Tower Holdings calls for a casino license to attract international investors, after receiving an approval from the Queensland government to build its $2 billion Great Keppel Island resort.

The developer has confirmed that it would like to proceed with the construction of the resort but in order to source international finance to fund the project, it would need to show investors a casino license to prove that the resort can profit via its casino gaming revenue.

The Queensland government has been hesitant to approve a boutique casino license because the two regional casinos— Jupiters Hotel & Casino in Townsville and the Reef Hotel Casino in Cairns—have a similar number of casino tables.

The Jupiters operates 27 tables while the Reef operates 38 tables and hence granting a boutique license to operate 35 casino tables for the Great Keppel casino would cause a controversy.