Mindil Beach Casino & Resort
| Skycity Darwin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia |
| Address | Gilruth Avenue, Mindil Beach |
| Opening date | 1983 |
| No. of rooms | 117 |
| Casino type | Land-based |
| Owner | Skycity Entertainment Group |
| Previous names | Mindil Beach Casino Diamond Beach Hotel and Casino MGM Grand Darwin |
| Website | skycitydarwin |
Skycity Darwin is a casino in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. It is the only casino in Darwin.
History
Don Casino (1979–83)
The first casino in Darwin, and the second in Australia, operated at the Don Hotel, Cavenagh Street, and was granted a licence as the "Don Casino" in 1979.[1]
Mindil Beach Casino (1983–85)
The licence was in 1983 transferred to the Mindil Beach Casino.[2][3] In 1984, the Territory government forcibly acquired it, along with the Alice Springs Casino, from Federal Hotels for $50 million.[4] A joint venture between Greate Bay Casino Corp. (owner of the Sands Atlantic City) and Aspinall Holdings (a British casino operator) was set up to operate the two casinos.[5]
Diamond Beach Hotel and Casino (1985–95)
The Mindil Beach Casino was renamed as the Diamond Beach Hotel and Casino. Aspinall bought out Greate Bay's interest for US$1 million in 1986,[6] and then acquired the territorial government's 17 percent interest for $5 million in 1987.[4]
MGM Grand (1995–2004)
In 1995, MGM Grand acquired the property for US$75 million, including US$13 million of assumed debt.[7] It was renamed as the MGM Grand Darwin.
Skycity (2004–present)
The Skycity Entertainment Group purchased the hotel in 2004 for $195 million and took ownership on 23 July 2004.[8]
References
- ^ "Don Hotel Casino, Cavenagh Street, Darwin". Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ "Skycity Confirms MGM Grand Darwin Acquisition". 2004-02-11. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
- ^ "Darwin casino celebrates 25th anniversary on Mindil Beach" (Press release). Skycity. 18 April 2008. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
- ^ a b "Govt cashes its chips in casino at Darwin". Sydney Morning Herald. 2 February 1987.
- ^ Bivens, Terry (4 October 1984). "Greate Bay venturing down under". Philadelphia Inquirer. – via NewsBank (subscription required)
- ^ "Pratt Hotel Corp. sells hotel interests for $1 million". Dow Jones News Service. 20 October 1986. – via Factiva (subscription required)
- ^ "Gambling concern acquires Australian casino, hotel". Wall Street Journal. 8 September 1995. – via Factiva (subscription required)
- ^ "Skycity Darwin Joins Skycity Entertainment Group". 2004-07-23. Retrieved 2008-01-15.