Christmas Casino & Inn Truly enjoyed the atmosphere at the Christmas Casino! The decorations are very tasteful and the music is a good mix of old and new radio hits as well as Christmas music. My wife and I stayed at the Imperial Hotel before it was reopened as the Christmas Inn.
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The Christmas Island Resort, often called the Christmas Island Casino, is a holiday resort on Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the north-eastern Indian Ocean lying about 300 km south of Java and 1600 km north-west of the Australian mainland.[1] It operated as a casino for over four years during the 1990s. It was one of the world's most profitable prior to bankruptcy and generated over $5 billion a year profits.[2]
The Star Casino Christmas Lunch
History[edit]
The casino/resort was conceived in the early 1980s by Perthproperty developer Frank Woodmore as a business opportunity following the closure in 1981, for political reasons, of Indonesia's three licensed casinos, all of which were in Jakarta. With Jakarta less than an hour's flight from Christmas Island, the casino was intended to attract high rollers from Indonesia and other Asian countries.[3]
In 1985 a company, Christmas Island Resort Pty Ltd (CIR) was incorporated, with Woodmore, through Mercator Property Consultants Pty Ltd, initially holding 10% of the share capital, with other interests, principally controlled by Indonesian businessman Robby Sumampow, acquiring the remainder. Construction of the resort began late in the 1980s. On 5 November 1993 CIR was granted an Australian casino licence, with the building complex formally opened as the Christmas Island Casino and Resort on 18 December 1993.[3]
As envisaged, the casino catered mainly to a wealthy Asian clientele, with most of its patrons flying in from Jakarta, often by private jet. Business was facilitated by the Australian government, which issued special short-term visas for Christmas Island. Initially the resort operated profitably, with most revenue coming from the casino. However, after 1994, CIR made losses. The resort was badly affected by the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997-98, and it suspended operations on 23 April 1998. On 28 July 1998 the Australian Minister for Regional Development, Territories and Local Government cancelled CIR's casino licence and, the following day, the company went into receivership.[3] In 2000, the resort was purchased from the liquidators by David Kwon, a Sydney-based businessman.[4]
In July 2004 a proposal by KFL Star Resort, a consortium of South Korean investors registered in Perth, to reopen the casino[5] was rejected by the Australian Government, with the Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads, SenatorIan Campbell, quoted as saying that in the 'interests of the Christmas Island community,[6] the Australian Government has decided to make legislative changes to prohibit casino operations'.[4] In July 2009 it was reported that the Australian Federal Government was negotiating with Kwon about using the resort facilities to relieve overcrowding at the island's Immigration Detention Centre because of increases in boatloads of asylum seekers attempting to reach Australia.[7] In response, the island's Shire President, Gordon Thomson, said that the Australian government should take control of the then mothballed resort and hand it over to the Christmas Island community to operate[8] as a tourist resort.[9]
In 2013, Kwon started negotiations with the Australian government for the possibility to lease the resort as a viable solution to the island's growing economic needs.[10]
Description[edit]
The resort lies on a 47 ha block of land, a 99-year crownlease issued in 1989, at Waterfall Bay on the north-eastern coastal terraces of the island, not far from the airport. It contains 156 guest rooms and suites as well as other resort facilities such as restaurants, nightclubs and a swimming pool. When it operated as a casino the facilities included 43 slot machines and 23 gambling tables. CIR also owned the Christmas Island Lodge, containing 80 motel-style rooms, in Poon Saan as well as 144 apartments for staff accommodation.[3]
It has 156 fully furnished hotel rooms of which 52 are two-storey suites with ocean views. One of its two modern kitchens was leased by the government in 2002 to provide meals for asylum seekers.[11]
Notes[edit]
- ^Christmas Island may reopen Casino
- ^Calls for casino on Christmas Island
- ^ abcdReport to the Committee on the National Capital and External Territories.
- ^ abMurdoch (2004).
- ^Old casino plan to ease Christmas Island crush
- ^Give casino to community, says island chief
- ^Wright & Narushima (2009).
- ^Casino for asylum housing
- ^Wright (2009).
- ^A Remote Island Seeks A Boom Without a Bust
- ^Christmas Island casino urged by report
Sources[edit]
- 'The Christmas Island Casino and Resort'(PDF). Report to the Committee. Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital and External Territories, Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
- Murdoch, Lindsay (21 July 2004). 'Casino ruling will destroy our future, say islanders'. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
- Wright, Tony; & Narushima, Yuko (1 July 2009). 'Casino for asylum housing'. Brisbane Times. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
- Wright, Tony (2 July 2009). 'Give casino to community, says island chief'. The Age. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
External links[edit]
Coordinates: 10°27′26″S105°42′18″E / 10.45722°S 105.70500°E
It might sound really strange to you that we would suggest taking your children to a casino. Like, what? Why? But if you’ll just hear us out on this one, we think you’ll be convinced that taking your family to The Rising Star Christmas Casino in Rising Sun, Indiana this holiday season is the way to go.
