Two high-roller casinos proposed for the Australian state of Tasmania would only serve non-Tasmanians, according to policy under consideration by the state government.
A report released last week revealed that the licenses would be made available in Tasmania under new gaming legislation due to be introduced in parliament this year.
The Tasmanian Examiner reported that a southern license would be offered to gambler David Walsh, founder of the Museum of Old and New Art, with a second license to be considered, but not guaranteed, for the north or northwest.
“The mechanism by which this is achieved by the operator would be subject to approval by the Tasmanian Liquor and Gaming Commission,” said a government spokesperson. “The Liquor and Gaming Branch of Treasury would put in place a compliance program requiring venues to provide evidence that they are meeting this requirement and compliance would be monitored by the branch on behalf of the commission with penalties in place for compliance breaches.”
The spokesperson said Tasmanians would still be able to gamble at existing casinos inside and outside the state, but not at the new casinos.
“The proposal by MONA is for a unique high-roller casino targeting a specific component of the gaming market and designed to attract high-value travelers to Tasmania,” the spokesperson said.
According to ABC News, in 2015 Walsh announced plans for a 160-room hotel-casino development with a restaurant, bar, theater, retail outlets and a spa. Walsh has said poker machines in pubs “use noise to disguise the fact that they are financial Russian roulette,” and his casino would attract a loftier clientele.
“Every outcome feels like a lottery win. But it’s a bullet in disguise,” he wrote in 2018.
