‘We have to look at taking on the risk mentality that others have taken’: Bold casino vision for Darwin

Sparkling pools with views of the Esplanade, exotic restaurants, cafes and bars, luxury accommodation, gambling for the adults and an arcade for the kids — this is the vision a local businessman has for Darwin to turn into a casino destination.

SPARKLING pools with views of the Esplanade, exotic restaurants, cafes and bars, boutique stores, luxury accommodation, gambling for the adults and an arcade for the kids – this is the vision a local businessman has for Darwin to turn into a casino destination.

Real Estate Institute of the Northern Territory chief executive Quentin Kilian, whose idea is independent of the organisation, proposes that Darwin transform into ‘Trop-Vegas’, a city full of casinos as a new way to boost the economy, transform the Top End’s tourism appeal and attract new investors.

“If you had a city full of casinos and you had millions of people coming through the airport, it will be so damn busy you’ll have to build a second airport,” he said.

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“(Tourists will) want to do other things apart from just gambling. A water park will suddenly become viable, so will lots of expansions to Kakadu, expansions to Litchfield. Tourists will get to not only see a tropical gambling mecca, but they will also get to see crocodiles and waterfalls they don’t get where they live.

“Everybody makes money because the more business you create, the more business opportunities you create, the more opportunity there is for entrepreneurs to come in.”

Mr Kilian said the Top End should take inspiration from Las Vegas, which in recent years has capitalised more on conventions and entertainment than with gambling.

REINT boss Quentin Kilian says Darwin should build a flash casino on Mitchell St, using the many empty buildings along the party strip. Photograph: Che Chorley

“Imagine if you have a major show and it’s always held in Melbourne. What about during the dry season in Darwin?” he said.

“The flow-on effect for that is Shenannigans, Six Tanks, all of those bars and more would up their game, they’d have to up their venues and give you entertainment. As a punter, even if I didn’t go to the casinos, I’d be able to walk along Mitchell Street and I’d have live music, I’d have burger bars and have specialty restaurants I’d have all sorts of things.

“It would become the norm. It wouldn’t be the exception anymore.”

He said casinos didn’t need to be the saving grace of the Top End, but that Darwin needed a point of difference if it had any hope of competing for tourism.

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“We’ve got to stop approaching our future from the premise that we always seem to do which is ‘this is Darwin and we can’t do that’,” he said.

“We have to look at taking on the risk mentality that others have taken. A classic example is Qatar … their thinking was, let’s build a city and they will come. They’ve now filled the city, every major businesses is in there it’s vibrant, but they built it first.”

The NT government cannot grant another casino licence without the existing casino operator’s consent.

The NT government and Opposition were contacted for comment.