Integrated Resort

An '''integrated resort''' ('''IR''') is a resort with a wide variety of leisure and entertainment attractions, all housed in one resort property. The first known integrated resort began in early 1980s in Malaysia, when Resorts World Genting (formerly known as Genting Highlands Resort) was developed from a single hotel with casino facility to a variety of leisure and entertainment facilities - offering various dining options, retail shopping, a range of hotel accommodation, shows and concerts, convention facilities, golf course, cable car ride, spa and indoor & outdoor theme park attractions, amongst others. Singapore's "integrated resorts" also offer theme parks, high-end shopping, hotels and convention halls and casinos. To date, casino licenses have been awarded to [[Marina Bay Sands]] and [[Resorts World Sentosa]]. These are the first casinos in the country and both have begun operation since early 2010.. Resorts World Sentosa was the first of the two integrated resorts in Singapore to begin operating in January 2010 while Marina Bay Sand began its operations in April 2010. ==History in Singapore == In 1823, [[gambling]] was briefly legalized in the then-British colony of Singapore, but the experiment led to gambling addiction and increased crime, and gambling was criminalized again within three years. Since then, the operation of legal gambling in Singapore has been limited to the government-run [[Singapore Pools]] for [[lottery|lotteries]], and [[Singapore Turf Club]] for horse racing. However, during a [[Parliament of Singapore|parliament]] session on 18 April 2005, [[Lee Hsien Loong]], the [[Prime Minister]] of [[Singapore]], announced the [[Cabinet of Singapore|cabinet]]'s decision to develop two casinos and associated hotels and malls in [[Marina South]] and [[Sentosa]]. The government claims the aim of the project is to boost [[Tourism in Singapore|Singapore's tourism industry]] which has been facing intense competition from other destinations around the region, particularly from nearby [[Bangkok]] and [[Hong Kong]], which has since also considered legalization of casinos in the wake of initiatives in Singapore. Even closer to home, [[Malaysia]] has long had a legal casino cum theme park on [[Genting Highlands]], which proved popular with Singaporean tourists. The IRs in Singapore are expected to create about 35,000 jobs directly and indirectly. In addition to the casinos, the IRs will have other amenities including [[hotel]]s, [[restaurant]]s, [[shopping center|shopping]] and [[convention center]]s, [[theater]]s, [[museum]]s and [[theme park]]s. The industry is expected to invest US$7.1 billion in integrated resorts (US$3.5 billion in Marina Bay; US$3.6 billion in Resorts World). ==Public debate and criticisms== The plan to build the casinos was subject to considerable debate among Singaporeans. Several groups, such as those belonging to the [[Muslim]] and [[Christian]] communities as well as [[social worker]]s, openly expressed their disapproval of the casinos. Concerns were raised about the negative social impact of casino gambling, citing worries that the casinos could encourage more gambling and increase the risk of [[compulsive gambling]]. Activist groups argued that a casino could also lead to undesirable activities often associated with gambling, including [[money laundering]], [[loan shark]]s or even organised crime. Lee acknowledged the downsides of having integrated resorts and the concerns expressed by the public. He promised that there would be safeguards to limit the social impact of casino gambling. He stated there would be restrictions on the admission of local people into the casinos, for example, family members of a patron of the casino may block him or her from entering and gambling. Lee announced a steep entrance fee of S$100 per entry or S$2,000 per year and a system of exclusions for all Singaporeans. In addition, the casinos would not be allowed to extend credit to the local population. Lee, who has been prime minister since August 2004, took a significant political risk when he made the decision, with some of his cabinet members against the plan.{{Fact|date=October 2009}} Nonetheless, Lee decided to go ahead with the decision; he stated: {{Quote|"As Prime Minister, I carry the ultimate responsibility for the decision."}} The six-month consultative period gave the opportunity for many sections of the population to voice their opposition to the casinos, including a [[petition]] that attracted tens of thousands of signatures. When Lee approved the proposal after such widespread criticism, the opposition said that he had overruled [[consensus]].