Marina Bay Sands drawn into China currency control battle against casinos

SINGAPORE (Dec 30): Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands has found itself in the crosshairs as China takes aim at casinos in the region in its battle to keep billions of yuan from flowing out of the mainland.

Beijing is reported to take issue with Marina Bay Sands casino’s China UnionPay voucher scheme, which allows cards users to exchange "resort entertainment" vouchers for gaming chips.

A top official at the People’s Bank of China, which oversees the operation of China UnionPay, told the South China Morning Post that this in breach of China’s strict currency controls.

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