South Australia Expecting Boom Thanks to Casino Expansion

Steven Marshall, South Australia’s Premier, has just announced some development plans for the Adelaide Casino expansion – this will begin in June with a AU$330 million budget and once complete, in 2020, will create up to 800 ongoing jobs. The construction work which will begin next month will create about 1,000 jobs.

“It’s going to create jobs, it’s going to grow our economy and, most importantly, I think it’s going to give us the better infrastructure to attract interstate and overseas visitors,” the Premier told reporters.

The Premier further revealed that the SkyCity Entertainment Group has signed a construction deal with Australia commercial construction company Hansen Yuncken to complete the planned expansion. Hansen Yancken will be making its return to the project after previously taking part in the initial scoping and development of the casino back in the 80s. The company won the competitive tender process for the work and recently completed other works in on the University of South Australia’s health facility.

This particular expansion will bring a 123-room hotel alongside a day spa and cafés. Also budgeted for is an enhanced façade that will be used to highlight the heritage aspects of the building.

A Boost to South Australia’s Economy

Adelaide Casino’s parent company, SkyCity Entertainment Group, is very optimistic about the expansion and the future of the casino. As such, they expect a fitting or acceptable return at a later stage. The company has further managed to steady everything quite well after being accused of allowing problem gamblers to play for hours without any supervision.

Problem gambling is quite a big deal and thus, as part of the approval process, South Australia’s Independent Gaming Authority and State Government made it clear the Adelaide Casino would need to have “have systems in place to identify and prevent problem gamblers from accessing premium gaming areas” if they hope to keep operating.

The casino’s general manager Luke Walker believes that the expansion will be a “significant drawcard” for South Australia.

“The South Australian tourism industry has so much to offer interstate and international visitors, and the introduction of this new facility, complete with luxury hotel accommodation, outstanding food and beverage offerings and world-class entertainment spaces will help to attract high-end visitors to the vibrant Riverbank Precinct and to the state,” he said. “It is a monumental occasion for Adelaide Casino and indeed the city that we are going ahead with this expansion.”

Mr. Walker further addressed the issue of problem gambling which has put the company in the spotlight. In the statement, he pointed out that the company everything was being addressed as part of the expansion and redevelopment.

“We have world-leading problem gambling services in place,” the general manager clarified on the issue of problem gambling. “It’s a full-time roster [of professionals], 24/7, to monitor and detect potential problems and we’ll be expanding that team. There are two jobs being recruited currently.”