The sale of the Townsville Casino was recently approved by the Queensland government. Now, Colonial Leisure Group will take over ownership from Echo Entertainment, which is the first step in a $20 million renovation of the venue. When the acquisition was initially made in January 2014, the Colonial Leisure Group stated that it did not have any major plans to refurbish the property or change its operations.
Now, the company is making plans to invest millions in the property, which will certainly benefit the city by bringing in more tourism and gambling revenue. Chris Morris of Colonial Leisure Group has stated that he is already in the planning stages. He has already contacted architects and enlisted in them to help draw up designs for the casino’s new look.
However, he has yet to provide any specific details regarding the direction in which he plans to take the venue’s look. Mr Morris recognizes that Townville’s greatest asset is its water, but it is not particularly utilised in the hospitality industry. He would like to see the redesign take the beautiful view and waterfront into consideration, allowing patrons to enjoy this part of the city. “At the moment we are still deciding what is possible,” he says.
“The initial part will really be upgrading the food and beverage offerings”. It has taken over 8 months for the sale of the casino to be finalised. According to Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie, there was a thorough approval process that had to take place before ownership of the casino could be transferred.
The State Government first had to provide regulatory approval, which included a probity check Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill is confident that the sale of the casino will be a great thing for the venue and the city. She believes that Colonial Group will be more committed to the casino’s development, which help to boost Townsville’s tourism market.
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