. But he considered the "scale and scope" of any Bally's project to surround the ballpark by opening day as "asset light." 

In February, A's Vice Chairman Sandy Dean said Bally's is required to help fund "three significant components," including a central utility plant, which supports the air-conditioning system for the enclosed-roof stadium.

Bally's is also responsible for developing a parking garage and the plaza area at the southeast corner of the Strip and Tropicana Avenue, which will serve as the stadium's main entrance.

Meanwhile, Bally's showed its commitment toward the development last week, bringing in a trailer with more than a dozen slot machines that served as a temporary casino over several days in order to preserve the non-restricted gaming rights on the former Tropicana site for the next two years. 

Jonas said Bally's primary focus areas are completing construction by early next year of a $2 billion casino resort in Chicago and developing a $4 billion New York resort and gaming complex in the Bronx. 

He suggested the constraints from Bally's more than $4.5 billion in debt would weigh against moving quickly on parts of the stadium's entertainment district.

---

What I'm reading

👀 'The status quo is unsustainable': Congressional scrutiny of Kalshi, Polymarket explodes — Jasper Goodman, Declan Harty and Mia McCarthy, Politico 

Anxiety over state gambling revenues and suspected insider trading have lawmakers threatening to clamp down on Kalshi, Polymarket and other prediction market platforms.

🚘 Pittsburgh's Rivers Casino to offer $500 parking spots during NFL Draft — Megan Swift, Trib.Live

And you thought parking on the Strip was expensive?

---

News, notes and quotes

🏨 Grand Sierra Resort names new general manager

Reno's Grand Sierra Resort appointed Cheraz Ecker as general manager. She most recently served as general manager of Reno's Atlantis Casino Resort. Ecker takes over the property's day-to-day operations from Shannon Keel, now president overseeing the Northern Nevada resort's $1 billion redevelopment, which includes a 10,000-seat multiuse arena that will be home to the Nevada Wolf Pack men's basketball team. Ecker previously held leadership roles at The Venetian and The Palazzo, Strip properties formerly operated by Las Vegas Sands Corp.

🎰 Rio Las Vegas changes out senior management team

The Rio Las Vegas shook up its management team Monday, appointing former Caesars Entertainment executive Rod Turlan as president and general manager, replacing Patrick Miller, who had been in the position for more than a year. Turlan will oversee all aspects of the resort's operations. Dreamscape Retail & Entertainment, which operates the Rio, also named Lori Ware as chief financial officer, Ashley Lowe as senior vice president of sales and Vince Lentini as senior vice president of marketing. Dreamscape CEO Eric Birnbaum said the new team "brings the right combination of experience and talent to Rio."