G'day punters, journos, high rollers - casino whales, entertainment news junkies, politicians, insiders, outsiders, legal eagles... one and all. Today we cover the subject of Australian casinos tourism, smoking policy in Aussie casinos, pubs, hotels and the like, and what it all means to the Australian bottom line. We've also got a bit of Aussie sports and gaming news gossip and more. Media Man and Gambling911 with another fair dinkum Aussie style report maties...
Gambling On Australian Tourism: Casino Sector Important To Down Under...
Tourism operates in a globally competitive market and is experiencing tough conditions, but things are on up upswing. Tourism operators who focus on key strengths and niche areas, be it the casino tourism or sex tourism sector are performing better (pardon the pun) than most.
A current trend is that Aussies are still heading off overseas, and the good news for the casino sector is the Macau, the Philippines and also Las Vegas are still pulling in the punters for their style of casino entertainment.
Currently, the equivalent of 30.2% of the population is taking an overseas trip each year, and this may rise to about 50% by 2015-16. To become more competitive, the Australian tourism industry needs to recognise this trend. A more aggressive approach could be taken in the international travel market to attract more visitors and improve industry revenue and profit growth.
Domestic tourism accounts for roughly 75% of total industry revenue. While trip growth will remain low, expenditure will rise gradually, particularly as business and corporate travel rebounds. Operators are set to continue to discount tourism products to maintain cashflow.
It is projected that the Australian tourism industry will generate $84.2 billion in revenue during 2010-11, which represents real growth of 2.3% over 2009-10. However, Australia will continue to lose its share of the global international traveller market, as many new destinations emerge.
In the coming years the industry is expected to experience ongoing bloody tough competition in most areas, particularly in the domestic and international airline industries, as discounted tickets continue to dominate passenger air travel markets.
The introduction of expanded domestic services by discount airlines, such as AirAsia, provides increasing opportunities to expand tourism in Australia. Airfare competition for Qantas and United Airlines on the Pacific route to the United States has escalated significantly with the introduction of services by Virgin Airlines and US operator Delta since mid-2009. The industry will be negatively affected by the trend in the accommodation industry towards fragmentation, however, as travellers shift their preferences towards serviced apartments and other smaller styles of accommodation. The increasing ageing of the population may see some rising demand for newer forms of purpose-built, long-stay and comfortable accommodation in major tourist regions, which will benefit the industry.
It is expected that there will be far fewer traditional shopfront travel agents, particularly independent ones, as the online travel information, booking and payment revolution becomes part for the course and just the way its done for most travellers by 2015-16.
Casino And Gaming...
Growth in gaming-linked establishments is tipped to take a dive as the proportion of disposable income allocated to gaming, betting and gambling et al continues to decline.
Australian Casinos List...
Punters, we know your just begging to get your current Australian land based casino hotspots back on file, many of which are massive tourist attractions, so here it is...
New South Wales
Star City Casino (Sydney)
Victoria
Crown Casino (Melbourne)
Queensland
Conrad Treasury Casino (Brisbane)
Jupiters Hotel & Casino (Gold Coast)
Jupiters Townsville Casino (Townsville)
The Reef Hotel Casino (Cairns)
South Australia
Skycity Adelaide (Adelaide)
Western Australia
Burswood Entertainment Complex aka Burswood Casino (Perth)
Tasmania
Wrest Point Hotel Casino (Hobart)
Country Club Casino (Launceston)
Australian Capital Territory
Casino Canberra (Canberra)
Northern Territory
Lasseters Hotel Casino (Alice Springs)
Skycity Darwin (formerly MGM Grand Casino) (Darwin)
Media Man International Profile On Australia
http://www.mediamanint.com/profiles/australia.html
Tobacco Industry VS Government Wars: Australian Sinners Key Target...
The tobacco industry has launched a fresh and "backdoor" type attack on legislation to make plain packaging of cigarettes compulsory, using a regional FTO (free trade agreement) to which Australia is expected to sign up to.
Tobacco giant Philip Morris has used Australia's plain-packaging laws, set to come into effect next year, to debate the need for "investor state" provisions in the upcoming Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. This would basically facilitate companies to sue member governments if they pass legislation curtailing business activities!
Thomas Faunce, an Australian Research Council future fellow at the Australian National University, called on the federal government to resist the inclusion of investor state provisions in the agreement. He said the provisions duplicated ground that had already been covered in the 2005 Australia-US free trade pact.
