When the Singaporean government passed the law in 2005 that allowed for two resorts to be built with casinos they were hoping that such a plan would boost their economy. Of course, they stipulated that these ‘Integrated Resorts’ would have to offer more than just a casino. In fact, the gambling sector of the resorts was not allowed to be the main draw. In any case, Las Vegas Sands Corp. and Genting Group of Malaysia took that challenge and in their own completely different ways built some of the most fascinating properties in Asia. Not only do these to resorts offer gambling, but theatre, theme parks, aquariums, fireworks, fine dining, and an open park in the sky.

So the properties are cool, but did the plan work? Both the Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa have just recently opened the first phases of their properties. (Both first phases include each resort’s casino.) However, at first glance, the projects look to be greatly successful. To start, both resort projects hired many Singaporeans to start working way before they were scheduled to open. These massive developments had to be built. Then there was training, management and all the other positions that have to be filled before a mega resort can function. This was welcome news and is cited as being the major factor Singapore’s unemployment rate fell to just over 2 percent.

Of course, now success, will be judged on room occupancy, attraction visitors and casino numbers. Virtually no one is predicting that any of these areas will fail. Conventions are already being booked, families are enjoying Universal Studios Singapore, bets are being placed and jackpots are paying out. They still have to compete with the march larger Las Vegas style city of Macau, but analysts feel that what the unique resorts and Singapore as a nation has to offer will be able to hold its own with other gambling towns in the world.

With the pre-grand opening of the Maria Bay Sands the Asian gambling market has been in the news with gusto. However, there is another casino resort in Singapore. In 2005 the government in Singapore authorized two casino licenses for the nation. There goal was to boost tourism. However, they did not want to just attract high rolling gamblers who like to stay in swanky hotels and take a massage in between placing bets. They wanted to attract visitors of all kinds, especially families. The government passed an edict that stipulated that the casino was not to be the main feature of the resorts built around them. The two companies granted licenses took these challenges and surpassed them with flying colors. Each in their own way.

Marina Bay Sands may have built tall buildings with what seems to be a hovering park. They have Disney’s The Lion King playing in their state of the art theatre. Las Vegas stuck to what they know best and it looks like it will be a tremendous success. Resorts World Sentosa Private Ltd. went in a completely different direction. They decided to build a resort and attraction world around their casino. They came up with Resorts World Sentosa, a mega resort not unlike those found in the United States.

Resorts world has a casino, of course, but they also offer entertainment for the whole family. For starters there are six hotels, including spa villas and a Hard Rock Hotel. They offer entertainment galore with headliner shows and Voyage de la Vie or Journey of Life, which is a circus style show not unlike the popular Cirque de Soleil. Resorts World has high class shops and world class cuisine. They host one of the world’s largest non-pillar convention spaces. And then there is the theme park. Resorts World plays host to Universal Studios Singapore, where families can “ride the movies.” There are plans for a marine park that is not only an aquarium, but a fully interactive marine life attraction.

Sure, Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore has an exciting casino (A casino that has already paid out jackpots well into the millions), but they have so much more to offer the who family. Once you enter you won’t have a reason to leave.

So if locals have to pay a cover charge to enter the casino, and the casino only makes up about 1 percent of the total resort, what’s left to attract visitors to the $5.5 billion Marina Bay Sands? The answer is everything under the sun, the moon, and the stars. This is meant quite literally to a point. The most striking feature of the Marina Bay Resort is its architecture. It leaves an amazing first impression. Las Vegas Sands Corp. President, Michael Leven exclaimed, “This is going to be the most photographed building of its kind in the world. It might even rival the Sydney Opera House.” He thinks it will be the subject of picture post cards. Three huge towers are crowned and linked together by a 7,000 ton park that offers a 360 view of Singapore from 60 stories up. Skypark, as it is rightfully called, not only offers an outdoor park in the sky, but nightclubs, observatory, gardens, restaurants, and a swimming pool.

