THE STRAITS TIMES
MARINA BAY Sands president and chief executive officer Thomas Arasi is resigning after 18 months, with industry talk circulating for a month now about possible changes to the casino’s top-level management.
In an email to staff on Friday, the American, who is in his 50s, said he will step down from his position, which he assumed in August 2009, next Tuesday.
He said: ‘I have decided to pause, take a breather and spend more time with my daughter and other family.’
A gaming analyst who declined to be named said one reason for Mr Arasi’s resignation could be the ‘pressure’ he faced running the casino here, which is owned by the Las Vegas Sands. That company is headed by billionaire Sheldon Adelson.
One industry insider said: ‘Mr Adelson is known in the industry to be a strong character with very strong views. A lot of the business is decided by him in the US.’
MBS opened in April last year and has pulled in revenues of $631 million and a pre-tax profit of $315 million for its first full quarter ended last Sep 30.