# Canonical recap data for Marina Bay Sands Opens (2010)
# Source: https://recap.at/2010/marina-bay-sands-opens
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: marina-bay-sands-opens
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/2010/marina-bay-sands-opens"
title: Marina Bay Sands Opens
aliases:
- MBS
- Marina Bay Sands Resort
- The Sands Singapore
subtitle: Marina Bay Sands' inauguration on June 23, 2010, became an iconic symbol of Singapore's architectural ambition and cementing its status as a premier tourist destination.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 2010-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 2010
decade: 2010
country:
name: Singapore
slug: singapore
summaryShort: Marina Bay Sands is an integrated resort fronting Marina Bay in Singapore and a landmark of the city. At its opening in 2010, it was deemed the world's most expensive standalone casino property at S$8 billion (US$6.88 billion). The resort includes a 1,850-room hotel, a 120,000-square-metre (1,300,000 sq ft) meetings an
summaryLong: Marina Bay Sands is an integrated resort fronting Marina Bay in Singapore and a landmark of the city. At its opening in 2010, it was deemed the world's most expensive standalone casino property at S$8 billion (US$6.88 billion). The resort includes a 1,850-room hotel, a 120,000-square-metre (1,300,000 sq ft) meetings and conventions facility at Sands Expo & Convention Centre, a 74,000-square-metre luxury shopping mall, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, an ArtScience museum, a 2,183-capacity theatre, the world's first floating Apple store, the world's first Louis Vuitton Island Maison, celebrity chef and signature restaurants, and a casino with 500 tables and 3,000 electronic gaming machines. The complex includes three towers topped by the Sands Skypark, a 340-metre-long (1,120 ft) skyway connecting the towers with a capacity of 3,902 people and a 150 m (490 ft) infinity swimming pool, set on top of the world's largest public cantilevered platform, which overhangs the north tower by 66.5 m (218 ft). The 20-hectare resort was designed by Moshe Safdie. The main contractor was Ssangyong Engineering and Construction.
lede: Singapore's Marina Bay Sands opened on April 27, 2010, as the world's most expensive standalone casino at S$8 billion. The integrated resort fundamentally reshaped Singapore's skyline and positioned the city-state as a global gambling and hospitality destination rivaling Las Vegas.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/Marina_Bay_Sands_%28I%29.jpg/1280px-Marina_Bay_Sands_%28I%29.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Marina Bay Sands"
importance: 64
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Construction cost
  value: S$8 billion (US$6.88 billion)
- label: Hotel rooms
  value: 1,850
- label: Casino floor size
  value: 15,000 square meters
- label: Opening date
  value: April 27, 2010
- label: Height of signature tower
  value: 57 stories
- label: Rooftop infinity pool elevation
  value: 57th floor (225 meters above ground)
- label: Meeting and convention space
  value: 120,000 square meters
- label: Construction duration
  value: 5 years (2005–2010)
timeline:
- date: 2005-01-01
  title: MBS project greenlighting
  description: Singapore government approves two integrated resort licenses. Las Vegas Sands Corporation selected as developer for Marina Bay Sands.
- date: 2006-03-17
  title: Marina Bay Sands groundbreaking
  description: Construction begins on Marina Bay reclamation site under Sheldon Adelson's Las Vegas Sands ownership.
- date: 2009-06-23
  title: Structural completion
  description: Main tower structure finished; final interiors and systems integration underway.
- date: 2010-04-27
  title: Marina Bay Sands official opening
  description: Resort opens to public. Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong attends inaugural ceremonies. Casino operations begin with full gaming floor active.
- date: 2010-06-30
  title: First full financial quarter
  description: Marina Bay Sands reports strong visitor numbers and gaming revenues, validating the S$8 billion investment thesis.
- date: 2010-12-31
  title: First-year performance
  description: MBS achieves record annual gaming and hotel revenues, becoming Asia-Pacific's highest-grossing casino property within months of opening.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marina_Bay_Sands"
  title: Marina Bay Sands
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: Marina Bay Sands became the template for 21st-century integrated casino resorts, proving that massive capital investment in hospitality infrastructure could anchor economic diversification in developed city-states. Its opening marked Singapore's pivot toward luxury tourism and the beginning of a competitive shift in Asian gaming markets.
categories:
- launch
taxonomy:
domain: economic
eventTypes:
- ipo
- merger_acquisition
canonicalClasses:
- creation
- celebration
impactRadius: global
velocity: sudden
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
metaDescription: Singapore's Marina Bay Sands opens as world's most expensive casino at S$8 billion, reshaping Asia's hospitality landscape.
