Forbes – Macau’s metamorphosis from gamblers’ guide footnote into the global gaming capital booking seven times the casino revenue of Las Vegas has inspired countries across Asia to try their own luck. From South Korea to Sri Lanka, there are gaming venues and big plans for more. While every government wants to duplicate the dollar figures of Macau, the model most follow is made in Singapore. Singapore awarded two casino licenses in 2006, following an unusually contentious pubic debate, with the goals of boosting visitor arrivals and adding what Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called the “X factor” found in…

Las Vegas Review Journal – To use an Olympics reference, Las Vegas won the silver medal for the second straight year. Singapore’s two casinos experienced a 3.8 percent increase in gaming revenues during 2013, but it wasn’t enough to carry the island nation past the Strip. The Marina Bay Sands, which is owned by Las Vegas Sands Corp., and Genting Group’s Resorts World Sentosa produced a combined $6.077 billion in gaming revenues during the year, which fell short of the Strip’s $6.5 billion in 2013. Both markets were far behind Macau, the world’s largest gaming destination, which produced a record…

Reuters – Casino operators and regulators around Asia are watching Singapore’s two multi-billion-dollar gaming resorts as they focus on tourists and trade shows to boost revenue in response to restrictions on gambling and a sluggish broader market. The city-state has become a playground for Asia’s rich and famous, with attractions ranging from fancy clubs and restaurants helmed by Michelin-starred chefs to the world’s only night-time Formula One race. Las Vegas Sands Corp, which owns the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) casino in downtown Singapore, says its 2,500-room hotel is packed and it is eager to expand its holiday accommodation and convention…

OnlinePoker.net – The Chinese gambling resort of Macau has recorded its second-highest ever monthly gaming revenue total, after collecting $3.8 billion from gamblers during August, up 18% from the same month in 2012. Last month’s figure was trumped only by the $3.92 billion that the resort’s casinos generated in March, this year. So far for the first eight months of 2013, Macau’s gambling revenues are now up by 16% over the same period in 2012, and are expected to grow by 17% overall relative to the record $38 billion generated for the whole of 2012. “We believe Macau fundamentals remain…

From Bloomberg – Singapore is planning to tighten rules for public servants visiting the city’s two casinos after a handful of corruption charges against government officials in the past year. Civil servants who go to the gaming halls “frequently” or those who buy annual passes will be required to declare such visits, Teo Chee Hean, Singapore’s deputy prime minister, said in Parliament yesterday. The city has a S$100 ($79) daily levy or S$2,000 annual tax for citizens and permanent residents entering the casinos. Plans for the casino rules come after a number of corruption charges against senior government officials in…