Construction has begun on the $3.6 billion Las Vegas Sands Casino in Singapore as developers begin two years of work that will culminate in the resort’s opening in 2009.

The lucrative casino contract was awarded by the Singapore government to Las Vegas Sands last May, with the casino now revealing that it has secured deals with 56 tour operators to bring tourists to Singapore from 2009.

However, construction costs could rise by over a third due to recent increases in the price of sand.

“We are going to pay a little more for our sand because of transportation. There are alternative availabilities of sand that could cost us as much as 30 percent more. I don’t think the cost of sand itself is different, it’s just you have to bring it from further away,” said LV Sands president Bill Weidner.

Company officials also commented on the logistical side of contracting out the resort’s 1.2 million square feet of meeting facilities, with over 250 tenants already interested.

“Our biggest problem is who to allocate space to. Singapore is about to undergo a transformation,” said Sheldon Adelson, chief executive officer at LV Sands.

The company is also currently constructing a similarly lavish casino resort in the Cotai area of Macau.

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