Singapore casinos face month-long closure

Singapore’s two integrated resorts, Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa, have closed their doors for four weeks to help curb the spread of Covid-19. The closures will last until May 4, according to information released by the operators.
The move comes after the Singapore government instructed all non-essential workplaces to halt operations for a month-long “circuit breaker” campaign designed to curb virus transmission. As of yesterday, the city-state had recorded over 1,300 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and six fatalities.
The closure will affect all gambling activities, hotels, and tourist attractions, including the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands and Universal Studios Singapore at Resorts World Sentosa. Hotel bookings during the closure period will be cancelled and fully refunded, both companies said in separate statements.
Marina Bay Sands is operated by a unit of the U.S.-based Las Vegas Sands Corp., which also operates casinos in Macau via its local subsidiary, Sands China. Rival Resorts World Sentosa is operated by Genting Singapore.
Macau’s 41 casinos were ordered to close for a 15-day period in February, after the special administrative region recorded several cases of Covid-19 among gaming operator employees.
Inside Asian Gaming reported that the Singapore closures leave Macau as the only major jurisdiction in the Asia-Pacific region in which casinos continue to operate. DB