Last year, when David Walsh proposed the construction of a casino at Tasmania’s Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), industry specialists were sceptical. Due to regulatory red tape, there was doubt that the plan would ever come to fruition. Now, several months later, there is a glimmer of hope. According to an ABC Report, the opening of the MONA casino could occur much sooner than expected.
In Tasmania, Country Club Casino and Wrest Point Casino have a monopoly on the local gambling industry that does not expire until 2023. While it was originally thought that Walsh would have to wait almost a decade to open his new gambling venue, the government is negotiating a potential deal that would allow the MONA casino to be built before then.
“The Government has explored at officer level with Federal Group the grounds on which a MONA casino could be brought forward earlier than 2023,” says Tasmania Treasurer Peter Gutwein. David Walsh’s proposal is not your average casino. It will be open only to high roller tourists, and will not have any pokies or electronic gaming machines.
There will only be a dozen table games at the venue, appealing only to very wealthy visitors from around the world. Walsh has proposed that the venue is called ‘Monaco’. Over the months, community leaders have rallied behind the plan.
It is thought that the new MONA casino would certainly benefit the local economy by bringing in more tourism and gambling revenue without causing an increase in problem gambling rates among local residents.
Mr Gutwein confirms that Tasmanian lawmakers feel very positively about the plan: "There have been discussions with MONA about the nature of those plans – particularly in relation to how it would underpin the ongoing financial viability of the museum, which I think we can all agree, has proved a real game changer for Tasmania”.
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