The world’s newest casino will be opening in Singapore but a Las Vegas gaming company will be the centre of the competition.

Experts said that Marina Bay Sands will likely be the more visible and enduring property of the two that will open by Q1 2010.

Singapore has reversed a 40-year ban on gambling passed in 2005 and invited developers from around the world to bid and develop integrated resorts on two sites.

The $5.4-billion Marina Bay Sands will consist of three 55-story towers with 2,500 suites, capped with a rooftop terrace. Just like Las Vegas Sands, the Marina Bay Sands will feature two theatres, a casino, museum, retail centre and a major convention centre.

Its competitor will be the $4.2-billion Resorts World at Sentosa, developed by Malaysia-based Genting Group. Resorts World includes six hotels with different themes around the centrepiece of the development, making it the first Universal Studios theme park in Asia. The resort on the island of Sentosa will have a maritime museum, a water park, a retail district, a casino and a conference centre, as well as a theatre that will feature Asian cultural shows.

Resorts World, which is accessible by a ferry or a transport system on a covered boardwalk, is expected to become very popular. Analysts said that Marina Bay Sands should feature more attractions in the long run.

“Theme parks quickly wear out, so a casino-theme park marriage should lose its appeal over time,” said Grant Chum, the head of UBS Investment Bank’s China research.

“The Sands’ casino-convention centre development is an easier marriage, and I think that has been validated by the company’s success in Las Vegas.”

He added that the developer had established connections with UNLV and that relationship should be improved through its Singapore campus. The country has high hopes for another integrated resort aside from the two.

Singapore draws over nine million visitors, mostly from Australia, China and Indonesia, adding more the $12 billion Singapore dollars (US$7.2 billion) to its earnings.

Singapore Tourism Board’s assistant CEO of development, Margaret Teo, said that upon the completion of the two integrated resorts next year, it will attract two to three million visitors and will generate up to US $1.9 billion by 2015.

The gaming rules for the new resorts will be closely monitored.

Fredric Gushin, the managing director of Linwood, an industry consultant specializing in gaming research, said the country will implement a hybrid of gaming regulatory strategies from Australia, New Jersey and Nevada to monitor the casinos.

Among the strategies to discourage local residents from playing at the casino, residents will have to pay $100 (US$72) daily or $2,000 (US$1,443) annually to gamble in either casino.