In exchange for the licence, Casinos Austria paid $19 million up front for lease of the land and an annual $500,000 licensing fee.

The casino has previously tried unsuccessfully to lobby the territory government to remove restrictions that prevent it from installing poker machines.

These attempts have failed, in part due to concerns from Canberra's clubs, which fear loss of revenue from their own poker machines.

In March 2013, it was reported by The Canberra Times, amid concerns about its ongoing viability, that the casino was willing to hand back land to the government that would allow the National Convention Centre to be expanded, and pay upfront fees in exchange for licensing rights for 200 machines.

[3] In May 2016, following submission of a proposal to massively redevelop the Casino site in exchange for the right to possess 500 poker machine licences, an in-principle agreement was reached with the Chief Minister Andrew Barr.