In the mid 2000s Singapore offered two 30 year casino licenses for integrated resorts, where casinos had to fund convention centers, theaters, museums, and retail. The government fixed the Marina Bay land price at 1.2 billion Singapore dollars so bidders competed on design, and Las Vegas Sands won in 2006 with architect Moshe Safdie. The budget grew from 3.85 billion to 8 billion Singapore dollars, about 6.88 billion US dollars, amid soaring sand and steel prices and a labor shortage. Safdie’s three 55 story towers, inspired by decks of cards, each have a curved leg leaning on a straight one, held by temporary steel struts during construction and vetted by feng shui consultants. On top sits the 1.2 hectare SkyPark, lifted in 14 prefabricated sections, with a 66.5 meter cantilever and a 150 meter infinity pool holding over 376,000 gallons.

The 2008 financial crisis forced Las Vegas Sands to halt other projects and open in phases in 2010 and 2011. The first conference in May 2010, held by the Inter-Pacific Bar Association, hit unfinished rooms and power failures, leading to lawsuits over a withheld 300,000 dollar payment. By June 2010 half a million gamblers had visited, despite a daily levy on Singaporeans and permanent residents. Las Vegas Sands later secured a 12 billion Singapore dollar loan in 2025, the largest corporate loan in Singapore’s history, for a fourth tower and a 15,000 seat arena due in 2031.

• Four movement joints give the pool about 500 millimeters of play as the towers sway
• 500 adjustable jack legs keep the infinity edge level as the towers settle at different rates into reclaimed marine clay
• Safdie’s lotus-shaped ArtScience Museum roof funnels rain into an indoor waterfall
• The resort appears in Crazy Rich Asians, Call of Duty Black Ops 3, and Mario Kart tracks through the pool
• After a disputed slot payout in 2011, regulators backed Chow Hong Eng, who received the full 416,000 dollars and gave it to charity