It’s Viva BrisVegas as Queensland unveils plans for up to three new mega casinos in a bid to rake in high-rolling Asian players. Premier Campbell Newman has called for expressions of interest for a second Brisbane casino as part of a redevelopment of the government precinct. He says Macau’s gambling houses and Singapore’s iconic Marina Bay Sands casino wowed him on a recent tour of Asia.

Mr Newman is convinced that building a mega resort style-casino, and potentially another two in other parts of the state, is the best way to compete with other destinations fighting for Asian players. “Our offering has been rundown and eroded,” Mr Newman said on Monday.

“We’re not just looking for a hotel and some shops. It’s a world class iconic precinct”. Mr Newman said the casino would include a new six star hotel, retail, restaurant and entertainment zones, theatre and convention facilities and new open spaces.

He said there could be another two new casinos built in other areas of the state, adding to the existing four. “So you could see seven (casinos) in total in Queensland, up to seven,” he said.

But Salvation Army problem gambling spokesman Gerrard Byrne warned there were already too many casinos in Queensland. He said it seemed that the government had run out of ideas to make money and attract tourists. “We think it’s too much,” Mr Byrne told AAP.

You can find more about plans to attract high value Asian players to Australia at Yahoo.