SkyCity aims to lure more Asian gamblers

Auckland's SkyCity casino is targeting mainland China as it looks to tempt "high-rolling" foreign gamblers to its betting tables.

The entertainment group is hoping it can work with airlines and Immigration New Zealand to increase the number of "casino tourists" from Asia, potentially putting millions of dollars into the local economy.

The casino is hosting the Auckland Anniversary Poker Championship this weekend, where more than 100 players are expected to compete for the prize pool of more than $50,000.

SkyCity would not reveal the number of "international high-roller" players who frequent the casino, but said they numbered in the hundreds, stayed between four and five days each visit and spent between $10,000 and $20,000 on non-casino activities.

"Apart from the services offered by the casino, they go shopping, play golf, visit tourist destinations like Rotorua and Queenstown, and eat at restaurants in the CBD," said Ejaaz Dean, an executive manager, table games, at SkyCity.

"China has proven a strong growth opportunity; we believe we have only scratched the surface when it comes to this market."

But with world-class casinos to open in Asia in the near future, New Zealand faces a challenging time in expanding the market.

Las Vegas Sands, the world's second-most-valuable casino operator by market capitalisation, has said it will be opening its $7.5 billion Singapore Casino Resort in April.

Sands chairman Sheldon Adelson said in Singapore last month his group would be resuming work on casino projects on Macau's Cotai Strip, which were put on hold during the economic crisis, and these would open over the next few years.

SkyCity says that with an office in Singapore, it plans to tap opportunities.

"The Singapore casinos will introduce gaming to new players, so we have prepared ourselves to leverage the new business opportunity [with an] office in Singapore.

"We are well positioned to benefit from any opportunities that may arise," said Mr Dean.

However, SkyCity said Immigration New Zealand needed to make it easier for high-rollers to come here and airlines needed to schedule more direct flights to and from Asia.

"Distance from Asia has always been, and will continue to be our greatest hurdle, and we would ideally like to see an increase in frequency of direct flights from Shanghai, Beijing and Thailand," Mr Dean said.

Immigration New Zealand says it is able to issue multiple entry visitor visas to people who can demonstrate bona fide reasons for needing them, and 50 nationalities can already enter the country visa-free.

Meanwhile, SkyCity will complete refurbishment of its SkyCity Hotel and Rebo Bar, and also start an invitation-only bar, X.O, this year.