Aquis Entertainment, the Australian company that owns and operates Casino Canberra, is looking to restart talks with the government regarding the redevelopment of the property.
The company’s plans were revealed during last week’s annual general meeting of the shareholders. Tony Fung, the chairman of Aquis Entertainment, told shareholders that he plans to resume talks with the Australian Capital Territory government and gain permission to invest around 330 million Australian dollars into the redevelopment of Casino Canberra.
The chairman added that redeveloping the casino is a very important part of the company’s future, even though until now talks with the government haven’t reached a conclusion due to disagreements over the number of slot machines allowed at the venue.
Fung also stressed that he looks forward “to the opportunity to deliver to Canberra the kind of world class entertainment precinct that our Capital city deserves and to creating many new employment opportunities and further securing all existing roles within our business.”
Aquis Entertainment purchased Casino Canberra in 2014 and the next year the company submitted its redevelopment plans, which included a request to allow 500 slot machines to be installed at the venue. Under current legislation in the Australian Capital Territory, Casino Canberra is not allowed to operate slot machines.
The upgrade plans included new retail facilities and entertainment areas and the company estimated that the changes would have brought an additional 700,000 guests each year.
