In a short announcement on its website, the GRA said the MBS license was renewed under Section 49 of the Casino Control Act 2006 after assessing that the company had fulfilled the requirements set out in Section 45 of the Act. The new three-year term starts from 26 April 2025.

MBS’s local competitor, Resorts World Sentosa, was last year granted a shorter two-year license renewal, with the GRA explaining at the time that it deemed RWS’s tourism performance in the period from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2023 as “unsatisfactory” as per Section 45. This, it said, related to the ability of RWS to develop, maintain and promote its integrated resort as a compelling tourist destination that meets prevailing market demand and industry standards.

RWS responded by claiming it had faced “very significant challenges during this evaluation period which coincided with the global pandemic. RWS continues to accelerate its transformation to refresh and rejuvenate existing offerings to deepen its destination appeal and visitor experiences. With its RWS 2.0 expansion plans underway, RWS is dedicated to maintaining its status as the premier lifestyle tourism destination.”

MBS, meanwhile, will soon break ground on its own US$8 billion expansion project that will include construction of a fourth hotel tower at its iconic Singapore resort.

This fourth tower will boast its own casino amenities, including a main casino area in the podium plus “sky gaming” in the new tower, as well as 570 luxury suites, a 15,000-seat arena, 110,000 square feet of MICE space, its own SkyPark and high-end F&B.

Construction is slated to begin by June this year with an estimated opening date of 1 January 2031.