Even then, one of the development conditions was a prohibition on poker machines.
The opening of Australia’s first casino in 1973 - Wrest Point Casino in Hobart - was so controversial that it was only approved after a state referendum. Australia’s previous experience here is instructive. Given the challenges of attracting an elite group of Asian gamblers to Sydney in the face of stiff, more accessible and more impressive casino developments overseas, it is highly unlikely that the Barangaroo casino will remain pokie-free in the long term. As Packer himself noted: “the economics on this project are tough”.
These gamblers would, according to Crown, choose to gamble in Sydney rather than Macau, Singapore or other casino hubs closer to home. Rather than relying on local pokie players to provide a revenue stream, the proposed 70-storey venue at Barangaroo has ambitions to attract lucrative “high-roller” gamblers. Instead, Crown has been granted approval to develop what O’Farrell calls a “VIP gaming facility”. When is a casino not a casino? According to NSW premier Barry O’Farrell, who last week approved James Packer’s Crown Limited bid to establish Sydney’s second casino, a casino isn’t a casino without pokies.