The Marina Bay Sands has so much more to offer. While Genting Group went for the successful theme park and family entertainment route, Las Vegas Sands Corp. decided to stick their tried and true model of offering dining, shopping, theatre venues, convention space, and of course the casino. They already have an impressive line up of celebrity chefs like, Daniel Boulud, Wolfgang Puck, Santi Santamaria, Guy Savoy, and Tetsuya. Meeting space is also booked pre-grand opening with a convention of Asian lawyers. The keynote speaker for the event will be former U.S. Vice President Al Gore.

Even though it is a casino resort, Marina Bay Sands offers family entertainment. The property will include museums and theatres. Tony Award winning, Broadway smash Disney’s The Lion King is scheduled for an October opening in the resorts lavish theatre. The grand opening for the Marina Bay Sands is set for the end of June.

Las Vegas Sands Corporation, one of the most well known casino resort operators in the world is set to open the first phase of one of their most ambitious projects ever. The Marina Bay Sands in Singapore is partially underway. Over the past week Marina Bay Sands has opened 963 of its 2,560 hotel rooms and sections of its convention space, shopping, dining, and of course the casino. What is truly amazing about this casino resort is that very little of the resort is actually dedicated to the casino. In fact, the 165,000 square feet of the casino floor only makes up about 1 percent of the resorts total square footage. This is not only by design, but practically by legal mandate. When the Singapore government voted to allow two casinos to be built in their country in 2005 they stipulated that gambling could not be their primary focus. The already opened Resorts World has a Universal Studios theme park. Marina Bay Sands has everything else.

Las Vegas Sands Corp. President, Michael Leven, admitted that the casino inside Marina Bay Sands is not the ‘overriding element’ it would allow the company “to do everything else.” He added, “The casino has got to work. If it doesn’t work, you can’t make the project work financially.” No one is predicting a problem with that. Even though no official numbers have been released from the Genting Group of Malaysia’s Resorts World on Sentosa Island, gaming analysts think business is going well. Singapore saw tourism numbers climb when the first casino resort opened and Marina Bay Sands is likely to bring about the same effect.

To go along with the casinos the Singapore government enacted an entry fee system for Singapore residents to enter the casinos. Locals pay $70 to enter the Resorts World casino and will pay $100 to enter Marina Bay Sands. This is set up to protect residents against the pitfalls of gambling. However, this is not predicted to diminished the impact the casinos have on the properties.

And the beat goes on. There has been another development in the Station Casinos bankruptcy saga. Last week it was announced that Station Casinos’ founding family, the Fertittas, submitted a restructuring plan that would see a new company, Fertitta Gaming, and some other investors form a holding group that would take charge of five key Station Casinos properties through a Stalking horse bidding process. In response Station Casinos’ main competitor, Boyd Gaming, counter-announced they would ask the court to take its time looking over the motion. Earlier this week Boyd Gaming came back out and said they would withdraw most of its objections they had voiced with the bankruptcy court. Boyd gaming owns a substantial part of Station Casinos’ unsecured debt.

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court filing said that Boyd Gaming would spend more time focusing on one aspect of the reorganization plan. They want to focus on selling off a large part of the Station Casinos company with properties, such as, Santa Fe Station, Texas Station, and all the Fiesta properties. In a statement, a spokesperson for Boyd Gaming said, “We have decided to focus our efforts on the key objections related to the proposed bidding procedures for Station’s … assets.”

There are still objections by the committee of unsecured creditors. They object to the master lease compromise, and exclusivity motion. Those objections are set to be heard by a judge in Reno next week. The spokesperson went on to say, “We respect the fact that the court has a limited amount of time to consider a wide range of matters, and it has become clear, based on the responsive papers filed by Station, that Station is determined to use a portion of that limited time to attack Boyd Gaming, rather than address the important issues at hand.” It is turning out to be a good old fashioned, western, duke it out brawl between these two casino operators.

