THE STAR GOLD COAST CELEBRATES 35 YEARS
Originally called The Conrad Jupiters Casino and Resort, the iconic establishment was renamed Jupiters Casino in 2010, before changing to The Star Gold Coast in 2017.
Over the past 3.5 decades, more than 8 billion cards have been dealt in the casino, while guests have feasted on more than 24 million oysters in the property’s restaurants.
Thousands of world-renowned entertainers have taken to the stage in The Star Gold Coast theatre, including the likes of Celine Dion, Rod Stewart, The Beach Boys, Rihanna, Mariah Carey, to name a few.
More recently, in 2014 the property embarked on a multi-million dollar transformation involving one of the most extensive hotel refurbishments ever undertaken in Australia, the build of a new luxury suite hotel, a new poolside experience, and an array of new, contemporary restaurants and bars.
Expansion is also set to continue as part of an approved $2billion+ masterplan, including an additional four towers and associated world-class resort amenities.
The Star Gold Coast Gaming Operations Manager Steve Hennessey was part of the property’s opening team and is one of a small contingent of team members who have been with the property since the beginning.
He says one of the significant changes he has observed over the past 35 years has been the advancement of gaming technology.
“Technology has made a huge difference in the way we operate, from simple things like shuffling the cards. When we first started, we had to shuffle them ourselves and now we have machines that can do it for us,” Mr Hennessey said.
“When we first opened our doors, both guests and gaming management were able to smoke whilst working on the gaming floor, something you wouldn’t hear about today!
“It’s been great to see the property restrict smoking to certain sections of our premium gaming areas over the years, but even better to see that we’re moving to no indoor smoking completely by 2022.
“I’ve had a wonderful journey so far and I feel really honoured to have enjoyed a wide variety of roles over the years, and continue to be a part of The Star’s history and future.”
The Star Gold Coast General Manager Gaming Operations Ian Brown, who has also been with the property since day one, said he is immensely proud of the property’s achievements in the past 35 years.
“The Gold Coast is an iconic tourism and leisure destination and we’ve been delighted to be part of its dynamic community all these years and support history-making events like the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games and the first TV WEEK Logie Awards outside of Victoria,” Mr Brown said.
“When we opened 35 years ago, the property had a strong focus on gaming but in the last six years I’m proud that this focus has significantly shifted towards our non-gaming offering.”
Source: The Star Gold Coast celebrates 35th birthday – myGC.com.au
