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Channelnews
Asia, 13 Mar 04
Singapore eyes casino-resort complex
Singapore is planning to create an offshore luxury residential resort
which might include a casino to attract high-rollers and rich property
buyers, a minister said. Trade and Industry Minister George Yeo said
Sentosa, a beach and golf islet linked by a causeway to mainland Singapore,
would be connected by bridges or boat services to other islets in
a 500-hectare (1,235-acre) development.
"We are keeping an open mind on what to have in this development,
including the possibility of having a casino," the Business Times
quoted Yeo as saying Friday during a parliamentary debate on the budget.
"What we envisage is an international facility separate from Singapore
but accessible to all Singaporeans, with more relaxed rules to attract
international talent, visitors and investments," he added. It would
be modelled after Atlantis on Paradise Island in the Bahamas.
The government has long opposed the opening of a casino on moral grounds,
although horse racing and lotteries do brisk business here and Singaporeans
are famous in countries like Malaysia and Australia for being avid
punters. But globetrotting Singaporean casino players hoping to have
domestic alternatives may be disappointed. Yeo said steps will be
taken to limit access to the casinos by Singaporeans, and to keep
organized crime out of the business.
Hobbled by lack of resources and a small and ageing population, Singapore
is positioning itself as a cosmopolitan city with high-end services,
lively entertainment choices and cutting-edge industries attracting
money and talent from all over the world. - AFP |
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