"Australia can rebut such attempts on the basis that they reopen the (free trade agreement) negotiations where an investor-state clause was expressly excluded," Associate Professor Faunce wrote in a critique published today in the Medical Journal of Australia.
Negotiations on the trade agreement - between the US, Australia, New Zealand and six South American and south-east Asian countries - intensified last year and are expected to be completed in September.
In a submission on the proposed trade agreement to the US trade representative, Philip Morris cited Australia's plain-packaging laws among "initiatives of concern".
The company said it supported laws to reduce any harm caused by tobacco, but opposed "extreme and disproportionate regulation … which has the effect of violating international law and expropriating intellectual property rights".
Simon Chapman, a professor of public health at the University of Sydney, said the company's stance was consistent with the tobacco industry's history of attempting to use trade agreements to defeat individual countries' health laws.
"It's yet another sign of the degree to which the industry will go to to defeat and delay any measure that will actually work (to cut smoking rates)" he said.
The World Trade Organisation's Uruguay Round had established the right of countries "to put health considerations above international trade considerations".
Patricia Ranald, of the Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network, which advises on human rights, and the environment, said Australia would receive little export benefit from the treaty because the free trade agreement was already in place.
"What we want to say to our government is that we should negotiate about trade issues but not about social policies," Dr Ranald said.
Craig Emerson, the Minister for Trade, would not commit on excluding investor-state provisions from the trade pact, saying he was not prepared to make policy on the run.
But he said Philip Morris would be "whistling in the wind" if it tried to undermine national anti-tobacco laws.
The tobacco industry ie: smoking, has long been linked to other industries such as gambling (where punters often chase land based pokies where smoking is allowed), the sex and fetish industry, fashion (models smoke instead of eat correctly, not to put on weight) and motorsport (especially F1), but exposure of tobacco products on cars has been massively reduced - more than halved, over the past 5 years, with energy drinks like Red Bull picking up some of the slack.
Aussie Millions Update...
Crown Casino - Event 4: $1,100 No Limit Hold'em Shootout! The famous poker tournament is already 5 days in punters. An Aussie and a South African gent have got their gold rings.
The shootout format is the talk of the poker world, at least as far as Aussie Millions goes. To progress through to the next stage, a player must best all punters at their poker table in a shootout fashion. This is the virgin time a shootout tournament has been run at the Aussie Millions The jet setter pros have been arriving at James Packers' Crown Casino and world class poker room.
Names who appear to be lock ins include Annette '16' Obrestad, James Akenhead, Scott Montgomery and Jonathan Karamalikis.
A 4th Aussie Millions gold ring is up for grabs, and more likely than not, within the next 48 hours we can report on who snatches it.
Aussie Test Side Visit To Crown Casino Just Not Cricket; Or Not?...
Ex crick test stars have defended Michael Clarke and Phil Hughes after visiting Crown Casino leading up to the ill fated match against the Pommies. Cricket Australia boss James Sutherland ridiculed the decision by vice-captain Clarke and Hughes to attend a 7.30am breakfast function at Crown Casino during the Boxing Day Test as "a supreme error of judgment". Immediate past Australian Cricketers' Association president Darren "Boof" Lehmann argued with Sutherland's media bashing advising it was "off the mark". "It was for charity and charities need as much as support as they can. I don't have a problem with it," said Lehmann. "Who is going to tell the charity that they are going to miss out on $20,000 or $30,000? I was disappointed with the criticism. It is wrong. As you have seen in Queensland over the past few weeks, there's more important things than a game of cricket." Dual World Cup winning batsman Lehmann advised attending a breakfast function had no impact on the pair's below-par batting in the crushing fourth Test defeat to England at the MCG. "I have done those breakfasts before Test matches. You literally walk in and sometimes only speak for 10 minutes and then you walk out. It is a big hoo-ha that doesn't affect the players but does make a big difference to the charity." Clarke and Hughes are also being called to account re an alleged drinking session at Melbourne's World Bar the evening before Australia was bashed by an innings and 157 runs. Ex Australian batsman Greg Blewett said players should be permitted to have a couple of beverages at night but it was safer to do it at the team hotel. "I am sure because they are losing people will pick on whatever they see as inappropriate behaviour," said Blewett. "I personally haven't got a problem with it, having a couple of beers after play, as long as they were not out to all hours. I guess that is why, even after a Test has finished, a lot of the guys now prefer to stay indoors at the ground or hotel and have a few beers as they don't know what will be happening with photos that end up on social networking sites."
