The New South Wales government has just approved James Packer’s proposal for a new Sydney gambling venue. While the primary function of the venue will be to offer gambling facilities, it will not be classified as a casino. Due to its lack of poker machines, it will be called a “VIP Gaming Facility”.

While most gaming clubs and casinos rely on revenue from local poker machine players, Crown’s new venue will target high rollers from overseas. It is assumed that these players are not interested in playing pokies, so the venue will not offer them at all. It will certainly be an uphill battle for Crown, because the target players are from Asia, where there is already a burgeoning market in Macau.

It is being hailed as the new Las Vegas, so it is thought that many players would rather play in the new gambling capital than take a trip to Australia. “The vision of Asian high-rollers flying to Launceston to gamble may seem absurd with the benefit of hindsight,” reads a report in The Conversation, written by Francis Markham and Martin Young.

According to the report, Crown Casinos’ new venue is likely to struggle due to its lack of poker machines. Most Australian casinos have attempted to target Asian high roller gamblers at one point or another, but their efforts failed to attract their target audience. Without poker machines, they would have gone bankrupt.

At James Packers’ other local gambling venue, Crown Melbourne, there is also proof that the lack of pokies will cause trouble for the operator. During the 2008-2009 financial year, Crown Melbourne earned $396 million from its poker machines and just $330 from its VIP operators. So, opening a ‘VIP Gaming Facility’ that will only appeal to high rollers will be a risky business for Crown Casinos.

However, we will only know for sure in 2019, when the venue becomes open to the public.

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.