Resorts World Sentosa Casino

Location and address

Resorts World Sentosa sits on Singapore's resort island of Sentosa, at 8 Sentosa Gateway, Sentosa Island, Singapore 098269⁶. It is a full integrated resort rather than a standalone casino, so the gaming floor is one part of a complex that also holds hotels, a convention center, theme parks and an oceanarium.

Getting there is straightforward from anywhere on the main island. Sentosa is connected by the Sentosa Express monorail, the cable car, public buses and taxis, and the resort's own site lists the routes and drop off points in detail⁶. If you are coming from the city center, the trip is short, and most visitors arrive by taxi or by the monorail from VivoCity.

Once you are inside the resort, the casino is signposted along with the other attractions. Because the property is large, allow a little time to walk from the transport drop off to the casino entrance, especially if you are also visiting the theme park or the aquarium on the same day.

One of Singapore's two licensed casinos

Casino gambling in Singapore is legal only at two properties: Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa⁷. There are no other licensed casino operators in the country, so any other venue offering casino table games or slots is not operating under a Singapore casino license⁴.

That matters practically. If you want to play table games or slots in Singapore, these two resorts are your only legal options. Other forms of gambling are legal in the country too, but those are separate from the casino floor⁷:

• Social gambling
• Betting with Singapore Pools
• Jackpot gambling in private clubs

For a side by side look at how the two licensed casinos compare, see Marina Bay Sands vs Resorts World Sentosa. If you are weighing Sentosa against Malaysia's hill resort instead, Genting Highlands vs Resorts World Sentosa covers that choice.

Entry levy: S$150 a day for citizens and permanent residents

The entry levy is the single detail most visitors ask about, and it depends entirely on your residency status.

Any Singapore citizen or permanent resident who wants to enter the casino must pay an entry levy². The rate is S$150 for every consecutive period of 24 hours³. This replaced the earlier S$100 daily levy, which was raised to S$150 under the Casino Control (Amendment) Bill⁸. The same S$150 daily figure is confirmed on the Marina Bay Sands entry levy page, which applies to Marina Bay Sands¹⁰.

Foreign visitors, including expats on work passes, tourists and short stay visitors, do not pay this levy. It applies to citizens and permanent residents only².

If you are a local who visits often, there is a second option: a valid annual membership of the casino costs S$3,000³. That works out cheaper than paying the daily levy if you expect to go more than about twenty times a year, but for occasional visits the daily levy is the normal route.

The levy is paid at the casino before entry, and it covers a rolling 24 hour window rather than a calendar day. If you leave and return within that window, you do not pay again. If your visit runs past the 24 hours, a further levy applies.

Games and casino floor

The casino is operated by Resorts World at Sentosa Pte. Ltd., and the games permitted on its floor are set out in the operator's published game rules¹¹. The list covers baccarat, blackjack and pontoon, dice games, poker, roulette, semi automated electronic table games, and a catch all category for other games, alongside a separate list of revoked games¹¹.

In practice that means the usual spread you would expect at a large Asian integrated resort: baccarat tables as the centerpiece, blackjack and pontoon, roulette, sic bo and other dice games, poker, and electronic table games for players who prefer a terminal to a live dealer¹¹.

If you want to understand a game before you sit down, the site has plain guides for most of what you will find on the floor: baccarat rules and the variants you may see, blackjack and pontoon, roulette, sic bo, dragon tiger, and the wider set of Asian table games. If you are deciding what to play, the house edge comparison shows how the games stack up against each other.

Electronic options are covered in electronic table games, and slots in slot machines in Asian casinos. Before you buy in, it helps to know how the cage works, which chips and cashier guide explains, and what the table minimums look like at casino table limits.

Minimum age: 21 for entry and poker

The minimum age for entry into the casinos in Singapore is 21¹. That applies to everyone, regardless of nationality or residency. There is no separate lower age for dining, shows or walking through the resort, only for the casino floor itself.

Practically, this means you carry photo ID. Staff check age at the casino entrance, and a passport or national ID card is the usual document. If you are part of a group where one person is under 21, they cannot enter the casino even as a spectator, but the rest of the resort, including the theme park, waterpark and oceanarium, is open to them.

Poker is included in the 21 and over rule, since it is played on the casino floor. There is no separate poker room age.

What to bring and what to expect on the day

A first visit is simpler than people expect. Bring photo ID showing your age, and if you are a Singapore citizen or permanent resident, be ready to pay the S$150 entry levy at the casino entrance². Foreign visitors skip that step.

Dress is resort casual in practice, but the casino floor has its own standards, covered in casino dress codes in Asia. Photography and phone use inside the gaming area are restricted, and the photo and phone rules page explains what is and is not allowed. Smoking rules vary by area, and smoking in casinos in Asia sets out how that works.

On timing, most large Asian casinos run long hours, and the opening hours guide covers how that works across the region. If you want to know about tipping dealers, tipping in Asian casinos explains local practice. Rewards programs are common at this kind of resort, and casino rewards cards and casino comps explain how points and benefits work. High limit players have separate rooms, described in VIP rooms and private gaming.

If you would rather set limits before you play, the resort and the wider Singapore system offer tools. Self exclusion orders apply to both Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands, and there is a step by step process for applying¹². Family exclusion orders also cover both casinos¹³. The responsible gambling desks and limits page explains what is available inside the venues.

Expansion: new hotels, oceanarium and theme park sections

Resorts World Sentosa has been expanding well beyond its original footprint. The plan adds two new sections to Universal Studios Singapore, enlarges the S.E.A. Aquarium into the Singapore Oceanarium, converts the resort theater into an Adventure Dining Playhouse, and redevelops the waterfront with a free attraction, public event space and a retail and dining promenade¹⁴.

The major new amenities were scheduled to come on line in 2024 and beyond, so some elements may already be open while others are still under construction when you visit¹⁴. The resort's own site lists what is open if a specific new attraction is the reason for your trip.

The resort today already includes Universal Studios Singapore, Adventure Cove Waterpark, the Singapore Oceanarium, a research and learning center, WEAVE, the Resorts World Convention Centre and the casino⁵. That mix is what makes it a full day out rather than a casino trip, and it is why groups with mixed interests often base themselves here.

Practical notes for visitors, expats and residents

The rules split cleanly by residency. Visitors and foreign residents pay no entry levy and simply need to be 21 or older with photo ID¹. Singapore citizens and permanent residents pay S$150 per 24 hours, or S$3,000 for an annual membership³.

If you are an expat living in Singapore on a work pass, you are treated as a foreign visitor for levy purposes, since the levy applies to citizens and permanent residents only². That is a meaningful difference if you visit regularly.

For anyone comparing Sentosa with the region's other casino destinations, Asia's casino destinations compared sets out how Singapore, Macau, Manila and Genting differ on entry, levies and games. The wider casinos and integrated resorts in Asia hub covers the same ground country by country, and which casino games are allowed in each Asian jurisdiction is useful if a specific game is the reason for your visit.