Second casino licence for the Gold Coast

Thursday, March 7, 2019

Famed Las Vegas casino Caesars Palace, Hard Rock International and emerging Cambodia-based gaming giant NagaCorp are among the 12 expected bidders for a second casino licence for the Gold Coast.

The Palaszczuk Labor government has announced that it has made the plans for an integrated casino resort after it was abandoned before the 2017 state election amid public opposition to the then-proposed site at The Spit, at the northern end of the city.

Tourism Minister Kate Jones confirmed that the government was calling for expressions of interest for the development; however, there was no preferred site.

Caesars and the Hard Rock Cafe — which operates in 75 countries — are among companies looking after the project, along with NagaCorp and The Star Entertainment Group, which operates Star Casino on the Glitter Strip. Ms Jones said that the process bring in increased investment in Gold Coast tourism.

Star was accused of neglecting its Brisbane Treasury casino, but eventually blocked a second ¬casino after it proposed the $3bn Queen’s Wharf development, which is now under construction.

At least 11 potential sites have been identified by the government for the project. Ms Jones said that the government would not disclose the potential sites at this stage.

“We have had more than a dozen operations from around the world come forward saying they would like to have a look at what sites are suitable,’’ Jones said.

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