Gold Coast development: Second Gold Coast casino must be on par with Star’s $3B masterplan

THE Gold Coast’s second casino will be a multi-billion dollar affair on par with the world’s best entertainment venues as its opponents warn it` would be a ‘club on steroids’.

THE GOLD Coast’s proposed global tourism hub must be a high-quality, multi-billion dollar development on par with the world’s top entertainment venues.

That’s the message from the city’s top tourism and political leaders who have thrown their weight behind making the project a reality and not a ‘community club on steroids’.

On Saturday the Gold Coast Bulletin revealed Southport was the favoured location for the project, with a tentative price tag of $1 billion.

Hard Rock Cafe is understood to be interested in establishing itself on the Coast.

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Prospective locations include the Broadwater Caravan Park and the Star of the Sea site.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate and Destination Gold Coast chairman Paul Donovan say the development must be on par with that of The Star’s $3 billion multi-tower masterplan development at Broadbeach or that of Las Vegas’ Caesars Palace and Hard Rock cafe.

“Southport is the perfect spot but whatever it is, it must be of high quality,” Mr Donovan said.

Paul Donovan and Kate Jones. Photo: Kit Wise

“At this point in time the Star Group are delivering high quality with the new The Darling tower and the Dorsett tower which has just broken ground.

“If this is to be a casino resort then it must be up there with this level of quality.”

Cr Tate said he was prepared to ‘roll up his sleeves’ to help the eventual proponent deliver a ‘quality project’.

“At the moment the Government are getting ready to test the market and I think you will see the total cost will be much higher than $1 billion.”

The development must be on par with world-class facilites such as those in Vegas.

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Expressions of interest are expected to open before Christmas, with prospective developers to provide costs and plans to the State Government.

The final price tag of the tourism hub is expected to be upward of $2 billion.

State sources say both the final cost and the location of the large-scale development will be determined by the market-driven process.

Tourism industry figures ridiculed the idea a project of appropriate size and scale could be delivered for less than $1 billion.

Comparatively it cost the Star Group around $300 million for the land and casino licence for its $3.6 billion Queens Wharf resort in Brisbane, as well as a further $275m for public realm works, such as bridges and infrastructure.

The Dorsett Hotel and apartments at The Star, Gold Coast. Photo: Supplied

Building the first of the multi-tower project will push its cost over the $1 billion mark.

Clubs Queensland slammed the idea of a low-cost casino in Southport as a ‘club on steroids’ which would dilute the already crowded market.

“There is no additional market to be had here, you would just be robbing customers from existing operators such as clubs and pubs,” Clubs president Doug Flockhart said.

“This would genuinely put at risk at least 30 clubs on the Coast.”

Queensland Tourism Minister Kate Jones (AAP Image/Dan Peled)

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Tourism Minister Kate Jones has insisted there will be no additional poker machines at the city’s second casino.

Ms Jones ruled out granting any additional pokies licences for the development at an August 1 estimates hearing.

This would leave the casino to source the poker machines from the existing licences available on the Coast, something Clubs Queensland has opposed.

There are 5992 poker machine licences on the Coast. However, that does not include the 1600 machines operated by The Star in Broadbeach.