VIP Party To Celebrate New $25Mn City Venue

9 December 2003

Media release for immediate publication

VIP Party To Celebrate New $25 Million Central City
Entertainment Venue

Auckland’s newest $25 million entertainment venue opens its doors tomorrow night (Wednesday 10 December) for a VIP party like no other to celebrate SKYCITY’s new concept casino and bar.

Some 600 party-goers will attend the official (invite only) launch event for Play casino (the last casino expansion in New Zealand under current law) and funky new bar adjoining the casino – Bar3 from 8pm.

Included in the guest line up are a host of high profile sporting, radio and television personalities who will enjoy mock gaming, complimentary food and beverage and live entertainment including random interval floor shows in the casino and top New Zealand DJs in Bar3.

Unlike anything else currently offered in New Zealand, Play casino has been designed by leading New Zealand architect company Craig Craig Moller (who also designed Sky Tower and the SKYCITY Auckland Convention Centre which is currently under construction) to offer a modern slant on the traditional casino experience. The funky casino features retro décor, chandeliers, stylish wait staff and a variety of live entertainment at intermittent intervals.

Bar3 was designed by award winning New Zealand bar designer Tom Skyring, who also designed a number of other leading Auckland dining establishments including Sponge (Ponsonby Road), Euro (Viaduct), George (Parnell), Ottos (Metropolis Hotel) to complement the new casino. Bar3 features dark wood and deep red/brown furnishings with opulent designer rest rooms and caters for a range of social occasions from small social gatherings to groups of up to 200 people. Bar3 features a hand picked music play list put together by leading Auckland DJ Grant Marshall of Auckland’s George FM (who is Bar3’s resident Saturday night DJ).

SKYCITY Executive Manager, Marketing and Entertainment, Jill Birch, says together Play casino and Bar3 will offer a fresh new concept in entertainment in the heart of the city.

“SKYCITY is continuously looking at ways to offer new and exciting entertainment experiences. Bar 3 and Play casino will appeal to a new and broader entertainment seeker market than our current gaming and food and beverage offerings do,” says Ms Birch.

“The new entertainment offerings will cater to different groups at different times and during different days of the week - from corporates and CBD workers weekdays, to social groups after work and party goers and night-clubbers on the weekends,” says Ms Birch.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

PLAY casino/Bar3:

- Play casino features 15 table games (consisting of popular games Blackjack, Roulette and Money Wheel) and 223 gaming machines featuring the latest new gaming product such as Austin Powers and Spiderman games.
- Play casino and Bar3 bar are a $25 million development for SKYCITY and are part of a major expansion programme for SKYCITY Auckland.
- SKYCITY is also currently developing a $135 million new SKYCITY Auckland Convention Centre and five star SKYCITY Grand Hotel which are due to open in 2004 and 2005.
- The SKYCITY Auckland expansion project is the largest commercial capital project currently underway in New Zealand.
- Construction of Play casino and Bar3 began in April 2003.
- For the past month, over 200 workers from Aspec Construction have been working around the clock six - seven days a week to complete the project.
- Bar3 was designed by award winning New Zealand bar and restaurant. designer Tom Skyring who also developed the design concepts for most of the top bars and restaurants in Auckland (and also throughout New Zealand and Australia) including in Auckland Ottos (Metropolis Hotel) , Euro (Viaduct), Float (Viaduct) George Bar (Parnell), Sponge Bar (Ponsonby Road), Milano (Viaduct) and in Christchurch - Tap Bar.
- Play Casino was designed by leading NZ architect company Craig Craig Moller (who also designed Sky Tower and the new SKYCITY Auckland Convention Centre).
- You must be 20 years or older to enter all SKYCITY gaming areas.
- The opening of Play casino will mean SKYCITY Auckland can operate at full capacity from a gaming perspective (1647 machines and 110 gaming tables) - depending on demand.

Breakdown of gaming machines/tables across the SKYCITY Entertainment Group:

SKYCITY Auckland
Play - 223 machines and 15 tables
Alto Casino and Bar - 86 machines and 24 tables
Main gaming floor - 1330 machines and 59 tables
Members club - 8 machines and 12 tables

SKYCITY Hamilton
339 machines and 23 tables

SKYCITY Queenstown
86 gaming machines and 12 tables

SKYCITY Adelaide
890 machines and 72 tables

ends

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