Fresh off besting Echo Entertainment in Sydney, Crown Limited sent Chief Executive Rowen Craigie to Brisbane to pitch the benefits of letting the casino giant into its rival’s Queensland market.
Mr Craigie is reported to have met with officials of the city and the state of Queensland to push a familiar argument—that competition is essential to maximizing Brisbane’s potential as a destination for big-spending international high-rollers—the argument that won the company provisional approval in Sydney for a A$1.3 billion luxury casino and hotel on Darling Harbour within sight of Echo’s monopoly gaming resort, The Star.
Crown Chairman James Packer has labeled Echo’s Brisbane, Townsville and Gold Coast casinos a “disgrace,” and it was expected that Mr Craigie would have echoed that sentiment in a meeting with David Edwards, director general of Queensland’s Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning.
“The point that I made to the director general was that Australia has a 2.5% share of the world VIP gaming market, the high-roller market, and Brisbane’s contribution to that 2.5% is only 0.1%, so that’s obviously the opportunity,” he told The Australian Financial Review.
He also met with Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk.
Echo, which operates the Treasury Casino in Brisbane’s central business district, says it wants to invest more than $1 billion in new facilities, but its location in a heritage-listed building has constrained its ability to grow. The company has instead proposed relocating to a two-hectare site on the Brisbane River. Crown, however, is after the same site. Mr Craigie’s visit included an inspection of the site.
Queensland is conducting a review, due for release in September, on the best use for the land and has requested meetings with both operators prior to holding a public consultation.
Mr Craigie was scheduled to return to the state this week to meet with Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney and Treasurer Tim Nicholls.
