SkyCity gets go-ahead for $330m upgrade of Adelaide casino

Australian and New Zealand casino operator SkyCity Entertainment Group has good news about its Adelaide casino and bad news regarding its Darwin property.

On Wednesday, SkyCity announced that it had signed a development agreement with the South Australia government that will allow the company to proceed with a A$330m (US $262m) expansion of SkyCity Adelaide Casino that will make the venue “the most luxurious hotel” in the city.

The upgrade includes a boutique all-suite 123-room hotel, a 30% increase in gaming product including four new VIP gaming rooms (natch), along with new restaurants, bars and a 750-person event space for banquets and such. Construction on the project will get underway early next year, with completion estimated by Q3 2020.

While SkyCity believes the “key value driver” of the project is a “significant expected increase in gaming activity,” the company clarified that its so-called ‘international business’ (aka Chinese gambling whales) would remain “an important part of the offering, but less of a focus given greater exposure to external factors.”