Canberra Casino Dining
- Canberra Casino Dining Lounge
- Canberra Casino Dining Rooms
- Canberra Casino Dining Chairs
- Canberra Casino Dining Room
- Canberra Casino Dining Ideas
| Casino Canberra | |
|---|---|
| Location | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory |
| Address | 21 Binara St, Canberra ACT 2601 |
| Opening date | 29 July 1994 |
| Casino type | Land |
| Owner | Aquis Group |
| Operating license holder | Casino Canberra Limited |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: 35°17′00″S149°08′04″E / 35.2833°S 149.1344°E |
| Website | casinocanberra.com.au |
Casino Canberra (or Canberra Casino) is a casino located in the Central Business District of Canberra, the capital city of Australia. It was the first legal casino to open in the Australian Capital Territory, built on land excised from Glebe Park under a 99-year lease agreement between the casino licensee and the territory government. It is small in comparison with other casinos in Australia and does not incorporate any hotel accommodation, theatres, auditoriums or retail stores. It is the only casino in Australia not licensed to operate poker machines. There are 39 gaming tables where blackjack, roulette, baccarat and other games are played. The casino also has a poker lounge and sports lounge with TAB facilities.[1]
Canberra Casino Dining Lounge
Dining Privileges Exceptions - Restaurant Specific The standard Accor Plus dining benefits are not applicable on the restaurants listed below. Please select a country and refer to the exception column for more information. Aug 29, 2016 The Casino Canberra is unique as it is Australia’s only land based casino not yet licensed to offer the pokies. When the casino opened in the early 1990s, it was licensed under the strict condition it was not allowed to offer poker machines, leaving the pubs and clubs of the ACT to hold a strict monopoly over the pokies. Play It Your Way Experience the thrill of next generation gaming in the Stadium gaming. Dazzle your senses with a Pop Chinese experience at natural nine. Play host in one of our urbane function spaces such as the Lotus Room. Or soak up the ambience at the end of a long day in the sophisticated.
History[edit]
Some say poker is the ultimate card game and we’d be tempted to agree. Easy to play and tricky to master, if you enjoy games of luck, bluffing, strategy, psychology and fierce competition, poker at Casino Canberra has it in spades. How to play how to play.
Following permission from the Federal Government to issue a casino licence and despite strong opposition from Dr Hector Kinloch of the Residents Rally, Casinos Austria International was selected by the ACT Government as the preferred operator on 31 January 1992. A subsidiary company, Casino Canberra Limited was formed for this purpose. In exchange for the licence, Casinos Austria paid $19 million up front for lease of the land and an annual $500,000 licensing fee. A temporary casino began operation on 14 November 1992 at the National Convention Centre. The permanent casino opened on 29 July 1994. Former Prime Minister Bob Hawke and the ACT Chief Minister Rosemary Follett were among the guests at the large opening party hosted by Dr Leo Walner, then head of Casinos Austria. Bob Hawke was the winner of the golden roulette ball that was used for the first spin of the roulette wheel in the temporary casino.
The Aquis Group controlled by Hong Kong billionaire Tony Fung acquired the casino in 2014.[2]
Licence restrictions[edit]
Casino Canberra holds the only licence to operate gambling tables in the Australian Capital Territory. Unlike other Australian casinos, it cannot operate poker machines. The casino has previously tried unsuccessfully to lobby the territory government to remove restrictions that prevent it from installing poker machines. These attempts have failed, in part due to concerns from Canberra's clubs, which fear loss of revenue from their own poker machines. Amendments to the Casino Control Act (2006) which would allow the casino to operate poker machines have been unsuccessfully moved in the legislative assembly on two occasions. In March 2013, it was reported by The Canberra Times, amid concerns about its ongoing viability, that the casino was willing to hand back land to the government that would allow the National Convention Centre to be expanded, and pay upfront fees in exchange for licensing rights for 200 machines.[3]
In May 2016, following submission of a proposal to massively redevelop the Casino site in exchange for the right to possess 500 poker machine licences, an in-principal agreement was reached with the Chief Minister Andrew Barr. The agreement centred on the possible use of 200 poker machines but only after redevelopment had been completed and only if the poker machine licences were purchased from owners of existing machines under the poker machine cap.[4][5]
References[edit]
- ^'Casino Canberra's contribution to the ACT economy'(PDF). Ernst & Young. March 2006. Archived from the original(PDF) on 29 October 2013.
- ^Aquis acquires Canberra casino News. 23 December 2014
- ^Hannaford, Scott (10 March 2013). 'Casino land plan unlikely to pay out'. The Canberra Times.
- ^Times, The Canberra (6 May 2016). 'Barr cleverly steps around casino pokies ban'. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
- ^Lawson, Kirsten (10 May 2016). 'Canberra casino secures 200 poker machines'. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
External links[edit]
Cox Architecture is designing a $330 million redevelopment of Casino Canberra that will transform the small casino by adding luxury accommodation, a significant expansion of its convention centre and a high-end shopping mall.
The last casino designed by the practice is Australia’s second largest, Star Casino in Sydney, which has had a fraught history. Philip Cox, who co-founded the practice in 1962, has since referred to the project as a “disaster” and “my worst building by far.” In the same 2013 interview with indesignlive.com, he expressed a deep dislike of casinos generally. Cox now serves as a director of the Sydney office of Cox Architecture.
The Canberra office of Cox Architecture is working with international developer Aquis Entertainment on the casino redevelopment, which it is hoped will boost tourism for the nation’s capital city.
Canberra Casino Dining Rooms
The project will include a dining and entertainment precinct, a day spa and resort, expanded gaming facilities and a revitalization of City Walk, a nearby outdoor area. The luxury accomodation will feature a 100-suite 5-star hotel and 12 6-star villas, and the National Convention Centre will be expanded by 3,300 square metres.
Canberra Casino Dining Chairs
The design for Casino Canberra includes a walkable green roof, and renders for the casino’s makeover show the neighbouring Glebe Park being used for temporary market stalls.
Developer Aquis Entertainment bought the casino in 2014, and has signalled its intention to begin construction on the site in 2016. However, Casino Canberra is the only casino in Australia that is not licensed to host poker machines, and Aquis Entertainment’s executive director Justin Fung has indicated that the project may not go ahead if the regulation remains in place. The ACT’s chief minister Andrew Barr has publicly indicated that the government may be willing to make changes to the poker machine laws in order to accomodate the redevelopment.
The project borders the City to the Lake urban renewal precinct, a 70 hectare area south of the CBD that will house an additional 15,000 over the next 20 years.
Canberra Casino Dining Room
“Our Canberra-based architects, Cox [Architecture], have designed an innovative solution that takes into account the size and characteristics of the site while delivering on our vision for an integrated entertainment precinct and a revitalization of the City South area,” said Fung.
A report carried out by Deloitte Economics predicted that the upgraded casino could attract an additional 726,000 visitors to Canberra each year, and that it could contribute up to $61 million to the territory’s economy per annum through taxes.
The two stage project is yet to be approved by planning authorities, but has passed through the ACT’s unsolicited proposals process.
