The Macau Metro Monitor, October 15, 2012
NEW CASINO LAWS HERE AFTER MONTH-LONG CONSULTATION Strait Times
Several new rules were introduced by the Singapore Parliament with regards to the two IRs, including one to limit how many times a person who is "financially vulnerable" can visit the casinos. This first step in amending the law on casinos comes after a month-long consultation on various proposed changes to the Casino Control Act. Another change is the setting up an evaluation panel to assess the overall performance of the resorts, to ensure that Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa constantly develop and promote their non-gaming components to remain attractive to tourists.
The full bill can be viewed here: \http://www.parliament.gov.sg/sites/default/files/Casino%20Control%20(Amendment)%20Bill%2028-2012.pdf
SINGAPORE'S HOME SALES REBOUND TO HIGHEST IN THREE YEARS Bloomberg
According to the Urban Redevelopment Authority, home sales in September climbed to 2,621 units from 1,427 units in August. That’s the highest since July 2009. For 3Q, sales climbed 7.7% to 5,999 units. Sales climbed after developers slowed marketing their projects in August due to the “Hungry Ghost Month,” which is considered an unlucky time to buy according to Chinese tradition.
PACKAGE TOURS AND HOTEL OCCUPANCY RATE FOR AUGUST 2012 DSEC
Visitor arrivals in package tours increased by 24.8% YoY to 913,613 in August 2012. Visitors from Mainland China (674,949) went up by 28.3%, with 280,952 coming from Guangdong Province; besides, those from Taiwan (77,749); Hong Kong (36,183); Republic of Korea (33,169) and Japan (27,518) increased by 41.2%, 4.0%, 8.6% and 36.4% respectively. The average length of stay decreased by 0.18 night to 1.3 nights.