wikidataQid: Q548679
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20100226021305/http://en.wikipedia.org:80/wiki/Marina_Bay_Sands"
  capturedAt: 2010-02-26
  label: Marina Bay Sands
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marina_Bay_Sands"
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/Marina_Bay_Sands_%28I%29.jpg/1280px-Marina_Bay_Sands_%28I%29.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/Marina_Bay_Sands_%28I%29.jpg/800px-Marina_Bay_Sands_%28I%29.jpg"
  caption: Marina Bay Sands
  credit: Wikipedia · "Marina Bay Sands"
  width: 330
  height: 220
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Marina_Bay_Sands_and_illuminated_polyhedral_building_Louis_Vuitton_over_the_water_at_blue_hour_with_pink_clouds_in_Singapore.jpg/1280px-Marina_Bay_Sands_and_illuminated_polyhedral_building_Louis_Vuitton_over_the_water_at_blue_hour_with_pink_clouds_in_Singapore.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Marina_Bay_Sands_and_illuminated_polyhedral_building_Louis_Vuitton_over_the_water_at_blue_hour_with_pink_clouds_in_Singapore.jpg/800px-Marina_Bay_Sands_and_illuminated_polyhedral_building_Louis_Vuitton_over_the_water_at_blue_hour_with_pink_clouds_in_Singapore.jpg"
  caption: Marina Bay Sands and illuminated polyhedral building Louis Vuitton over the water at blue hour with pink clouds in Singapore
  credit: Basile Morin
  width: 5629
  height: 3234
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/03/Singapore_%28SG%29%2C_View_from_Marina_Bay_Sands%2C_Singapore_Flyer_--_2019_--_4720.jpg/1280px-Singapore_%28SG%29%2C_View_from_Marina_Bay_Sands%2C_Singapore_Flyer_--_2019_--_4720.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/03/Singapore_%28SG%29%2C_View_from_Marina_Bay_Sands%2C_Singapore_Flyer_--_2019_--_4720.jpg/800px-Singapore_%28SG%29%2C_View_from_Marina_Bay_Sands%2C_Singapore_Flyer_--_2019_--_4720.jpg"
  caption: Singapore (SG), View from Marina Bay Sands, Singapore Flyer -- 2019 -- 4720
  credit: Dietmar Rabich
  width: 5973
  height: 4480
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/Singapore_%28SG%29%2C_Marina_Bay_--_2019_--_4701-6.jpg/1280px-Singapore_%28SG%29%2C_Marina_Bay_--_2019_--_4701-6.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/Singapore_%28SG%29%2C_Marina_Bay_--_2019_--_4701-6.jpg/800px-Singapore_%28SG%29%2C_Marina_Bay_--_2019_--_4701-6.jpg"
  caption: Singapore (SG), Marina Bay -- 2019 -- 4701-6
  credit: Dietmar Rabich
  width: 12302
  height: 2995
comparisonThenNow:
- metric: Construction cost
  thenValue: S$8 billion (US$6.88 billion)
  thenYear: 2010
  nowValue: Approximately S$8.88 billion (inflation-adjusted)
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Remains one of the most expensive casino properties ever built
- metric: Hotel room count
  thenValue: 1,850 rooms
  thenYear: 2010
  nowValue: 1,850 rooms
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Room count unchanged; hotel maintains original capacity
- metric: Annual visitor numbers
  thenValue: Approximately 14 million (first full year)
  thenYear: 2011
  nowValue: Approximately 19 million
  nowYear: 2023
  note: Post-pandemic recovery showed strong visitor demand
consequences:
- title: Singapore's tourism transformation
  year: 2010
  description: Marina Bay Sands became the centerpiece of Singapore's Marina Bay area redevelopment, attracting international visitors and positioning the city-state as a premier Asian entertainment destination alongside traditional financial hub status
- title: Regional casino escalation
  year: 2012
  description: The resort's commercial success prompted competing developments across Asia—Macau's The Venetian expansion and similar properties in Manila and Bangkok—intensifying the regional gaming market
- title: Architectural tourism boom
  year: 2013
  description: The distinctive rooftop infinity pool and skyline silhouette made Marina Bay Sands one of the world's most photographed buildings, generating substantial Instagram-era tourism distinct from gaming revenue
- title: Labor and environmental scrutiny
  year: 2014
  description: Worker welfare investigations and construction-era environmental impact assessments emerged as precedent for examining megaproject labor practices in Southeast Asia
- title: COVID-19 operational crisis
  year: 2020
  description: Marina Bay Sands temporarily closed for 78 days in early 2020, representing the first major operational disruption and exposing vulnerability of gaming-dependent resorts to pandemic shocks
culturalContext:
topMusic:
- title: Viva la Vida
  artist: Coldplay
  year: 2008
  note: Dominated 2010 playlists globally
- title: Telephone
  artist: Lady Gaga featuring Beyoncé
  year: 2010
- title: Rolling in the Deep
  artist: Adele
  year: 2010
topFilms:
- title: Inception
  year: 2010
  note: Christopher Nolan film dominated 2010 box office
- title: Avatar
  year: 2009
  note: Still cultural phenomenon during 2010
- title: Iron Man 2
  year: 2010
topTVShows:
- title: Lost
  note: Final season aired in 2010, cultural zeitgeist peak
- title: Game of Thrones
  year: 2011
  note: Premiered during Marina Bay Sands' opening period
zeitgeistNote: 2010 marked the peak of Twitter's early dominance, iPad's first full year, and the eve of Instagram's launch; aspirational mega-projects like Marina Bay Sands represented pre-financial crisis confidence in large-scale development
relatedQueries:
- Marina Bay Sands opening 2010
- Marina Bay Sands construction cost S$8 billion
- Marina Bay Sands infinity pool 57th floor
- Singapore integrated resort casino development
- Marina Bay Sands architect Moshe Safdie
- Marina Bay Sands economic impact Singapore
- Luxury casino hotels Asia 2010
- Marina Bay Sands sustainability environmental impact
