A Second Casino For Sydney

Its taken a long time, and a great deal of legal wrangling that we havent been party to, but it looks like there will be a new addition to the Sydney skyline, out in Darling Harbour.

And it looks like a big, shiny new addition, too, if the plans were seeing are anything to go by. The Sydney skyline is iconic, to say the least, but thats not likely to get in the way of the ambitions of a man like James Packer, the man behind Crown Casinos, who have won a license to open Sydneys second casino in 2019.

It looks like a corker. The mostly-low-rise skyline of Darling Harbour will be fundamentally changed by the massive redevelopment, which will include a six-star hotel and a members-only casino, as well as the usual ultra-luxury trappings: infinity pool, nightlife, restaurants, entertainment and plenty of accommodation.

All in, itll be an AU$1.6billion project, and one that Packer has high hopes for: I want this building to be instantly recognisable around the world and feature on postcards and memorabilia promoting Sydney. Thats how you attract international tourists, create jobs and put Sydney on the map.

Without wanting to point out that Sydney already features on plenty of maps, the subtext there is that Packer wants his casinos to be able to compete with the other ultra-luxury casino resorts in Asia-Pacific for their share of the high-roller gambling market that could potentially net him so much cash.

Of course, a new development for Sydney would bring a fresh influx of tourists to a city that already thrives on the trade, not to mention the stimulus that a project on that scale provides locally. But will it benefit Australians, or just James Packer?

Australians can be rightly proud of their casinos, we think, and there will be absolutely no harm in having yet another excellent venue to visit. What were really interested to see is the effect on Echo Entertainments The Star, which has been a fixture of Sydneys nightlife for a long while now.

Echo are concerned, if their AU$1billion bid to stop the new license is any indication, but a little bit of healthy competition might be just the thing for the Australian casino tourist, especially if theyre in the vicinity of Sydney...

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A Second Casino For Sydney

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