Reportedly, organized crime figures have been told not to enter the premises of Jupiters Hotel & Casino in the Australian Gold Coast. The property is run by Echo Entertainment Group, one of Australia’s major gambling operators.
Local media suggested the gaming giant fears that the presence of underworld figures at its casinos could harm its bid for the construction of a luxury integrated casino resort at Queen’s Wharf in Brisbane. Currently, Echo and rival Crown Resorts are competing for a casino license at the expensive precinct. The Queensland government is expected to announce which one of the two gambling operators would be the winning bidder by the end of July.
Gaming experts believe that Echo, which runs Brisbane’s Treasury Casino, would eventually be awarded the coveted license. The company is working together with Chow Tai Fook, a Chinese real estate developer and casino operator, and Hong Kong-based Far East Consortium on what would be known as Destination Brisbane. Apart from a large casino floor, it would also feature Ritz-Carlton, Darling, Rosewood, and Dorsett hotels, as well as an additional six-star one, residential properties, and a number of entertainment, retail, and food and beverage options.
If approved, the complex would create more than 8,000 jobs and is expected to annually draw 1.4 million more tourists to Queensland.
As mentioned above, local media reported that Echo Entertainment had reduced the scope of its VIP program at Jupiters Hotel & Casino, which is intended to attract interstate high-roller players. Allegedly, people with organized crime ties also frequent the venue and take advantage of the program in question. It is exactly those figures that Echo Entertainment has been trying to prevent from visiting its property.
Commenting on the allegations, a spokesperson for the operator said that Jupiters Hotel & Casino has not been turning away high rollers that could be defined as controversial. In addition, the company has reserved the right to bring the local media that stated those allegations to court.
Echo Entertainment’s spokesperson did not comment on the suggested involvement of high rollers with underworld ties, as the operator does not usually provide information about “past or present guests.”
The Queensland Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation pointed out that no investigation regarding Echo Entertainment supposedly encouraging underworld figures to play at their property is currently being carried out.
