And who are we trying to kid, calling them Integrated Resorts, haha! The word CASINO is one of the biggest signs on their premises. (Stand by for the Casino Regulatory Authority's new ruling on reduced font sizes for any sign with the word "Casino" on it. Sorry IRs, I don't mean to give them ideas.)
Yet, Singapore thinks it can pull it off. Have its cake and eat it.
Have a casino that is there but not really there, existing in some Twilight Zone only foreigners can enter. Enjoy the money it will bring, but not the vices and social problems.
Already, pawn shops are here and advertising on TV. None of them show the real reason people visit pawn shops, of course.
Just a bunch of happy people buying things they can't afford, for their loved ones, by hocking their gold watches and wedding jewelry, in commercials hosted by local tv celebrities.
But pawns shops and casinos are best buds. When I was in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, there were entire streets lined with pawn shops, their neon signs flashing a warm welcome to all who needed extra cash for a round at the tables.
In Singapore, according to the commercials, the pawn shops are here to help you buy a PC for your boyfriend, who needs it for work. Awwww.
From the looks of it, Resorts World Sentosa operated a better bus service than the local public transport companies. They had 19 pickup points and operated long hours, ferrying folks efficiently to Sentosa.
We should let RWS be the third public transport company! I am sure they will do a great job, even if all their buses mysteriously terminate at Sentosa.
I have a better idea. RWS should just redeploy all those buses and give free shuttle services from the heartlands to their sister property at Genting Highlands, Malaysia. I hear they have a nice resort there too.