The state of Queensland in Australia may issue as many as three new casino licences as it seeks to boost tourism with integrated resorts similar to Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa.
The state will welcome applications for redevelopment of a riverfront site in central Brisbane that includes an existing casino operated by Echo Entertainment and consider allowing two more licences elsewhere in the state, Premier Campbell Newman said.
The move challenges Echo, which has three of Queensland’s four current licences and accounted for 97 per cent of casino spending in the state in the 12 months up to June, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Neighbouring New South Wales state agreed in July to examine plans by billionaire James Packer’s Crown for a casino in Sydney that will challenge Echo’s monopoly in that city.
“Queensland can sustain up to three new integrated resort casinos,” Newman said, referring to complexes containing gaming floors, hotels and entertainment and retail precincts. “The casino is only part of these major developments, which are tourism draw cards in their own right.”
The developments “could lead to similar benefits for Queensland” as those that Singapore has seen from Genting Singapore’s Resorts World Sentosa and Las Vegas Sands’ Marina Bay Sands, Newman said.
