Casino Tourism in Australia: Where to Find Australia’s Best Casino’s
Australia is often referred to as the lucky country, and blessed with an abundance of raw materials, natural wonders and sunshine, travelers flock here from all over the globe to witness the likes of the Sydney Opera House, Uluru and the Great Barrier Reef. Though none of these iconic attractions even come close to touching Australia’s top tourist attractions, and you’ll never guess where the majority of our tourists head.
The top three tourist attractions in Australia are casinos, apparently, and in a list of the world’s top 100 tourist attractions, Crown Casino Melbourne is Australia’s most popular destination, drawing up to 10.9 million visitors in a year.
Just behind Crown for tourists hitting up Aus is the Gold Coast’s Jupiters casino (10.6 million visitors) and the Star in Sydney (9 million). More iconic attractions like the Opera House, for instance, only attract around 8.2 million visitors annually by comparison.
Perhaps this is due to Australian casino tax being paid by the casino (as opposed to the setup in America where customers pay tax out of their winnings), or perhaps it’s that Casino’s in Australia are much more than places to go and enjoy games of chance. Many of them double as fully integrated resorts, and offer great restaurants, bars and other places to eat as well entertainment and luxury accommodation, including some of the best hotel rooms and suites you will find in the country.
The best for gambling in Australia, then? It’s up to you to decide. There are 8 states and territories with gambling facilities in Australia which have 20 legal gambling facilities available in total. Though if you’re looking or a first class gaming experience in Australia then you’ve hit your first win; the following are the best places to gamble in Australia – our best casino’s for your every gambling need!
Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex
Australia’s number one tourist attraction – Crown Melbourne is the largest and most successful entertainment complex in the Southern Hemisphere, and in fact one of the largest in the world. And with three hotels (Crown Towers Melbourne, Crown Metropol and the Crown Promenade), plenty of pokie machines, and two restaurants by world famous Chef Gordon Ramsay, the complex is absolutely huge and full of much more entertainment than just gambling activities.
If visiting this Casino make sure you allocate a lot of time in case you get carried away with the huge selection of games!
Jupiter’s Hotel and Casino
10 million + flock to Jupiter’s Hotel and Casino each year, and with reasonably priced accommodation it’s an affordable destination to visit and stay.
This is the best in Gold Coast entertainment, dining and bars, and is just a short stroll from the stunning beaches for which Australia is well known.
Queensland’s other popular casinos include the Treasury Casino and Hotel Brisbane (six restaurants, four bars, a plush hotel close to Brisbane’s major attractions), and Jupiters Townsville – a casino for those looking to combine their love of gaming with a lush tropical setting, wonderful beaches and with the ability to spend their winnings on a quick flight to the islands of The Great Barrier Reef.
The Star Casino
The Star City Casino is one of Sydney’s main attractions, and this is possibly the best known casino in Australia. It’s impossible not to get lost amidst the huge gaming floor and be dazzled by the lights of every game you could ever imagine. All levels of players are welcomed throughout the gaming floor, with both very low stake games on offer as well as VIP tables for the high rollers.
Located on Darling Harbour, the casino offers award winning restaurants in a fabulous Sydney location along with a five star boutique lifestyle hotel, an acclaimed nightclub and events center, a 16 room day spa and a luxury retail collection.
Adelaide Casino
If you’re hitting up South Australia, Adeline Casino is the place to be. A sprawling casino with hundreds of Pokies which are continually being updated to host the latest game releases, you’ll never find yourself bored or waiting for a machine.
Crown Perth
Crown Perth is Western Australia’s leading casino venue, and you will be greeted with a huge selection of Pokie machines as well as plenty of table and card games to choose from.
Crown Perth is known as a city within a city. With two hotels, 30 restaurants and bars, a popular nightclub, the 24/7 casino, two concert halls, and a range of additional facilities such as a luxury day spa, retail outlets, resort-style pools, an eighteen hole golf course – you don’t find many venues which come bigger than this. The Casino is located on the banks of the Swan River, and the amazing facilities extend to cycling trails along the river.
You can also try the Joe Fortune Casino.
Wrest Point Casino Tasmania
Image credit: denisbin
A historical landmark, Wrest Point in Hobart, Tasmania was Australia’s first legal casino to open.
Sitting on the spectacular Derwent River, it is Australia’s longest operating Casino, celebrating over forty years since opening it’s doors on February 10, 1973.
Sky City Darwin
A popular beach-side resort and entertainment venue, Sky City is an absolute must for those visiting Darwin. Situated right on Mindil Beach, visitors have access to five star accommodation, conference halls, and the usual award winning restaurants and bars.
