Work on the A$300-million project for the expansion and redevelopment of Adelaide Casino in Adelaide, South Australia can finally begin, after owner SKYCITY Entertainment Group has sealed a key parking spaces deal, local media reported.
The Adelaide Casino expansion project is part of a larger A$500-million Festival Plaza masterplan for the redevelopment of the riverfront of South Australia’s capital city.
Word leaked out that SKYCITY and businessman Lang Walker, the man behind said larger Festival Plaza project, had signed a deal, under which the casino operator would be able to lease parking spaces in the to-be-built Festival Centre. Of all designated 1560 spaces to be included in the parking, as many as 750 would be occupied by the upgraded casino’s visitors.
News about the potential agreement first emerged last week when Stephen Mullighan, South Australia’s Urban Development Minister, revealed that the involved parties were close to setting on the terms.
Securing car parking spaces was one of the biggest, if not the biggest, hurdles the gambling venue’s owner faced when undertaking the development project. Aside from upgrading the existing casino with VIP player areas, SKYCITY also plans to add an 80-room hotel as well as different dining options for its visitors and guests.
The VIP gaming rooms have somewhat turned into a bone of contention between the gambling operator and the local government. Under South Australian regulations, casino players are scrutinized more heavily than anywhere else in Australia. However, SKYCITY has voiced concerns that this might make its gambling premises less attractive to deep-pocketed players who prefer to maintain a lower gambling profile.
It has been revealed that as work on the larger redevelopment plan progresses the Adelaide Festival Centre will be closed completely. This is likely to happen later this year. Construction work on the underground parking area is expected to begin sometime in mid-2017 and to be completed in 2018. Apart from SKYCITY, the South Australian government will also lease a certain number of parking spaces.
Adelaide Casino is not the only Australian casino to be operated by New Zealand-headquartered SKYCITY. The company also owns Skycity Darwin in the Northern Territory’s capital Darwin. Formerly known by the name MGM Grand Darwin, the gambling venue is the only one of its kind to be hosted by the city.
