The doors to Singapore's first casino and Universal Studios theme park will be flung open by the Chinese New Year, which is widely regarded as an auspicious time.

Tenants and staff at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) told The Straits Times that they have been gearing up for the big opening at the end of this week.

One tenant said on Sunday (February 7) they had been told by the management that the theme park is targeted to open on either Feb 12 or 13, and the casino would open on Feb 13.

"We were told this a couple of days ago. We are very excited about good business during Chinese New Year," said Zie Samad, manager of Chili's, a restaurant which is just beside the theme park entrance.

Entertainment veteran Dennis Foo, who is opening a new club at the integrated resort (IR) by early May, said "more than three people in senior management" had told him the theme park would be taking in its first guests this week.

Foo toured the IR last month and pronounced the casino "100 per cent ready".

Several casino staff, who spoke to The Straits Times on condition of anonymity, said they were told to be ready for the casino's opening before Chinese New Year.

When asked to confirm the dates, RWS spokesman Robin Goh would only say: "We will announce when it's time. We are still on track for the soft opening in the first quarter of 2010."

The biggest roadblock to the casino's opening was cleared on Saturday when the Casino Regulatory Authority granted RWS its casino licence.

The approval means it has fulfilled several conditions: At least half of the resort's gross floor area has been completed, and at least half of the committed investment has been spent.

It also means RWS has passed the authority's probity investigations and obtained the green light for its casino layout, gaming equipment, gaming surveillance and licences for casino employees.

Observers and analysts say a Chinese New Year opening is ideal, given the long weekend and the Asian appetite for punting during the supposedly lucky festive season.

CIMB-GK regional economist Song Seng Wun said the opening date makes "perfect sense", with regional travellers taking advantage of the long weekend to seek entertainment nearby.

Last month, the Sentosa IR became the first attraction of its kind to open here, more than three years after Singapore decided to give licences to two casino resorts.

On Jan 20, at the auspicious time of 8.18am, RWS opened four hotels, 10 restaurants and five shops to the public in a low-key opening ceremony.

The four hotels are fully booked for the Chinese New Year period from Feb 13 to 21, mostly by Singaporeans, said Goh.

Meanwhile, travel agents such as CTC Holidays are preparing to fly in the tourists.

The agency has already launched theme park and casino packages in China, Viet Nam and Japan. It has received more than 100 queries from overseas agents and customers about the resort's opening date.

On Sunday, scores of visitors milled about Resorts World's premises, snapping pictures of themselves at the casino and theme park entrances.

Among them were siblings Karen and Kevin Tang, who decided to visit the place after hearing about the casino licence approval over the weekend.

Said Tang, a 30-year-old bank executive: "Singapore has never had a casino or a theme park like Universal Studios before, so we are looking forward to them opening very soon."Additional reporting by Chuan Bing Han and Mou Zongxiao