The government of Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews is looking at a billion private bid that could bring a second casino to the state. According to the Age, casino developer John Haddad hopes to build the mega-casino on the Geelong waterfront. The only casino now operating in Victoria is also the nation’s largest: the Crown, in Melbourne.
The Geelong economy has been challenged by the closure of several large manufacturing plants; the publication reported the community has lost many jobs and has “pockets of extreme disadvantage.”
A spokeswoman for Gaming Minister Jane Garrett said there are no current plans for a second Victoria casino, though her office has viewed documents related to the Geelong plan.
“There has been an idea floated by a private operator and he has been referred to the normal processes at the department of treasury and finance,” said Garrett, adding that there has been no formal proposal entered. “If a second casino was to ever to be built, there would have to be a huge amount of work done, a huge amount of community consultation, none of that is taking place. At this point it just so beyond hypothetical, it is … a thought bubble.”
Haddad himself said it’s “too early” to talk about the plan, but also said Geelong would be a “superb place for a second casino.”
Fairfax Media pointed out that if Crown’s monopoly in the state is jeopardized, the Andrews government would be “on a collision course” with billionaire James Packer, head of Crown Resorts. Not surprisingly, the proposal has been slammed by the Alliance for Gambling Reform, which said Geelong punters lost $113 million on poker machines last year.
But the government may be motivated to roll the dice. Recently, the state governments in Queensland and New South Wales have considered major casino developments to boost tax revenues and also “stimulate competition” in the gaming sector, Fairfax Media reported.