Location
First things first, the Rising Star Christmas Casino is a riverboat casino located in Southeast Indiana on the Ohio River. It is docked in what is called the tri-state area of Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio.
The casino is 45 minutes from Cincinnati, 1 hour and 45 minutes from Indianapolis, and 1 hour and 20 minutes from Louisville. By the way, this part of Indiana is gorgeous and friendly at any time of the year.
Santa, Mrs. Claus, and Live Reindeer
The main draw for the Adventure Kids is seeing Santa, Mrs. Claus, and the real, live reindeer.
The reindeer are housed out front of the casino in Santa’s Stable. You can walk right up and see the reindeer for free.
Santa and Mrs. Claus can be seen inside the lobby of the resort three or four days each week starting in mid-November. We have visited several times, and there has never been a line. However, we’ve heard that during the day on Saturday, especially close to Christmas, there is sometimes a wait. If you’d like to ensure you won’t wait, you can make reservations online to see Santa.
Visiting Santa and Mrs. Claus is also free. You can take as many pictures as you’d like on your own camera. Mrs. Claus will even help take pictures if mom wants to get in them for once. Ha!
Lavish Decorations
Starting when you come up the long driveway to the casino, you’ll see over-the-top decorations. It’s really beautiful!
Inside of the resort, the decorations become even more spectacular as you’re greeted with a giant, animated 12 Days of Christmas tree. There is lots of garland, decorated trees, animatronic winterland animals, twinkling lights, and everything else you’d expect from a Christmas wonderland.
Before you leave, make sure you take a trip down the hallway leading to the hotel rooms (past the hotel lobby). Here you’ll find a little more magic with twinkling trees and icicle lights. You don’t have to stay at the hotel to check this out.
Shopping and Food
Inside of the resort’s lobby, a stone’s-throw from Santa, you’ll find two shopping opportunities:
- The first one you’ll see is the Christmas Market Village. It is made to resemble a Christkindlmarkt (German Christmas market), but you pay for everything at one cash register. There are some unique gifts there. One year I was able to score some really good deals on Melissa and Doug toys and personalized ornaments.
- Inside Santa’s Workshop, you’ll find clothing, accessories, and a different variety of gifts.
There are also three dining options available inside of the resort:
- The Mrs. Claus’ Kitchen Buffet, which is called River View Buffet the rest of the year, is ideal for families as there is a lot of variety. During the holiday season, they will routinely have carved roast beef, ham, or turkey on the buffet.
- If you want to get fancy, make reservations to eat at Yuletide Inn, which is normally called Wellington’s. Here you’ll find upscale steak and seafood options. During the holidays, you may also choose to be served family-style meals including roasted goose, winter truffles, stuffed pork tenderloin with figs and chestnuts, and dry aged NY strip steak.
- For a quick, casual meal, the new Ben’s Bistro has appetizers, sandwiches, and desserts.
Important:
All of the shopping, dining, and Christmas options I’ve listed in this article take place outside of the casino itself. You must be 21 years old to enter the Rising Star Casino.
Ferry Boat
The MS Lucky Lady Ferry Boat is a must-do if you’re in Rising Sun. We have taken the ferry back and forth across the Ohio many times. The Adventure Kids get a huge kick out of riding the ferry!
You can get out of your car during the short trip and take a look around. Children must wear a life jacket while walking about, so just ask the attendant for one before letting them hop out. Sometimes we drive along the river in Kentucky for a little bit to check out the sites, and sometimes we just turn right back around and come back across the river.
This month, November 2019, it is absolutely free to ride the ferry. When they are charging for the ferry, it’s $5 one way and $8 round trip. If you have to pay, they typically give you a voucher for the amount you spend that you can then take into the casino and exchange for cash if you have a Rising Star Rewards card. So if you spend $8 on the ferry, then they give you $8 cash in the casino.
Other Rising Sun Fun This Christmas
7th Annual Christmas Train Show
The Conductors of Southeastern Indiana will be holding their show from November 29 through December 30 at Heritage Hall in Rising Sun. There is a small admission fee.
Christmas Casino Lighting Ceremony and Free Holiday Hoodies
Come to the Christmas Casino on Friday, November 15 at 7:00pm for their lighting ceremony. Santa will be on hand, and they will also be giving out free holiday hoodies from 5:00pm until 10:00pm.
Santa on Seaplane and Christmas Tree Lighting
December 6 at 5:00pm, Santa Claus will make a grand entrance to Rising Sun by seaplane. He will then walk to Rising Sun’s City Pavilion to light the town’s Christmas tree. Finally, Santa will move inside the Pendleton Art Center where everyone can take free photos with him!
Christmas Inn Cripple Creek Colorado
So what do you think? Will you be taking your kids to the casino this Christmas? If so, maybe the Adventure Kids will see you there!