In addition, the casino will be also the second biggest building in the world with its 3,000 hotel suites, 350 shops, a 1,800-seat conference centre and a 15,000-seat entertainment centre. The casino itself will house 1,150 gaming tables and 7,000 slot machines.

The resort is an attempt to create a Las Vegas-style “neon alley” on the “Cotai Strip” and transform the gambling island, which is dominated by day-trippers into an all-round entertainment location.

“I know what I’m doing. We’ve already done this in Vegas. There is no question about this,” Las Vegas Sands Chairman Sheldon Adelson said in an interview on Monday.

“All we’re doing is taking the fully matured, completely evolved capital of entertainment called Las Vegas, and picking it up and dropping it here,” he added.