Echo Entertainment and Crown Casinos are currently battling it out over which casino operator will expand Sydney’s gambling market. In just over a week, both companies will be required to submit proposals to the NSW government – and Genting has recently entered the arena. This week, Genting Hong Kong bought over 11 million shares in Echo Entertainment.

The result of the purchase has increased the company’s stake in Echo Entertainment from 5.2% to 6.6%. This is quite an interesting development, as Crown Casinos has recently sold its 10% stake in the company. Rumours claim that Crown CEO James Packer sold his stake in the company because NSW politicians are learning towards granting his company permission to build Sydney’s Casino.

Now, with Genting showing faith in Echo Entertainment’s proposal, this could change everything. However, this is all speculation at the moment. NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell recently urged the two companies to stop publically competing. The committee that will be reviewing the two proposals is interested in how the proposed casinos will benefit the local community.

They will not be concerned about any of the issues that have been raised in the media spotlight. So, there is no way of telling if Crown Casinos actually is the preferred the party. All that we know is that the two companies will be handing in their proposals at the end of June. While Crown Casinos wants to build an exclusive gambling venue for high rollers, Echo Entertainment wants to expand its casino into a resort.

The casino will offer something for everyone, including pokie, table games and other entertainment options. Both proposals have obvious benefits for NSW’s tourism industry and economy. However, only one company will get the go-ahead. It will be interesting to see which casino operator presents a more compelling case for their vision of the future of Sydney’s gambling market.

About the Author

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.