{{Fact|date=April 2008}} The debate over integrated resorts also brought to the public's attention a discussion on the methods and ways government policies should be deliberated in Singapore, and whether they were effective or needed reform. This is especially because the political climate is [[dominant party system|dominated]] by the [[People's Action Party]]. [[Low Thia Khiang]], the leader of the opposition [[Workers' Party of Singapore|Workers' Party]], warned in a parliament session: {{Quote|"The Government sought the opinion of the people but it does not go along with the opinion of the people and it has now made a unilateral decision. Eventually, will it turn out to be a blessing or a curse to our people? We have to wait and see. [...] Under the current situation, where a party is dominant and the civil society is very weak, the people cannot sway the Government's decision on such a matter that concerns the fate of the people. If the Government's judgment is wrong, it would lead the nation and our people on to the 'river of no return', where the cost would be very real and very heavy."}} By the time of the [[Singapore general election, 2006|2006 general elections]], however, the decision was already a ''fait accompli'', and the opposition parties made little mention of it. ===Marina Bay=== In December 2004, the [[government of Singapore]] called for a request-for-concept (RFC), inviting industry players to submit concept proposals for the integrated resorts. A total of 19 bids were submitted during the RFC. Four companies/consortia placed formal bids for the Marina Bay site: *[[Genting International]]/[[Star Cruises]] *[[Harrah's Entertainment]]/[[Keppel Land]] *[[Las Vegas Sands]] *[[MGM Mirage]]/[[CapitaLand]] While Harrah's and MGM were considered forerunners, Las Vegas Sands emerged as the surprise winner when it was announced on 26 May 2006. Las Vegas Sands had committed the highest development investment of S$3.85 billion. With the land price and associated capital cost, its total investment will exceed S$5 billion. It would also be one of the most expensive casinos in the world. The design by [[Moshe Safdie]] consists of three large shells containing conference halls and other business venues, three large hotel towers linked on their top floors by a sweeping sky garden, and a centerpiece museum which juts out onto the bay. {{Quote|"Sands has submitted the best overall proposal that meets our economic tourism objective. In particular, the proposal will significantly strengthen Singapore's position as a leading MICE destination and the proposal also possesses unique design elements that will provide a memorable image for Marina Bay."|Deputy Prime Minister Prof [[S Jayakumar]]}} [[Marina Bay Sands]] officially launched the opening of its first phase developments on April 27, 2010 and held its official grand opening celebrations on 23 June, 2010. It is billed as a centrepiece of the Marina Bay landscape. Amenities include a hotel with 2,560 room and suites, Sands Expo and Convention Center with dining and shopping facilities, and the Sands SkyPark at Level 57, which features a 150 metre long infinity-edge swimming pool. The Expo and Convention Center served as the main media center for the inaugural Youth Olympic Games 2010 held in Singapore in August 2010. Other facilities such as museums, theatres and crystal pavilions are due to open over the year through till 2011. ===Sentosa=== Three consortia submitted their proposals by the due date on 10 October 2006, including: *[[Eighth Wonder]] with [[Publishing and Broadcasting Limited]], [[Melco International Development]], [[Isle of Capri Casinos]] (design by [[Peter Marino]]) *[[Genting International]] with [[Star Cruises]], [[Universal Studios]] (design by [[Michael Graves]]) *[[Kerzner International]] with [[Capitaland]] (design by [[Frank Gehry]]) A fourth contender, a [[Harrah's Entertainment]] and [[Keppel Land]] consortium, pulled out from the race four days before the deadline. The bids were reviewed by a ministerial committee and a tender evaluation committee. The ministerial committee was headed by [[Deputy Prime Minister]] Prof [[S Jayakumar]] and included [[Tharman Shanmugaratnam]], [[S Iswaran]], [[Mah Bow Tan]], [[Lim Hng Kiang]], Dr [[Vivian Balakrishnan]] and [[Raymond Lim]] as its members. Results were announced on 8 December 2006. The winning consortium was front-runner Genting International and Star Cruises with their bid for the [[Resorts World Sentosa]]. {{Quote|"Genting International & Star Cruises submitted the most compelling proposal overall that best meets our economic and tourism objectives. In particular, the proposal reflects our vision for the Sentosa IR as a large-scale, family resort with its host of world-class family leisure attractions and other strong offerings. We believe that the attractions will position Sentosa as a premier island resort for families and draw significant numbers of both new and repeat visitors to Singapore."|Deputy Prime Minister Prof S Jayakumar}} ==External links== *[http://app.mti.gov.sg/default.asp?id=585 Developing Industries: Integrated Resorts] of the [[Ministry of Trade and Industry (Singapore)]] *[http://libguides.nl.sg/integratedresort The Integrated Resorts: A Select Guide (English Version)], http://libguides.nl.sg/integratedresort - [http://www.nlb.gov.sg/ Singapore National Library Board (NLB)] [http://libguides.nl.sg/ NLS Resource Guides] {{coord missing|Singapore}}