Wrest Point Hotel Casino

Infobox hotel
hotel_name = Wrest Point Hotel Casino

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image_width = 250px
caption = Wrest Point Hotel Casino
location = Hobart, Tasmania,
flagicon|Australia Australia
coordinates = coord|42|54|7|S|147|20|17|E|display=inline,title
opening_date = 10 February 1973
stars = Five Stars
diamonds =
closing_date =
developer =
architect = Sir Roy Grounds
operator = Federal Hotels
owner =
number_of_restaurants = 5 + 6 bars
number_of_rooms = 269
number_of_suites =
floor_area =
floors = 17
parking =
website = [http://www.wrestpoint.com.au/ Official Site]
footnotes =The Wrest Point Hotel Casino was Australia's first legal casino, opening in the suburb of Sandy Bay in Hobart, Tasmania, on 10 February 1973.

History

The site was originally a hotel that was called the "Wrest Point Riviera", built by Arthur Drysdale and opened in 1939. The hotel was later sold to Federal Hotels, who remain the present owners.

In the 1960s, The Federal Group attempted to secure Australia's first casino license. At the time, Tasmania's natural scenery and beauty were not widely known elsewhere, and as a result the state wasn't attracting many tourists. The company hoped that a casino would be the drawcard that would kickstart Tasmania's tourism industry.

John Haddad, one of the company's executives at the time, was assigned the role of getting a casino license. He met with then Tasmanian Premier Eric Reece and other state officials. A state referendum was held, and narrowly passed.

The development of the casino included the construction of the 17-storey hotel tower designed by renowned ground-breaking architect Sir Roy Grounds, a landmark that is nationally idenitified with Hobart, and to this day the 64-metre octagonal tower is still the city's tallest building.

After the centre's opening in 1973 (after which it was known as "Wrest Point Hotel Casino") the casino kickstarted the nation's casino industry, with 12 additional casinos opening across the country. This included a second Federal Group casino in Tasmania, the Country Club Resort, which opened in Launceston in 1982.

Since the opening of the casino, the state's tourism industry has boomed, as its management had hoped.

The building has been extended in recent years, including the conference centre which was opened in 1984, and the boardwalk in 1996.

Bars and Restaurants

Wrest Point has a number of bars and restaurants.
*The BirdCage Bar (Jazz and Cocktail Bar)
*The Sports Bar (including sports betting)
*The Point Revolving Restaurant
*The Point Lounge Bar
*Pier One Restaurant and Bar
*The Coffee Shop (Buffet Restaurant)
*The Loft Bistro
*Riverview Snacks
*Boardwalk Snacks

External links

* [http://www.wrestpoint.com.au/ Wrest Point Hotel Casino] official site
* [http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/tpl/InfoSheets/referendums.htm 1968 casino referendum results]
* [http://www.tourismtasmania.com.au/org/community_aware/taw2000/td_wrestpoint.html Tourism Tasmania article]