CAESARS CARE

INTEREST from Caesars to be part of the Gold Coast landscape is an exciting development for the city.

The US gaming giant is a brand recognised throughout the world and would fully support the city’s push to entice multi-national companies.

Investment from a Caesars-backed integrated resort on the Coast would also generate hundreds of jobs and provide additional business confidence to bigwig backers after the State Government’s poor handling of the ASF debacle.

The silver lining for Caesars would likely be a second casino licence, alongside The Star, but we need to be careful.

Another casino licence would flood an already saturated pokie machine market, which long-established clubs and pubs fear would run them out of town.

And then there is the social responsibility. The Bulletin recently reported Gold Coasters are pumping $30 million a month into 5667 pokie machines. This does not include the 1660 machines at The Star.

Moreover, any potential benefit from construction of this development would have to be weighed against the potential risk it could discourage Star from proceeding with its multi billlion dollar expansion at Broadbeach — and that expansion promises not a single extra slot machine.

Having a name like Casesars on the Coast would be terrific, but we must do the due diligence to ensure organisations that have helped make this place great, and the city’s vulnerable, are not exploited.