By Michael Pascoe –
Michael Pascoe
So how do you go about gaining a casino licence from an increasingly dodgy government? Very carefully, no doubt.
No, not New South Wales, but Sri Lanka and the Philippines, countries where James Packer’s Crown either wants to or is building a casino.
Packer officially launched his $400 million Sri Lankan ambition overnight on the eve of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting with a pitch similar to the story that had the NSW government in his pocket as soon as Barry O’Farrell heard it – a promise of untold wealth flowing from international tourism. In Sri Lanka, it’s supposed to be millions of rich Indians wanting to fly in to give Crown money, while Sydney has been promised squadrons of Chinese whales. The model is Macau where Chinese gamblers pour across the border, an interesting percentage of them corrupt officials laundering money in some of the city’s many casinos.
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*Michael Pascoe is a BusinessDay contributing editor
K.A Sumanasekera / November 15, 2013
Didn’t old Kerry Packer give Pascoe any santhosams?.
Crown in Melbourne evidently is the main Tourist attraction for the last twenty years .
Sydney bent over backwards to get young Packer to build one there.
Young Packer picked Srilanka because not only it is strategically located in Asia, and a a good place to be in going forward, , but also he likes the country and its people.
How cool is that?.
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Abhaya Premawardena / November 15, 2013
Very cool indeed !
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Abhaya Premawardena / November 15, 2013
packer did not make his billions being a bleeding heart idiot like this pascoe fool . He knows where the potential is .
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Liberal One / November 15, 2013
Intention is clear. Block the Crown Investment in any way possible. The general public should not get fooled by these fear mongers.
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Ahamed / November 15, 2013
The ‘Middle Path’ is misunderstood by the government. It thinks the Middle Path is achieved by striking a balance between the two extremes while having both of them, the Casino Kingpins and Buddhist extremists!
When will they realize that the Middle Path is to be achieved by shedding the extremes?
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Abhaya Premawardena / November 15, 2013
how does a govt shed them ahamed lebbe ? they have no choice but to tolerate them .
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ruwan / November 15, 2013
Well said Ahamed ! Anyway, these are FAKE Budhists playing to Ignorant Budhist masses….what do you expect ! Sinhala Modayas !
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Bensen Burner / November 15, 2013
Packer beware. Sri Lanka is not Melbourne, Sydney or Macau where there are no Buddhist monks, corruption and thuggery. Bensen
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Abhaya Premawardena / November 15, 2013
Not its not , its a lot better than those places and more stable .
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ruwan / November 15, 2013
STABLE…..Brain check on Abhaya P immediately pls. !
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Spring Koha / November 16, 2013
Never mind that, the Bints down C7 who are on overtime these days servicing the CHOGM crowd (and a few tantric practioners from the BBS) are anxiously looking forward to Packers planned mega resort. Madame told me that the local girls can only do so much; for sure she will need to import fresh overseas birds for the certain soaring demand.
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Hade Sheriff / November 16, 2013
The President never practice what he preach, he knows Srilankans are suckers of lies.
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