Crown Casinos and Echo Entertainment are currently battling over the right to expand the gambling market in Brisbane. Each casino operator has presented a compelling case for why they should permitted to introduce new venues, but Queensland Premier Campbell Newman wants to hear more from Echo Entertainment. Echo Entertainment is currently the operator of Brisbane’s Treasury Casino.

The venue is a staple in the city’s entertainment industry, but the casino operator has been accused of failing to remain dedicated to the upkeep of the venue. The Treasury has suffered from a decline in patrons and profits over the course of the past few years, and Mr Newman wonders why Echo Entertainment should be granted the opportunity to expand further into Brisbane’s gambling market.

“Why should they have an exclusive licence to print money essentially in the state of Queensland?” Mr Newman asks. "They are not world standard venues anymore and they do need to be substantially redeveloped and that's what we want to see happen." The Premier used Echo Entertainments’ Jupiters Casino as an example. He noted that the casino has failed to honour is commitment to upgrading the venue.

It is in need of a major refurbishment, but Echo Entertainment has yet to make good on its promise. As such, Mr Newman questions whether or not the casino operator will stay committed to the Treasury Casino if it is given the opportunity to expand the property.

However, he has noted that his comments about Echo Entertainment should not be misconstrued as him showing a preference towards Crown Casinos’ proposal to build a new casino in Brisbane. Like many local residents, Mr Newman is also sceptical about building a second casino in the city.

The community does not want to turn Brisbane into a gambling capital, so there has been a great deal of resistance to Crown Casino’s proposal to build a high roller venue in the city.

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George Anderson
Author George, has over 25+ years’ experience in the Pokies and Casinos industry throughout Australia and New Zealand. Loves to research new Pokies games on the block and follows announcements from top industry providers about their upcoming releases. As soon as a new interesting pokie game appears on his radar, George is there to check it out and give you the scoop before anyone else and tell you about all casino sites where can play the latest game. Before this gig, George worked as Pokie game tester, making him an ideal candidate for this genre of work. He is also an animal lover and a proud owner of three dogs.