Singapore government vows constant checks on all casino operators and owners

The Casino Regulation Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs issued the reminder after a consortium involving Malaysia’s Genting International and Star Cruises was forced to pull out of a deal with Macau casino tycoon Stanley Ho.

Genting and Star Cruises won the bidding last year to build Singapore’s second integrated casino resort complex on Sentosa island, called the Resorts World at Sentosa. But reports of a tie-up that would have given the Macau businessman an indirect stake in the Singapore project prompted Singapore authorities to question the Genting-led consortium.

The casino regulator said that even if Genting and Star Cruises had won the bid to build the Sentosa complex, it did not mean they would automatically be granted a casino license. Genting on Saturday said it was pulling out of the the deal with Ho. Star Cruises also said it was withdrawing from the Sentosa project, giving Genting full control of the us$ 3.4 billion development.

In its statement, the Casino Regulation Division reminded the industry that under the Singapore Casino Control Act, all casino operators are subject to probity checks. "Such checks can be conducted on the management, shareholders and other associates of the casino operators and are a continuing requirement even after a casino license is issued," it said. "Suitability checks are a standard practice in the casino industry to ensure that only suitable persons manage and control the casino."