A croupier waits for gamblers in front of a roulette wheel inside the Resorts World Sentosa casino on Singapore's Sentosa Island February 14, 2010. Singapore's first casino, a key part of a drive to boost tourism revenue and please wealthy visitors, opened it doors on Sunday, Lunar New Year -- the most auspicious day of the Chinese calendar. Photo:Xinhua

Singapore on Sunday opened the first of its two casinos as part of its efforts to attract more foreign tourists in the coming years.

The casino at Resorts World Sentosa opened to the public at the auspicious time of 12:18 pm local time on the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, which begins on Sunday.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Malaysian gaming giant Genting Group Chairman Lim Kok Thay said that they have waited a long time for Sunday' s opening of the casino, and this is a milestone for Resorts World Sentosa, for Genting Group and for Singapore.

Resorts World Sentosa, one of the world's most extensive and expensive integrated resorts was built at a cost of 6.59 billion Singapore dollars (4.6 billion U.S. dollars) in a record time of under three years.

Marina Bay Sands, the city state's second casino, has not finished its construction and is expected to open to the public this year.

Genting Group Chairman Lim Kok Thay plays baccarat at a table inside the Resorts World Sentosa casino on Singapore's Sentosa Island February 14, 2010. Photo:Xinhua

An undated photo released to Reuters on February 11, 2010 shows the interior of the soon-to-be-opened Resorts World Sentosa casino on Singapore's Sentosa Island. Photo:Xinhua

A performer holds over-sized deck cards in front of the Resorts World Sentosa casino on Singapore's Sentosa island February 14, 2010. Photo:Xinhua

Singaporeans queue to enter the Resorts World Sentosa casino on Singapore's Sentosa Island February 14, 2010. Photo:Xinhua