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No
room at The Star casino as Chinese high rollers fly
in
- February 2016
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Gamblers
are making the most of the Lunar New Year period at
Sydney casino The Star. Photo: Bloomberg
by Perry Williams
Sydney
casino operator The Star is officially full over the
busy Lunar New Year period.
With
a large Chinese customer base spread between "mass"
and VIP customers, The Star managing director Greg
Hawkins said there was significant demand for its
restaurants, hotel rooms and casino facilities with
more than 4000 room nights booked over the next fortnight.
"We're
full up across the next couple of weeks," Mr
Hawkins said. "From a business point of view,
within the tourism economy that China market is very
critical to us and there's now a far greater understanding
here in Australia of . . . that Chinese guest experience."
The
Star has recently added new VIP gaming salons to its
boutique hotel, The Darling, and Astral Tower, partly
to cater for the boom in activity from China's high-roller
gamblers whose favoured game is baccarat.
"We've
got a wide range of gaming rooms for both direct and
junket customers and they are all booked out over
the next couple of weeks because of the high demand
we are seeing at the top of that gaming space."
James
Packer's Crown Resorts has for years lured the largest
portion of Chinese gamblers to its Melbourne casino.
However,
Mr Hawkins said a multi-year expansion and renovation
program at The Star had helped lift the quality of
the venue and close the gap with its arch rival.
"Melbourne
for a long time was seen as the preferred destination,"
he said. "We're now getting feedback from our
customers that the gap between Sydney and Melbourne
is being closed. We're on a dramatic improvement path."
With
many Chinese gamblers continuing to stay away from
Macau – the world's largest casino hub –
over corruption concerns, there are expectations Australian
and New Zealand gaming operators will bulk up their
share of VIP clients this year.
(The
Sydney Morning Herald)
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