For years the Jupiters Hotel and Casino located on Australia’s Gold Coast has been a bit of a laughing stock amongst casino goers and executives in the business. It’s been notoriously known as the worst performing casino in the country, and certainly lost business to some of the other more impressive casinos in the area. However, Chris Morris sees a bright future for the business, and has purchased the casino that he sees as a diamond in the rough.
Morris made a fortune of hundreds of millions of dollars in computer and technology industries and has recently invested a not-too-small portion of that into Queensland tourism. His purchase of the casino was not a hasty decision, and is not one that he is under allusions of grandeur about, by any means. He knows it needs a serious makeover and does not expect to turn any sort of profit for the business or himself for at least four years. However, his success with building brands and businesses up and his dedication to improving tourism in the area might be the recipe for success Jupiters needs.
While there are many things that comprise the tourism industry in Queensland, Australia, gambling opportunities are certainly a draw, particularly for high rollers from Asia. With three best large casinos, there’s plenty of healthy competition for Morris and his goals of making Jupiters a success. However, his new business model for the casino might offer something that the others don’t. He’s offering a truly tourist-centric approach to running the casino, with the gambling almost acting as an afterthought.
With the option of purchasing pre-arranged tourist packages that will allow the guests there to explore the Great Barrier Reef, hit all the major tourist attractions in the area, experience the natural beauty and cultural offerings of Queensland, and more, his Hotel and Casino is turning out to look like a truly unique tourist experience. While time will tell whether this new business model for Jupiters Hotel and Casino is going to be its saving grace, it is one that, at the very least, Morris is confident in and determined to make happen.