Queensland is becoming a very sought-after location in Australia’s land-based casino market. More and more gambling operators are expressing interest in opening casinos in the state and there are not 18 companies competing for just three licenses across Queensland. Last year, the state government announced that it would grant a number of casino licenses to help boost the tourism industry.
The only catch is that the operators interested in obtaining a license must have plans to open an integrated casino resort in Queensland in order to drive tourism and bring in a wide range of visitors who are interested in more than gambling. Companies that wish to apply for a casino license must do so by Friday. After February 28th, the registration of interest will close.
The winning bidders will be those that have proposed projects that host hotels, restaurants and conference halls. They should also be suitable for large events. "We are looking for fair dinkum developers who can deliver real projects, with real investors, in real time frames with real benefits for the people of Queensland," says Jeff Seeney, Deputy Premiere.
“There are many parties who share the Newman government's confidence and vision of these key projects to revive the tourism and construction sector of our economy." Included in the list of casino firms that have expressed interest in a Queensland casino license are SkyCity, Echo Entertainment and Crown Melbourne.
With some of the biggest casino operators vying for gaming licenses in the state, local politicians certainly have their work cut out for them. It will certainly be difficult to decide which companies should receive the go-ahead to build new resorts in Queensland, as each operator has expressed great ideas that will boost the local economy by bringing in more tourists from around the world and across the country.