During peak periods however the casino becomes quite full, so consider visiting during a quieter time of the day if not in favor of queuing up to play your favourite casino games!
Where to Gamble in Australia
The best places to gamble in Australia can be split into several different factors – location, type of gaming and where Australia’s biggest casino wins have taken place. Titan Casino has produced an infographic about the luckiest places for Australian gambling to kick start your research. Read on, and play on!
If You Liked This Post You May Also Like:
40 Comments
Love Jupiters Casino here in Townsville.. right next to the entertainment centre, great views, and a delicious restaurant. It doesn’t hurt that the hubby seems to have good luck when we go there as well! Perfect for a Staycation! ;)
Does sound like the perfect Staycation then! I’ll definitely have to hit up the Casino with you and borrow some of your hubby’s luck when Mike and I come through Townsville next :D!
I grew up In Las Vegas so I’m quite accustomed to being in the casinos without necessarily having to gamble (to eat? watch movies? arcades? to chill?) so I can actually see why casinos grab a lot of tourists’ attention. They really do have EVERYTHING. That is pretty cool that the casinos in Australia pays the tax instead of the customer though, quite surprising actually. (Although not as surprising– or rather shocking, as Singapore’s $100 casino fee for their locals)
Singapore has a casino fee for their locals??!! Ouch! I guess that’s a sure way to make sure that gambling problems stay with the international tourists! Crazy!!
Yep, Australia’s system of tax is quite lenient compared to the US, I spent a year there and realized that the States tax people on literally everything. We don’t get taxed in Australia, for instance, on prizes or winnings in general, so if you were to win a car here for instance you’re not then hit up for the tax. Different way of doing things, lol I would rather win big here though just due to that :D
I haven’t been to Australia yet and I have never connected it in my mind with casinos, but it looks like you can find some really good ones there!
I don’t think too many people do honestly, its not something which is at the forefront of our tourism campaigns, though I guess casinos are organizations which do have a universal appeal!
“Australia’s number one tourist attraction – Crown Melbourne is the largest and most successful entertainment complex in the Southern Hemisphere, and in fact one of the largest in the world.” That’s insane! I had no idea. I would not have considered Australia as a casino destination. Just another reason my sister should join me on my trip ;)
Crazy isn’t it! You would have no idea that it’s that popular, I guess Casinos have a pretty huge universal appeal! We’re also starting to see a huge tourism boom from China which is apparently propping up the Casino industry in terms of tourism, so they’re actually making plans for opening a few more mega resorts in the near future to take advantage of the demand. Crazy right!!
Well Iˋve never been to a casino and when I think of Australia, I think of kangaroos (I know, itˋs cheesy). But – you live and learn! Maybe I should try something new ;)
Well we have an abundance of both, so you can enjoy Kangaroos during the day and then perhaps retire to a casino for your nightly entertainment! Best of both worlds :D
It is kind of sad that Casinos are our top tourist attractions – something I would not have even thought of.
Took me completely by surprise when I found out too. Though really, it just leaves the rest of the amazing country free of tourists for the remainder of us to enjoy :D
Personally, I detest casinos, and always wonder why people are not outside in the fresh air. However, they are so popular and they certainly bring a lot of people to the country. Each to their own, and obviously some people just love them. I have been to some under total duress and did enjoy the light show at the Crown Casino Melbourne. As an aside but of great interest; the carpets are totally changed weekly in Melbourne because people pee where they play. I know the CEO who has the contract. No doubt this also happens in Sydney etc. You will always remember this Meg and thank me for sharing this information.
Im honestly not a huge casino person myself either, though I have recognized that a lot of them are now becoming entertainment complexes as opposed to just somewhere to gamble. I really did enjoy my time exploring Crown in Melbourne, and we’ve often hit up the Star in Sydney to take in a concert or musical theatre show.
Totally didn’t know that the carpets are changed weekly in Melbourne – that’s a little disturbing honestly :S!! Lol I’ll be less willing to walk across a casino floor now!
Casinos are something I don’t associate with Australia. I am sure people like it. I love Vegas but don’t go there to gamble.
People do indeed love it! And thats the thing, obviously Australia has so much more to offer than just the casino scene, so like Vegas, people do come to enjoy attractions without feeling the need to actually gamble :)
Oh wow. My boyfriend used to be a professional online poker player, but still, I think Australia will charm him! Thank you for this post, I will definitely raise it with him ;)
(Actually, this is the first time that I’ve heard of how there’s such a thing as casino tourism in Australia! It’s quite interesting).
