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.
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!
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20 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! ;)
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)
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!
“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 ;)
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 ;)
It is kind of sad that Casinos are our top tourist attractions – something I would not have even thought of.
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.
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.
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).
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! ;)
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!
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!
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!
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
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.
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!
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.
Hi, there, your blog is really amazing and informative. I’m definitely gonna travel to Australia one day! Thank so much.
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 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.