It seems that the South American country of Chile will not stand for discrimination. In a case that went all the way to the Chilean Supreme Court, a casino in the country was found to improperly exclude a women based on her disability. In November of 2006 23 year old Paz Otero Flores who lives with Down Syndrome and her mother, Elizabeth Flores Soria, tried to enter the Enjoy Casino in Antofagasta. Lower Chilean courts have already fined the casino over $1,770 (US) for violation of Chile’s Consumer Laws. The Court of Appeals ruled that the Ms. Flores was unjustifiably prevented from entering the casino based on her medical condition. Part of the ruling read, “…the defendant’s action not only constituted an infringement of the law, but it also has offended the dignity of people and consequently, produced psychological damage which must be fixed.”

The casino appealed the ruling. However, the Supreme Court rejected the appeal by a unanimous decision. The high court also agreed with the consensus that, “The suffering of the complainant, Elizabeth Flores Soria, is unquestionable, since she forced to leave the game room of Casino Enjoy Antofagasta with her daughter Paz Otero Flores, only because her daughter has Down Syndrome,” and held up the ruling that forced the casino to pay Ms. Soria $9,500 (US).

In other legal news from Chile: The country has a rule on its books that prohibits government officials and police officers from placing bets in casinos. This includes public prosecutors. Those who break the law can be slapped with fines that range between $200 and $1,000 (US). They also can face the possibility of losing their jobs. The law made some waves. Clearly prosecutors found the law unnecessary since casinos are a legitimate business. Casino owners felt the same way. What bothered most casino owners is that the law seems to only apply to bets made in casinos which are a highly regulated business.

It is possible that Harrah’s Entertainment may be trying to sell off its non Las Vegas Strip casino property. The Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino sits off the strip on Flamingo Road. Last June Harrah’s Entertainment Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Gary Loveman stated to the Review-Journal that they would be open to any offer on an “…asset we don’t consider essential to our strategy.” According to Bloomberg the 2,530 room, 117,300 square foot casino that houses 1,100 slot machines and 90 table games Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino go for close to $500 million. The Rio is well known right now for being the host casino to the World Series of Poker which is also owned by Harrah’s Entertainment.

Harrah’s Entertainment used the Rio as part of a group of properties that acted as collateral for $5.5 billion in mortgage backed securities. These are due in 2015. While there are reports of bids coming in, it is hard to find concrete evidence of what the casino hotel is worth. Harrah’s Entertainment does not normally release individual property results. Some analysts say that the reported $500 million bid is below what the property is worth once cash flow and other amenities like the 160,000 square feet of convention space are factored in.

Adding to the speculation is the deafening silence coming from Harrah’s Entertainment and the possible bidders. The casino resort company has declined all comments stating that they are going through a quiet period on account of their debt offering. However with the acquisition of Strip property Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino the non-Strip Rio seems an unneeded appendage to some experts. The two reported bidders, Starwood Capital Group and Colony Capital also declined comment. Colony Capital has once tried to purchase the Rio in 2004. However their dealings in trying to acquire the Station Casinos may hamper any future bid on the Rio.

To attack the devastating unemployment rate in the United States communities and industries all over the country are holding job fairs. Some of these fairs are aimed at getting established professionals back to work. Others are situated to helping less fortunate or those who are new to the workforce get started. Still others are aimed at helping a specific community. That is the case with the job fair being held this week in Atlantic City. The job fair will be held on Wednesday at the Atlantic Cap Community College. The purpose is simple, get residents of Atlantic City back to work in the casinos, casino resorts, and related industries.

Atlantic City faces a staggering 17 percent unemployment rate. The casino town has also, historically, had trouble hiring locals to work in the casino and casino resort industry. This job fair is an attempt to turn the tide on both of those statistics. They are pulling out all the stops to help local residents learn about, be prepared for, and hopefully gain employment at the job fair. The Community College has sent emails out to all students informing them of the fair. It has been advertised on television and other public access sources.

