Ex-Marina Bay Sands executive banned due to concerns over poaching of high-rollers & staff
A former Marina Bay Sands (MBS) executive has been banned from the premises of the integrated resort (IR), having left his position to join rival Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) in 2022.
The move was reportedly made over concerns that Mr Andrew MacDonald was poaching high-rollers and staff.
Source: Andrew MacDonald on Facebook
Marina Bay Sands banned ex-employee on 31 July
Mr MacDonald shared a photo of the “persona non grata” notice on his Facebook page on 18 Aug.
“Persona non grata” is a Latin phrase meaning “unwelcome person”.
Dated 31 July 2024, the notice states that Mr Macdonalds is “prohibited from entering or remaining” on any part of the MBS premises.
This includes but isn’t limited to the hotel, mall, convention centre and casino.
If he attempts to enter or is found on the premises, he will be denied access or asked to leave. MBS may also take legal action against him if he does so.
This is in effect until further notice.
He worked at MBS for 12 years
According to his LinkedIn profile, Mr MacDonald, 64, worked at MBS for about 12 years, starting in 2010 as Executive Vice-President of casino operations.
In 2012, he became Senior Vice-President and Chief Casino Officer at Las Vegas Sands Corp, the parent company of MBS, before leaving in 2021.
He joined RWS, Singapore’s only other IR, as Chief Casino Officer in September 2022.
In February, he was appointed a board director at RWS, according to Inside Asian Gaming (IAG).
The Australian has more than 40 years’ experience in the gaming industry, having started out as a casino dealer in Tasmania.
He had visited MBS a number of times recently
Though he left MBS in 2021, Mr MacDonald had reportedly been spotted on the premises a number of times recently.
He told IAG that he was mostly with a close friend from Australia, former Crown Melbourne executive Mike Sugrue, when they visited MBS in late July.
His interactions with two high-rollers at the time were coincidental and not initiated by him, he said. Both men also bumped into many current MBS employees. Some of these executives helped them make restaurant bookings.
Mr MacDonald also acknowledged that he visited the MBS casino on 22 July and 26 July.
On the first visit, he dined at Tong Dim Noodle Bar, while the second visit was for the release of Las Vegas Sands’ quarterly financial results.
Concerns were raised that he could have been trying to poach MBS high-rollers and staff, which resulted in his banning, IAG understands.
He was banned for confidential reasons: Marina Bay Sands
MBS told IAG that banning someone from the premises was “not a decision that we take lightly”.
The IR has “robust protocols to assess the merits of such action”, it said.
However, it didn’t elaborate on the reasons behind the decision, adding that the factors are “confidential”.
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Featured image adapted from Andrew MacDonald on Facebook and MS News.
