Australia: Crown Casino News
Australian casino, gaming and politic news remains red hot. The Australian Parliament may be hung...with the balance of power scenarios upon us, complete Labor getting a beating from Liberal's Tony "The Bruiser" Abbott and the Coalition...and Crown casino king James Packer is riding the high seas, but its business as usual at Crown Casino and its swinging sister, Burswood Entertainment Complex. Media Man and Gambling911 pick up the baton sticks and plastic handcuffs with this special report on the good, the bad, the ugly and the sexy at Crown Limited aka Billionaire Inc...
World's Top ABBA Show BJORN AGAIN Coming To Crown Casino 'The Palms' This November...
The world's #1 ABBA tribute show, BJORN AGAIN, return to The Palms to present THE ABBA GOLD CONCERT. Bjorn Again will perform all songs from "ABBA GOLD", the definitive collection of ABBA's greatest hits. This album has sold over 26 million copies worldwide and is in the top 30 best-selling albums of all time. This will be an amazing show and a great experience not to be missed. Bjorn Again were formed in Melbourne in 1988 and have performed in over 70 countries to critical acclaim. Bjorn
Again have developed a world-wide following, even gaining praise from the original ABBA members, including Benny Anderson who stated: "Fans had better make the most out of Bjorn Again as that's the closest they are going to get to seeing ABBA". Special guest support are The Old Romantics who are a highly entertaining parody of the New Romantic music era in the 80's, featuring songs by Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran and Culture Club. Get ready to have the time of your life! Tickets available from 9:00am 24 August, 2010. Dates: Thursday 18 - Sunday 23 November 2010
Is Crown Casino Management In A Battle With Chef Gordon Ramsay?...What's Cooking?...
That's the question on the lips of Australia's foodie and casino industry. Numerous Australian editors and journalists are now saying the fight is on. Too many cooks in the kitchen, or not enough good ones, and what's happened on eh bean counter (money making and paying) front. Chef Gordon Ramsay is understand to be at war with Crown Casino, and its hotter than Hell's Kitchen.
This news comes less than six months after media "custard tart" (Media Man inside joke) launch of his flagship restaurant in the Metropol complex section of Crown. Ramsay's Maze and Maze Grill are rumored (not fact - don't call the lawyers) to be flushing down the loo towards $20 grand a friggen week after the casino invested more than $10 million bucks on refurbishing the eateries and the like, leaked a number of sources, one known to MM and G911 as "Deep Throat" (not real name, nor a star in the movie sharing the same title).
The restaurants' financial woes have soured and porked relations between Crown powers that be and the foul-mouthed chef, who are now commenced negotiations over Maze's future! A Network Nine reality TV show was previously on the cards but now looks to be in doubt. Crown pays roughly 6% of gross sales and a small percentage of profits to Gordon Ramsay Holdings, a deal which provides things like branding and marketing. Ramsay is understood to invoice Crown for the salaries of Maze's chef de cuisine Josh Emett and several senior cooks and assorted staffers. Crown is understood to not have its taste buds satisfied from the biz deal in recent supper sittings, as Ramsay's hospitality empire continues to suffer from the global slump in corporate dining. Sweeeet has turned to sour, and figure pointing goes on to who is a goose, turkey. Speculation also runs rife is Maze will last to see this Christmas' turkey roast dinner party.
Crown Casino spokesman Gary O'Neill denied that Maze has gone sour. He spoke with Fairfax Media on the matter and advised "I don't know who has been calling you or for what reason but there is absolutely no truth in that accusation whatsoever. Crown has a very good relationship with Maze. It has exceeded our expectations quite significantly. A large number of people are going there." He also said Maze and Rockpool Bar and Grill were Crown's best-performing restaurants, both by patron numbers and dollars spent. He didn't get into what Maze's profits may or may not in fact be, and bean counters are silent.
Restaurant deep throats told our friends at Fairfax Media that Maze and Maze Grill, which combined have more than 250 seats, have struggled somewhat to serve 100 covers a day, particularly early in the week. "Obviously winter is a factor and most places are quieter this time of year, but Mr Ramsay has certainly had a tough introduction to Melbourne,'" one local restaurateur shared. A spokeswoman for Gordon Ramsay Holdings said its agreement with Crown was strictly confidential. 'Ms X' she said Maze was meeting expectations.
The king of the chefs also faces problems outside Australia. He was recently hit with a tax bill for $US2 million ($A2.3 million) by United States authorities and is now dealing with a series of lawsuits from unhappy creditors. Ramsay was also forced to close his restaurant in Cape Town last month and sold ("fire sale style")his TV production company for £40 million ($69AUD million) just last week. He disclosed that restaurants in New York, Paris, Los Angeles and Prague were "haemorrhaging" up to £200,000 pounds each month at the climax of the financial recession.
Last year, Fairfax Media published that other exclusive Crown eateries were struggling, largely attributed to the global economic downturn, including once ultra exclusive Bistro Guillaume, which won Gourmet Traveller's best new restaurant back in 2009. At the time, owner Guillaume Brahimi and Crown management denied any problems, but it has since closed. Funny that. Punters, is Ramsay's goose cooked? Hot air or hot under the collar of bean counters? Off with his head, or not? Got a beef? Tell us in the forum. You be the judge, jury and executioner!
Burswood Casino Accused Thief Hid Jewels Inside Own Body...
Yuk. Those jewels would have sure required some polishing. International readers, please don't confuse the "jewels" with the proposed 'Mildura Jewel' casino in Melbourne, just saying...Western Australian Police have now formally charged a mug er man...with stealing after he allegedly concealed jewellery inside himself after smashing a display case at Perth's Burswood casino. A glass panel in the display case in the gaming area was smashed in the early hours of Saturday, police told press. A suspect was later located but a search failed to find any stolen items until some dislodged from inside him (via his anus - arse we understand), police said. "He was then transported to Royal Perth Hospital for X-rays and further property was recovered," Inspector Gary Lewis advised. 6 rings and a necklace worth a total of $329,000 were recovered and a 29-year-old man is in custody after being charged to appear in court at a date to be determined. That's what we call an expensive and uncomfortable toilet sitting.
Australian Punters Back Coalition To Form Government...
Aussie bookies have installed the coalition as the favourite to form government following an inconclusive result from Saturday's federal election. Sportingbet Australia has the Coalition at $1.40, while Labor is at $2.80. Sportingbet Australia chief executive Michael 'Mr Sums' Sullivan advised it looked very hard for Labor to form government, and punters had instantly backed the Coalition to come to an agreement with the 3 re-elected independent MPs.
"The Coalition are a clear favourite, as it is hard to see how a Labor government relying on support from a Green and essentially conservative independents would ever reach a consensus and be able to function effectively," Sullivan said. Sportingbet opened the book on Sunday with the Coalition at $1.50 and instantly took two bets of $5000 at $1.50 and $1.45. A rival agency, Centrebet, has the Coalition at $1.40 and Labor on $2.85. Ah, what a different a few days can make. Who are you picking? Don't be shy.
Greg Tingle is a special contributor to the Gambling911.com website and is proprietor of Media Man International
