Genting Singapore’s RWS casino chief Andrew MacDonald steps down; shares rise

SINGAPORE - Mr Andrew MacDonald, chief casino officer and director at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), has stepped down.

He had done so to “pursue personal interests”, said mainboard-listed Genting Singapore, the owner of RWS, in a bourse filing on Nov 2. It listed the date of cessation as Nov 1, and provided no further elaboration.

The 64-year-old had been “responsible for overseeing the overall casino business at RWS”, said the group.

In August, Mr MacDonald said in a LinkedIn post that

he had been issued a persona non grata notice

, prohibiting him from “entering or remaining on any part of Marina Bay Sands (MBS) integrated resort premises, including but not limited to the hotel, mall, convention centre and casino”.

The ban was for alleged attempts at poaching high rollers, and was seen by industry experts as an unprecedented move.

Mr MacDonald, a veteran casino gaming executive, was an employee of MBS for almost 12 years. He was executive vice-president of casino operations at MBS from 2010 and became chief casino officer for MBS parent Las Vegas Sands in 2012.

He left MBS in July 2021 and joined RWS in September 2022 as chief casino officer after a non-compete clause in his separation agreement expired.

According to Genting Singapore’s annual report for the year ended Dec 31, 2023, Mr MacDonald’s total remuneration is listed as between $2,500,000 and $2,750,000.

Genting Singapore’s parent is Bursa-listed Genting Group.

Shares of Genting Singapore rose on Nov 4, after the news. The stock was up 1.5 cents, or 1.8 per cent, at 86 cents as at 1.30pm.

THE BUSINESS TIMES