SkyCity Adelaide’s casino, hotel expansion expected to attract high rollers to SA
The $330 million expansion of Adelaide’s casino is expected to bring huge numbers of international high rollers to SA and add 900 jobs — as a finish date is revealed.
SA Business
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA Business. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- SkyCity’s expansion: What’s proposed
- Festival car park plans zoom ahead
- Festival Plaza: Walker’s hotel, second office tower plans out
SkyCity is gearing up to attract a “phenomenal” number of international high rollers into Adelaide next October when its casino and hotel build is completed, doubling employee numbers to 1800.
“Adelaide is like a new opportunity for the high rollers. There are more fantastic direct flights, climate is fantastic with more great options for shopping and food and beverage,” David Christian, the newly-returned general manager of the Adelaide casino, told The Advertiser.
Mr Christian, who first headed up negotiations on the $330 million expansion, including a 12-storey, 123-suite hotel, rooftop bar, a sports bar and signature restaurants, is now back to oversee the build’s completion.
He was general manager of the Adelaide casino from 2008-14, and recently completed the sale of SkyCity’s Darwin resort operation to Delaware North, which he had been managing since mid-2016.
“Our Adelaide gaming revenues will grow (next year) but we are focused on bringing in some good international business. The top floor of the hotel has eight private gaming salons and the rooftop will be the best in Australia.
“We are very positive of selling the casino internationally through our current sales teams in China and other parts of Asia.
“The positive of Darwin going is that we can now focus on NZ and Adelaide,” he said.
He dismissed concerns the project has taken too long — and comes as the group’s gambling revenues decline. SkyCity chose to exit the Darwin market due to “a lack of level playing field” related to changes to the number of gaming licences, he said.
“We should see some strong growth in international high rollers coming into Adelaide — it should be phenomenal.
“Yes, internationally a few more places are opening up like Japan. But it’s a view of the market and how saturated it is.”
SkyCity has negotiated a deal to be Adelaide’s sole casino operator until at least 2035 and has a deal on introducing cashless gaming, lower gaming tax rates for VIP gaming, an increase in pokies machines by about a third to 1500 and an increase in gaming tables from 90 to 200.
Construction by Hansen Yuncken is progressing to plan with work starting now on the full integration plan, which will incorporate the old and the new buildings with a public atrium.
The build is now up to the first floor of the hotel, with the rest of the floors now going up more quickly with the glass facade being fitted around.
“The first five floors of the casino are like double storeys with high ceilings to match the old building’s high ceilings.”
A new restaurant will be opened by early November.
EXPANSION PLANS: SEE WHAT’S PROPOSED
Earthworks on the five-storey carpark beneath the Riverbank, being developed by Walker Corporation, will be completed by September.
A request-for-tender process is imminent, with the builder for the carpark to be announced later this year, a Walker Corporation spokesman said.
Walker‘s approved plans for the site also include a 23-storey office tower and a 4000sq m premium retail and entertainment precinct, but as reported in The Advertiser in April, these are being revised.
SkyCity has leased 750 of the 1560 parking bays long-term and has been assured it will be ready in time, irrespective of Walker’s Festival Plaza plans.
Mr Christian said he was still hoping for easing of gaming machine restrictions in SA, which are “are just so different from every other state in Australia”.
“We still have coins (in the casino),” he said. “On securing interstate business, we want players to come here, we have more restrictions about what we can and can’t do than what any other casino in Australia has to.
“Interstate gambling business is actually quite a good tourism business — they spend everywhere.”
SA optimism shines through in latest survey
While the perils of this pandemic continued to swirl around them in states like Victoria and overseas, South Australian business owners were surprisingly feeling somewhat confident about the road ahead.
SA business confidence on the mend
SA business confidence made a comeback in the June quarter, exemplified by a Lonsdale family-owned business that employs 500 staff and has its eye firmly on the future of manufacturing in Australia.