This time organizers are adding some forward thinking by educating the pubic on what they should have prepared to have a successful afternoon. “We’re getting suggestions as to how to identify people who might need a little help,” said Kevin Hall, a spokesperson for the Mayor Langford’s Atlantic City Strategic Planning Committee. “As we build toward that date, we are looking for anyone who is deficient in terms of resumes and reaching out for assistance. There are some tutorial types of programs that community organizations have.” The Mayor’s office knows that the casino resort industry is the life blood for the community and getting the community involved will be beneficial on may levels.

The battle over Gettysburg has become quite fierce. Of course we are long past the bloody battle that claimed more American lives than any other battle fought on United States soil, thank goodness. The battle is over a proposed casino hotel near the historic battlefield and national park. David LeVan believes that a casino hotel on the site of an old convention center is exactly what the community needs to get its economic wheels turning again. He sees it as a saving grace for jobs in the town. Of course, others see it as an encroachment to the point of blasphemy on one of America’s most revered and sacred sights. The fight has become intense with ecstatic leaders and excitable followers.

Mr. Levan insists that the casino is far enough away from the national park that it would not be a threat to its reverence. Mr. Levan is a Gettysburg native who feels the new casino license would suit his area better than other Pennsylvania communities that are already saturated with gambling halls. He also feels that the sites proximity to Washington DC and Baltimore are great assets.

The battle over the casino has brought charges of theft, harassments and apologies from some major players. Both sides have lawn signs that express views over the casino. Both sides have had lawn signs mysteriously disappear. Hollywood director, Ronald Maxwell, who directed the film Gettysburg. He spoke harsh words in revival style against the building of a casino. “There are hundreds of casinos; there is only one Gettysburg.” He claimed that the group proposing the casino were trying to,”…rape and exploit the battlefield!” The meeting included a “No Casino!” chant. Mr. Maxwell later apologized for his “rape” comment by writing a letter to the Gettysburg Times.

Even though preservationist feel that a casino will forever change the landscape of the area, supporters of the casino are just as passionate about their history. However, most feel that the land will not be spoiled. Most agree that economically something has to be done, and that building a casino would be that, ‘shot in the arm.’

Both sides make strong arguments. Both sides make strong arguments, strongly. The fight over a proposed casino near such a historic landmark should not be taken lightly. As one can tell by the two different points being expressed, taking the issue lightly isn’t an option.

The place is Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, USA. There is a battle being fought. Of course, now it is 2010 and no one is using muskets, cannons and calvary charges, thank goodness. The weapons for this battle are words that come in the form of lawn signs, newspaper articles, and speeches. On one side those who wish to open a casino hotel near the Civil War battlefield. The other side are preservationists who feel a casino would ruin the historic and sacred ground. Tourism is nothing new to Gettysburg. Shortly after the battle was fought schemers found a way to make money from those who sought souvenirs and even those family members looking for their lost loved ones. Now the battlefield is one of America’s treasures, where people can pay homage to those who fought to protect their way of life, both grey and blue.

Back to the casino. Casino developer, David LeVan wants to erect a casino hotel on the location of an old conference center. It is far enough outside the borders of the national park that it would not be a threat to the historical significance or reverence of the battlefield. Of course, his biggest argument is that the proposed $75 million casino hotel would be a much needed boost for the economy of the area. It would be the start of a project that would rescue jobs in the area and create new ones.

Opponents of the LeVan’s proposed casino hotel say that even though it is outside the battlefield it would sit on historic Emmitsburg Road. The road was used by the Union Army as an approach to the Gettysburg, and by the General Lee’s Confederate army in retreat. “It’s a pivotal part of understanding how the battle unfolded,” said Nicholas Redding of the Civil War Preservation Trust. They also claim the preconceived notions that come with a ‘casino town’ is in appropriate for one of America’s most revered and historically significant sites. For now the battle will rage on.