Addition of 273 tables and 365 slot machines defies worries about Adelson's push into revenue-diluting low-stakes play
Las Vegas Sands, owned by US gaming magnate Sheldon Adelson, yesterday unveiled a 50 per cent capacity expansion at its Macau casino, making it the largest in the world by the number of tables.
The company added 273 low-bet gaming tables and 365 slot machines to the Sands Macau, taking the total to 740 tables and 1,254 slots. By comparison, Foxwoods, operated by the Pequot Indians of Connecticut, boasts the facility with the most floor space but offers only 400 tables. The closest rival in Asia, Malaysia's Genting Highlands, also features about 400 tables.
Completed in 10 months at an estimated cost of US$99 million, the expansion was partially funded by a US$2.5 billion credit facility that Las Vegas Sands secured in May to fund various projects related to its US$8 billion multi-phase Cotai Strip development. The 3,000 room Venetian casino resort is due to open at Cotai in June next year.
The Sands' latest addition features mainly HK$100 minimum-bet tables compared with the HK$200 to HK$400 games found elsewhere in the casino.
Spread out on three floors and covering 64,000 square feet, the expanded halls feature games such as baccarat, black jack and roulette while slot machines ring the onsite McDonald's and KFC outlets.
Tourist arrivals in Macau have so far kept pace with the casino's expansion into the mass market, with the number of visitors up 17 per cent in the first half to 10.4 million.
