Australia's Aquis Great Barrier Reef Resort construction to proceed without casino

The announcement of the Queensland government gave the green light to other developers willing to obtain a license and establish a casino venue in Cairns.

Back in 2015, Aquis was granted the right to commence construction of an upper-class resort in Cairns and according to the initial plan, a spacious casino was to be among the available facilities.

However, Aquis’ attempts to acquire a casino license from the Queensland government have been unsuccessful so far, which made the company abandon its plans for casino establishment.

Despite the fact that Aquis has canceled its casino project, it is still determined to build a hotel and an entertainment complex. As for the casino venue, Queensland government is expected to start accepting proposals from other companies willing to get a license.

Curtis Pitt, the Queensland Treasurer said that the government has presumed that Aquis Group is no longer interested in being a part of the Integrated Resort Development process and added that the changes in the market conditions have led to changes in the design concept, too. He also added that there was no obstacle to the establishment of a casino venue at Yorkeys Knob, but that would not be possible without an IRD license.

Aquis’ spokesman said that the company has not completely ruled out a casino establishment in Cairns, but for the time being, they wanted to concentrate mainly on the hotel development. The spokesman remarked that acquiring the real estate approvals was among company’s top priorities and they expect to receive them by the end of the year. As for the casino license, company’s representative said Aquis might reapply at a later stage.

Aquis’ decision to give up on its casino project might be beneficial for some other developers that have already eyed Cairns for the expansion of their business. One of these developers is ASF Group that has been looking for its own regional casino license for quite some time.

However, if ASF actually obtains a license, it is likely to face the competitive rivalry of Jupiters Casino, owned by The Star Entertainment Group and the Brisbane-based Queen’s Wharf casino, scheduled to open sometime in 2022.

Several international companies are also expected to send their bids, but neither The Star nor Crown Resorts are likely to apply for a license given the ambitious projects they currently work on.