Apparently it’s thriving! From the research I did, we’ve seen a pretty big jump in Chinese tourism to Australia recently, and that’s one reason why our Casino tourism has really started to take off.
Tell your boyfriend he should definitely make his way over to test out his Aussie luck!
LOVE that casinos are the number one tourist destination despite everything else the continent has to offer! People never cease to amaze me! Though with my absolute love for Las Vegas, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised!! The fact that the tax law there makes it so much less painful for winners is also pretty fantastic – I know of people who have had their winnings cut in half by the US! Not going to lie the sunshine coast is calling but at (only) 900k vs 100+ million as the biggest winner… Sydney may just have to be a first stop! ;)
Cut in half!! That’s crazy – I knew the US had super stringent tax laws but I didn’t realize they took that much.
And hey, why not turn Australia into a Casino tour if you’re a big gambling fan – you actually hit up the majority of our most popular cities by ticking off destinations along that map, and there are some fantastic ways to spend your winnings while here like chartering a yacht along the Great Barrier Reef :D
Happy travels!
I didn’t know that Melbourne had the biggest casino! I have never been to a casino in Australia but I have played the pokies a few times and got a little lucky!
Glad you could learn something new :) And congrats on your pokie luck! Lol feel free to send some of that my way, I’m never good with luck when it comes to gambling!
The one and only time i was in Australia i was only seven, so this was not on my itinerary. BUT NOW being legal its a different story! My hubby and I love to get away to Vegas, these casino’s look just like the entertainment we like! Im hoping Australia will be on our 2016 bucket list! WE just might have to find a babysitter for a few hours and hit up one of these places!
If you love Vegas, you’ll love Aus – we just have our casinos a lot more stretched out across the country than all in one destination. But they do offer pretty much all of the same entertainment as the big resorts in Vegas too. I think you’ll likely find that many of them may offer babysitting services too, so you can have someone come up to the room to watch the kids while you head out and play :D Check the resort websites for that, but a lot of them do advertise like nanny services under their list of “amenities” :)
Happy travels!
Interesting post! It seems like every kind of tourist can find something fun and exciting to do in Australia, and it goes to show how each destination has so much more to offer than what they are best known for!
Glad you enjoyed it Mary :) We do indeed absolutely have something on offer for everyone, even the keen gambler!! Hopefully people do actually explore the beauty of our natural attractions while they’re here too…gotta spend those Casino winnings somehow! :)
Interesting, i guess I never thought of Australia as a casino destination but then again Singapore draws up to 2% of its entire GDP from the two casinos so there is a real appeal to the specially Chinese nationals to gamble. It is incredible how much tourist these types of destinations can attract
I read that the majority of the huge boom in Australian Casino tourism is due to the increase in Chinese tourists and Chinese business tourism here, so that makes sense with your experience too. Really is incredible that these kind of entertainment facilities are so appealing!!
In UK there is also no tax on the winnings. I spent myself a lot if time playing poker in London and wrote similar guide, but focused on poker.
Thanks for sharing your experience Gedas :) I’ll jump over and check out your London Poker guide :) … I need to work on my poker face in 2016 lol, I’m reasonably ok at the game, could definitely do with some more practice though :D
Best of luck in 2016!
We are planning out to Aus next year at the end of a long backpacking trip. But we haven’t really had much time to plan what we will do out there yet but Your informative blog gives us some great ideas. Thanks for sharing!
Glad we could help with some ideas for your trip Monika! Feel free to reach out if you have any further questions about what you can do :)
Great blog about casino tourism in Australia! I know It would be impossible to see the country and experience all it has to offer on a single trip.But I will visit there.
Thanks Shamim :) Have a wonderful time in Australia when you arrive!
Hi, there, your blog is really amazing and informative. I’m definitely gonna travel to Australia one day! Thank so much.
Glad to hear you’re enjoying the blog Alina :) Feel free to reach out if you’re after tips or travel advice when you make it to Australia. Happy travels!
Interesting blog! Amazing blog and Bookmarked this! Actually,I move to Aus on the work holiday visa. I was thinking about living in Sydney.
Thanks Jasmine, glad you enjoyed the post. Safe travels to Australia – hope you have a wonderful time working and living in Sydney. Lot’s to see and do, I’m sure you’ll love it there!
Thanks you so much for this informative blog! Really enjoyed to see so many fun and new destinations. I can’t wait to get my own travels started and of course, continuing to follow your own.
Glad you enjoyed the post – happy travels heading into 2017!