In 2014 multi-millionaire Chris Morris revealed his plans to rebuild the Jupiters Casino in Townsville – an upgrade initially expected to cost him $200 million. Demolition work on the Townsville casino (which has since been renamed The Ville Resort-Casino) will begin next week, with Morris now having to fight off reports he intends to sell.
Morris, a former tomato grower turned entrepreneur extraordinaire, said he has rejected multiple flaky offers to buy the resort property. “I’ve had a number of people make approaches since I bought it but they’ve just been tyre kickers,” Mr Morris said. “I wouldn’t be spending $35 million redeveloping it if I was thinking about selling it, I can tell you that.”
Morris, who is the chairman for Colonial Leisure Group (CLG), purchased the waterfront property in 2014 for $70 million. CLG plans to redevelop the existing property into a luxury resort and casino, which will include three new restaurants, an infinity pool, poolside function space with 700-person capacity, private cabanas, a swim up bar and elevated deck level. The casino gaming floor will also receive a full refurbishment.
There is now speculation Chinese investors are interested in acquiring the resort, while it’s more likely interests lie with the casino license or the development site next door. The Ferrier Hodgson group is reportedly putting the vacant site up for sale both Australia-wide and internationally, with a particular marketing focus on China.
Morris has confirmed CLG has no intention of giving up the casino license or putting in a bid to purchase the adjacent 2.9ha property. Morris said he is already spending enough money on The Ville property, but would love to see someone purchase and develop the next door site. He commented, “Whoever buys it should build units and a hotel, which would be great for the casino.”
When Morris first purchased the casino, his intentions were to give new life to Townsville’s flailing waterfront precinct. In 2015, he said “This city needs a lift. Even the locals are down on the town, and they’re trying to turn the bar and restaurant precinct into some sort of inner-city Melbourne scene. It’s the beach, waterfront and tropical outdoor lifestyle that’s the best thing going.”
Along with the resort redevelopment plans, he intends to redesign the gaming floor, creating a more upmarket, sophisticated venue. Morris has insisted the casino will be pitched at middle-class travellers with little focus on VIP high rollers, stating “I’m too old to wake up and find I’ve been fleeced of $3 million overnight in the casino by some VIP high roller.”
The Ville Resort-Casino is part of Mr Morris’s plan to revamp North Queensland tourism, along with his other investments which include the Orpheus Island Resort, the Daintree Eco Lodge, Mount Mulligan Station, the Flying Fish and helicopter business Nautilus Aviation.
After Hong Kong billionaire Tony Fung pulled out of his six year bid to build an integrated casino resort in Cairns last month, the Townsville Bulletin reported the business model for other new casinos in Queensland has collapsed.
With developments on The Ville Resort-Casino now underway, the gaming floor is open for business as usual. Townsville’s casino currently offers 370 electronic gaming machines and 20 table games, with multiple roulette wheels including both Single Zero and Double Zero Roulette. Each roulette table seats up to six players at a time. Those who prefer random number generated games can opt to play Vegas Star Roulette, an electronic version of the game where bets are placed via touch screen.