Across the country, more and more casino operators are working hard to attract players from around the world. Canberra Casino is the latest gaming venue to up its ante, with its plans to launch a multi-million gambling and entertainment precinct in the Central Business District (CBD). The project has been announced by Aquis Entertainment, who purchased Casino Canberra in 2014.
The developer will be spending $330 million to create an area with several hotels, restaurants, bars and shops around the casino. In addition to bringing in valuable tourism dollars, the precinct will also benefit the economy by creating over 600 jobs for local residents.
"It's major redevelopment of the existing casino, as well as the adjoining land between our current casino and the Convention Centre," says Justin Fung, who heads Aquis Entertainment. "We are talking about revitalising the southern part of Civic and creating that vibrancy that is lacking here." Fung has stated that the project will be marked as an integrated casino resort.
It will not only attract visitors from around the world but also patrons from other parts of Australia. Casino Canberra’s new entertainment precinct will offer a little something for everyone in order to ensure that a varied audience feels welcome. The project is set for completion in 2018, with the tallest building standing at 20 storeys high. The casino operator also seeks some regulatory changes.
Currently, the ACT government has issued a ban on pokies at Casino Canberra. The operator would like the new entertainment district to feature electronic gaming machines, and hopes that the ban will be overturned before the venue opens in 2018. Mr Fung stated that the casino will not be bringing new pokies into the ACT. Instead, Casino Canberra will be purchasing existing pokies from other venues that are selling them voluntarily.