Crown gets go ahead to open non-gaming parts of Barangaroo resort

Crown Resorts will begin opening the non-gaming areas of its Barangaroo resort in Sydney from December 28.

Crown Resorts will open non-gaming operations in Sydney by News Year’s Eve. Photo: AFP

Crown Resorts will begin opening the non-gaming areas of its Barangaroo resort in Sydney from December 28 -- just in time for New Year’s Eve -- after being given the go ahead by the NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA) on Wednesday.

Crown in a statement that said it had been given a liquor licence for certain non gaming areas of Barangaroo from Wednesday and expected to “progressively commence” non gaming operation from December 28.

Crown said it had been granted a liquor licence on an interim basis for certain non gaming operations at Crown Sydney including the Crown Towers hotel, bars and some restaurants.

Crown had originally planned to open Barangaroo this week but was forced to delay its opening by ILGA last month.

The NSW authority announced on Wednesday that it had approved an interim liquor licence for Crown’s Barangaroo resort.

ILGA chairman Philip Crawford said it was also considering a further two liquor licences for restaurants in the non gaming areas of Crown Sydney with a decision expected “within the week”.

The announcement, which ends months of uncertainty for Crown about the potential opening of the resort, hotel and entertainment facilities at Barangaroo, follows the authority’s move last month to block Crown from opening the gaming part of its Barangaroo development.

While the gaming facilities are still banned until at least February when former NSW Supreme Court judge Patricia Bergin is due to deliver her report into Crown’s suitability to hold a gaming licence in NSW, Wednesday’s announcement from ILGA indicates than Crown can now begin planning to open its non gaming areas.

Crown said in a statement that it is now finalising its pre-opening activities.

In its statement issued on Wednesday, ILGA said its position on Crown not opening its gaming operations at Barangaroo had not changed.

But it said it had agreed to work with Crown Resorts to enable the opening this month of all non gaming areas at Barangaroo including accommodation, restaurants, bars and entertainment areas.

ILGA said the liquor licence granted for the Crown resort at Barangaroo on Wednesday was an interim one with an end date of April 2021.

It said this would enable it to consider any suitability arising from the Bergin inquiry after the handling down of her report before making a further decision on an extension of the license.

The announcement from ILGA ends uncertainty over the potential for Crown to open the non gaming areas of the development.

Wednesday was the last meeting by ILGA for the year.

ILGA told the Australian this week that there was no item on Crown listed for Wednesday’s board meeting.

This raised the question of whether the facility could be forced to remain idle over the Christmas period until the next ILGA board meeting at the end of January.

Its decision to go the give ahead for a liquor licence for the resort is believed to have followed extensive discussions between ILGA and Crown’s chief executive Ken Barton.

Crown said it would be required to re apply for its liquor licence from May 1 next year.

The inquiry which has been underway for most of the year saw counsel assisting Ms Bergin highly critical of Crown’s supervision on money laundering in its casinos and questioned the use of junket operators.