Crown Chairman James Packer sees middle-class Chinese casino-goers as the possible saving grace of Australia's tourism industry. He compared the value of that market segment to the importance of the Internet to the modern world.

Mr Packer said Australia could no longer rely on the natural beauty of the country alone to draw in foreign visitors, but would need the help of man-made attractions such as gambling sites.

He pushed also for better hotels, better restaurants and better shopping experiences. He cited the case of Las Vegas which attracts 40 million a year due to it casinos and not natural attractions.

To attract more Chinese tourists who would be willing to gamble their money away while in Australia, Mr Packer said he wants to have tables-only casino complex at Barangaroo in Sydney.

If the plan of Mr Packer, who reportedly has plans to sell his stake in Consolidated Media and concentrate instead on his casino businesses in Melbourne, Perth and Macau, would push through, it would make him one of the biggest casino operators in the world.

Mr Parker pointed out that gambling is not as bad as some people perceive it because his businesses pay twice as much tax than its profit.

"I am really sick of people looking at me as though I am running some sort of sinful business. I am hugely proud of our business," Smart Company quoted Mr Parker.

One indicator of how important casinos are to Chinese is the boom that Macau tourism is experiencing because of its gambling joints. The former Portuguese colony at the southeastern part of mainland China was returned to the country in 1999 and is fast becoming a favourite destination of high-rollers. Experts believe that Macau's casino industry will continue to grow in the coming years based on the number of casino giants that are interested in setting up business in Macau.

The list includes Wynn Resorts which own casino chains in Las Vegas, and a joint venture between Australia's Crown Casino and Hong Kong's Melco International. The former plans to spend $1 billion on the Macau project while the latter is also investing millions of dollars of build several casinos in the former Portuguese colony.

Macau is known as the Monte Carlo of the Orient since the Portuguese rulers legalised gambling in 1847. The industry was, however, monopolised by the Society of Tourism and Recreation of Macau until 2002 when the government opened the industry to other players.

As a result, 40 per cent of Macau's gross domestic product comes from the casinos.

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