In a surprise announcement, the new Marina Bay Sands tower, being built in Singapore, will not include gambling as part of their operations, according to a statement provided by an executive with the resort casino. This release was provided by George Tanasijevich, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Marina Bay Sands Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation.

On April 3, the government of Singapore had allowed their two casinos to expand operations by imposing higher taxes on gambling revenue. It was expected that this would raise an additional $6.65 billion by the end of 2030, which would add a significant amount of revenue in taxes to the government.

However, the new fourth tower, which is being built at a cost of SGD4.5 billion, will not include gambling as part of the operations. It will contain a 15,000 seat arena as well as 1000 luxury suites and a sky roof, but gambling operations will not be included.

Instead, gambling operations may increase in the current casinos located within the Marina Bay Sands other three towers. The current plans include a 13.3% increase in the total amount of gambling space allotted to the Marina Bay Sands, which should provide up to 17,000 square meters of space.