Australia’s Star Entertainment Group will permanently close its long-time Brisbane casino, Treasury Brisbane, this Sunday 25 August ahead of the opening of its AU$3.6 billion Queen’s Wharf (US$2.4 billion) development four days later.
The company said Thursday that it had been advised by the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation of their approval under the Casino Control Act 1982 to close The Treasury Brisbane Casino to the public at midnight Sunday, adding this is part of final preparations ahead of the planned staged opening of Queen’s Wharf Brisbane.
Star revealed in June that it would open Queen’s Wharf, to be known as The Star Brisbane, from 29 August, some two years after it was initially slated for completion.
The substantial riverside complex will open in phases with initial attractions and facilities to include the main gaming floor, Star Grand Hotel, event center, Sky Deck public viewing platform, some bars and restaurants, and a linked pedestrian bridge and bikeway.
Remaining bars and restaurants plus a large public space will open progressively throughout September and October.
The Queen’s Wharf development is a joint venture project owned 50% by Star and 25% each by Hong Kong jewelry giant Chow Tai Fook Enterprises and real estate company Far East Consortium – both of which also have gaming interests elsewhere.
Chow Tai Fook was recently cleared to retain its interest in the project following an investigation by the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR) into allegations it had links to Asian-based junkets, including Suncity Group and its now incarcerated CEO, Alvin Chau. The inquiry found there was insufficient evidence to find the company unsuitable to be associated.
Star, meanwhile, continues to face its own regulatory headwinds with a report stemming from a recent second inquiry into its suitability to hold a casino license in NSW for The Star Sydney recently handed to the NSW Independent Casino Commission and due to be made public in the near future.
