But with Las Vegas-style glitz seemingly the next big thing in Asia's gaming market - suddenly the industry's global growth center - it's worth asking whether Singapore's safe bet was also a smart bet.

From the beginning, Genting was tipped the favorite for the integrated resort site on Sentosa, a putative tropical-paradise island overlooking one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. Singapore has long tried to find a winning formula for this 500-hectare, shoe-shaped island south of the city, and a world-class theme park has long been viewed by government planners as the missing piece.

The largest publicly traded gaming company in Asia, Genting beat out rival proposals from a pair of bidders. Kerzner International, best known for the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas, proposed a Frank Gehry futuristic concept of 30th-century Atlantis and a partnership with the Singapore government through CapitaLand. (The two proposals affiliated with Singapore Inc for Marina Bay also fell short.)

Eighth Wonder, designer of the New York, New York casino in Las Vegas, enlisted an array of partners but, like Kerzner, lacked a proven theme-park brand.

Resorts World at Sentosa will offer much more than roller-coasters and a Waterworld-brand stunt show. The 49-hectare site will include a Universal Studios theme park with 16 of 22 attractions exclusively designed for Singapore, including a swim-with-the- sharks aquarium, a water park, a museum, three public amphitheaters and six hotels totaling 1800 rooms, all linked by a so-called FestiveWalk to form a "village-like festive ambience", according to the Singapore Tourism Board. That's not to mention a 15,000-square- meter casino with about 300 tables and up to 2500 gaming machines.

"Genting is bringing a major theme-park attraction, which plainly is what Singapore wanted for Sentosa just as a convention center is what they wanted for the Marina South integrated resort [awarded to Las Vegas Sands in May]. They were certainly transparent about what was required and Genting delivered Universal, end of story," said Devin Kimble, managing director of the local Brewerkz restaurant group. "The issue was not who was going to run the tables, so to speak, but who was going to provide the rides."

Alone among the three bidders, Genting offered experience operating an integrated resort in Asia, in the landmark Genting Highlands resort in the hills outside Kuala Lumpur. Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong once referred to that complex as a "model" integrated resort.

Genting has further gaming interests on four continents, and in October acquired Stanley Leisure, Britain's largest casino operator. Genting executive chairman Lim Kok Thay said at the time of the acquisition that he saw synergies between that deal and Sentosa. Subsidiary Star Cruises offers a compelling tie-in with Singapore's cruise-ship terminal undergoing a facelift across the harbor from Sentosa.

High standards

The S$5.2 billion (US$3.4 billion) Resorts World at Sentosa will represent the second-most- expensive casino resort ever, trailing only Singapore's other soon-to-be-built integrated resort, the US$3.68 billion Sands Marina Bay downtown. The Sentosa project is expected to add about 0.8% to Singapore's annual gross domestic product and generate 30,000 jobs by 2015.

Still, many Singaporean commentators referred to Genting as a "third rate" or "three star" operator entrusted with building a five-star property. Posters occasionally made specific reference to the company's Malaysian roots, often a source of ethnic and historical controversy in neighboring Singapore. Some took a nationalistic tone, complaining about giving a state treasure - albeit one that has arguably been masquerading as a white elephant for decades - to a neighbor with which Singapore shares rocky bilateral ties. Others talked about Genting's "dirty toilets" and "boring rides" at "that place on the hill".

"I'm not sure that Genting will be able to deliver to 'Singapore standard'," restaurateur Kimble said. "I think that is the big question mark."

But Judy Siguaw, dean of Cornell-Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management, said she believes that "Genting's 20 years of experience and its global success readily provided Singapore with the confidence it needed. If the Malaysian factor entered into the equation, I am sure that Singapore would have considered the benefits of creating strong neighborly bonds."

Furthermore, Siguaw said, "I believe that the fact that Genting was an Asian-based organization was a plus, given the last [bid] was awarded to a US-based company." She added, "Now Singapore will have one Western-based and one Asian-based casino, fulfilling Singapore's desire to have diversity in all things."

Sometimes things that seem simple really are. "I think it was a difficult decision between the iconic Kerzner bid featuring the Frank Gehry design and Genting's Universal Studio concept," said Andy Nazarechuk, dean of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas Singapore Campus. "Putting a Universal Studio on Sentosa will add a new dimension for Singapore's tourism industry."

With the expansion of gambling in the region, that new dimension becomes critical. Having a pair of casinos - when Macau has three dozen, the Philippines, South Korea and even Cambodia are already in the game and Japan and Thailand are tempted to join - can't be counted on to bring an additional 5 million visitors a year to Singapore. But dealing the multibillion- dollar contract to a joint Genting-Universal Studio concept appears at first blush to be the best bet for a winning hand.

Gary LaMoshi has worked as a reporter, author and broadcast producer in the US and Asia since the 1970s. Longtime editor of investor rights advocate eRaider.com, he's also a contributor to Slate and Salon.com, and a counselor for Writing Camp.

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