New Zealand Prime Minister John Key shocked the general public when he signed off on a deal that would provide SkyCity Auckland with hundreds of new pokies in return for building the city’s new convention centre. Now, the public is even more shocked that John Key has rejected a similar deal for a convention centre in Queenstown.

Queenstown Lakes District Council has been planning the new convention centre for quite some time. Last year, the council decided that SkyCity would be the preferred operator – but John Key has recently announced that he is not on board with that idea. The issue is not with including a casino in the convention centre complex. Rather, Mr Key is concerned about transferring SkyCity’s existing casino licenses to the property.

This would mean that the local government would have to change gambling laws to allow for this to occur. He does not want to make this allowance. However, he is still keen on opening a convention centre in Queenstown. Mr Key has recognized that a convention centre would bring more tourism into Queenstown, which would help to boost the local economy.

The centre would also create nearly 500 jobs for local residents. While a casino funding deal is not on the table, the prime minister is still confident that the convention centre will receive the funding necessary to build the property. “It’s not straightforward and not easy, and I’m not going to say we have a solution today but we have to find a way to allow your council to get a convention centre up and running,” he says.

While the Queenstown Lakes District Council may not be thrilled with the rejection, local residents will be pleased to know that a casino will not be involved. According to survey, 43% of Queenstown residents are opposed to a casino on the convention centre sit. So, they will certainly support an alternative funding method.

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.