SKYCITY Auckland

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SKYCITY Auckland


Address	Auckland, New Zealand
Opening date	February 2, 1996
Casino type	Land
Owner	SKYCITY Entertainment Group
Signature attractions	Sky Tower
Years renovated	2006
Website	http://www.skycityauckland.co.nz

Inside of the gaming hall.

SKYCITY Auckland (or often just SkyCity) is a casino and event centre in the Central Business District of Auckland, New Zealand. Located in the base building of the Sky Tower, it was the second casino in New Zealand, and still is the only one in Auckland.

1 Facilities
2 History
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Facilities

In addition to the Sky Tower, the complex includes a large theatre, a convention centre and hotel, and several bars and restaurants. The main feature however is the casino itself, with over 1,600 gaming machines, and over 100 tables with games such as blackjack and roulette. The casino was most recently refurbished in 2006.^[1] The casino also has the 'Pacific Room' (table games) and the 'Platinum Room' (game machines) for VIP / high-stakes gamblers.^[2] The casino has a large percentage of Asian customers, and undertakes special initiatives to cater for them.^[3]

[edit] History

Facade of SKYCITY Auckland.

The Sky Tower^[4], convention centre and hotel^[5] were all built by Fletcher Construction and completed by 1997.

SkyCity was the second casino in the country. At the time of its construction, it was controversial, just like the Sky Tower itself. Unlike about the icon of the city towering above it, major figures like Auckland Mayor Dick Hubbard have remained critical of the casino, though he acknowledged that the complex itself has been positive for the city. However, there is criticism from various sources that the casino creates problem gambling and does not ban problem gamblers proactively enough.^[6]

The casino provides almost 2000 jobs (as of January 2006), and has returned NZ$670 million in dividends to mainly Australian shareholders, from more than eight million visitors that have passed through, 15% from overseas. NZ$18.6 million dollars were also paid to community organisations and trusts in the same time. 1.5% of the operating profit has to be paid out to charity according to law.^[6]

With profits at its parent, the SKYCITY Entertainment Group, falling, it has recently (May 2007) been announced that around 230 staff of Sky City would be let go within the coming 12-18 months, though it was considered that this was likely to be mostly through turnover attrition, and will be focused on management staff.^[3]^[7]