Queensland threatens to reopen regional casino tender

The Queensland state government has warned it will reopen a tender process for two regional casino licenses if the multi-billion dollar projects planned by the current short-listed bidders fail to meet requirements.
“If one or more than one of those proposals is not successful in meeting the criteria, then it is likely that the government would go back to the market,” media reports cited Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney as saying. “It would be opened up again in another market-based process for proponents to put forward expressions of interest.”
The current two short-listed projects are ASF Consortium’s $7.5 billion ($6.5 billion) Gold Coast Broadwater development and Tony Fung’s $8.15 billion Aquis resort north of Cairns.
Both of these two projects are facing challenges, Seeney said.
He also added that there is not much doubt that the two groups bidding for a third license to develop a casino in downtown Brisbane will be able to meet the criteria.