After being granted Queensland’s last casino resort license, Echo Entertainment is making plans for its new integrated casino resort at Brisbane’s Queen’s Wharf. While the proposal stated that there would be just over 1600 pokies at the new property, a recent development may allow the casino operator to nearly double its numbers.

Originally, Echo Entertainment planned to bring 1632 slot machine licenses into the new Queen’s Wharf Casino resort. They would be carried over from the Treasury Casino. Now, the casino operator will be allowed to have up to 2500 at its new property. The decision was made by the Queensland government, as local officials are eager to raise gaming venue.

Lawmakers in the state have given Echo Entertainment permission to add up to 2500 pokies to the casino, and the casino operator is currently in the process of determining just how many extra pokies will be able to fit on the gaming floor. “Throughout our bid we made it quite clear that we didn’t require any additional gaming machines in the proposal,” says Geoff Hogg, Managing Director of Echo Entertainment Queensland.

“Late in the process it became quite clear that the license was going to be consistent for both parties and the license included 2,500 machines.” While responsible gambling advocates may be sceptical about the deal, the casino operator is confident that the extra games will not have a negative effect on the community.

The gaming floor will occupy just 5% of the casino resort. Mr Hogg states that the casino will not open with all 2500 pokies. Instead, the new Echo Entertainment property will add new poker machines over the course of the next few years. Each of the new games will bring in an extra $100 000 in gaming revenue to the state of Queensland, so it is a mutually-beneficial deal.  

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.