Cricketers Drinking On Eve Before Ashes Defeat: Good Or Bad, Or No Difference?...
A second witness has come to light, leaping out of the shadows, claiming he witnessed Aussie cricketers Michael Clarke and Phil Hughes drinking at a Melbourne bar well into the night on the eve of their brutal Ashes series defeat at the MCG. A photo has surfaced of the cricketers posing with fans at The World Restaurant and Bar in Southbank, reportedly taken 12 hours before the Australian team took to the field on the 4th and final day of the Boxing Day Test. The outcome was England retaining the Ashes on Australian soil for the 1st time in 24 years.
National Leisure & Gaming Manager Appoints CEO - Director...
National Leisure & Gaming Ltd appointed Daniel Brady as chief executive officer (CEO) and a director on January 17, 2011. Brady has acted as the company’s general manager since the resignation of CEO and managing director Andrew Jolliffe in June 2010. He will receive a fixed remuneration of $272,500 per annum including superannuation and a bonus of $100,000 subject to performance conditions. He currently holds no shares in the company.
National Leisure & Gaming - snapshot
Price at 4:20 pm: 0.70c
Price change from previous trading day: 16.7%
Cairns' Reef Hotel Casino Host Benefit For QLD Flood...
The famous Reef Hotel Casino has announced welcome details of its Bring on The Sun Australia Day benefit to raise much-needed funds for Queensland's devastated flood victims. All money raised at the event on January 26 will go to the Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal, with the casino already pledging a generous $15,000 to boost up donations. The gambling den joins the many local businesses continuing to open their spirit and purses to raise funds for fellow Queenslanders in their time of need.
Entry is free to the event which will feature the city’s best female entertainers from 2pm until late, giveaways and fundraising activities including the humble Aussie sausage sizzle. Entertainment manager Bruce Stewart advised casino staff were looking forward to doing their part to help flood victims. "We actually have some staff donating their time to come in on Australia Day, including some of the management. There will be a roster of raffle sellers and sausage sizzle sellers, which is a really nice gesture from the staff. A lot of the entertainers are coming on board to donate their time and talent to raise funds." Cazalys Cairns is also encouraging businesses and residents to support their Cairns Gives Back: Flood Relief Appeal.
Marketing manager Maddy Ellis said the Red Cross had requested cash instead of food, clothing or linen. "So Cazalys is putting together a mega raffle that will run until Australia Day to raise money for the appeal," she said. "Prizes have been generously donated by local business." Tickets are $5 each or 10 for $45 and can be purchased from Cazalys reception, over the phone on 4054 1464 or online at the website. Ms Ellis said local businesses which wanted to donate prizes should contact the club.
Mareeba business Coffee Works will donate $1 from every purchase to flood victims.
"This isn’t pity money … it’s about new beginnings and putting out a helping hand to get people back on their feet," owner Annie Webber said. "I was in Brisbane for the 74 floods and I remember what it was like." Media Man and Gambling911 commend the great spirit of Australians who are chipping in to make a positive difference. A Media Man spokesperson said "In times of dire need Aussies are known for getting together to help out their fellow Aussies and mates. It reminds us of the Anzac spirit You put your life on the line and your own needs on the back burner to help our your mates in need. Media, mums and dads, construction companies, casinos, emergency services... folks from all walks of life are coming together to help each other see the devastation through. Aussies have see the light at the end of the the tunnel and are making significant progress to getting things back to normal".
Online Casinos, Online Poker and Sports Betting...
Ok readers, we hear you... you also want to know some of the best places to play online (that accept Aussies) if your in or around the Asia Pacific - Australia (including Tassie) and New Zealand, so here it is...
PartyCasino.com
Captain Cooks Casino
Betfair (sports betting only)
PKR.com (poker, slots including Marvel slot games and sports betting)
PartyPoker.com (online poker at one of the world's most respected poker rooms and gaming brands)
Profiles
Australian Casinos
World Casino Directory
Global Gaming Directory
Casino Travel
Casinos
Australia
Media Man and Gambling911 remind our readers to keep the following in mind:
Take the time to research and learn games before placing down money
Media Man, Casino News Media and Gambling911 are website portals. Not casinos as such, however are recognised as world leading websites that cover the sector and act as central points to games, news, reviews and more.
Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report? Tell us in the forum.
If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a dozen sectors covered
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