The opening of Wrest Point Casino in Tasmania in 1973 was the start of Australia's licensed casino industry and paved the way for casinos to open in all of the other states. Fast forward to today and casinos in Australia are widely considered some of the best in the world.
If you're a player who usually plays at a pub or club then you might want to consider switching to your local casino as the game selection as well as the possible jackpots will be far better.
CASINOS BY STATE
There are a total of 13 casinos currently open in Australia with several more in the planning or approval stages.
NEW SOUTH WALES
The Star
Opened as Star City in 1995, the casino was re-branded to The Star in 2009 after a $500 million re-development. The casino is operated by ECHO Entertainment and features a total of 1,500 poker machines.
- Address : 80 Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont NSW 2009
- Website : www.star.com.au
VICTORIA
Crown Melbourne
Established in 1997 and the flagship casino operated by James Packer's Crown Limited, Crown Casino is the biggest casino in Australia. A total of 2,500 pokies are available on the various casino floors.
- Address : 8 Whiteman St, Southbank VIC 3006
- Website : www.crownmelbourne.com.au
QUEENSLAND
Jupiters Gold Coast
Jupiters Gold Coast is an Echo Entertainment casino that opened in 1986. Previously known as Conrad Jupiters the casino spent $63 million in 2006 on a major upgrade and now features over 1,300 pokies.
- Address : Broadbeach Island, Gold Coast QLD 4218
- Website : www.jupitersgoldcoast.com.au
Treasury Brisbane
Situated in Brisbane's historic Treasury Building, Treasury Casino is owned by ECHO Entertainment and features the largest number of pokies in one venue in Queensland with over 1,400 games to choose from.
- Address : 130 William Street, Brisbane QLD 4000
- Website : www.treasurybrisbane.com.au
Reef Hotel & Casino
Opened in 1996 and located in tropical Cairns, Reef Casino has over 500 poker machines. The casino is a joint venture between
Casinos Austria International Limited and Accor Casino Investments.
- Address : 35-41 Wharf Street, Cairns QLD 4870
- Website : www.reefcasino.com.au
Jupiters Townsville
The smallest casino operated by ECHO Entertainment, Jupiters Townsville has a total of 320 gaming machines and is located on the Townsville breakwater.
- Address : Sir Leslie Thiess Drive, Townsville City QLD 4810
- Website : www.jupiterstownsville.com.au
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Adelaide Casino
Previously known as Sky City Casino, Adelaide casino is owned by Sky City Entertainment and is locates in the heart of Adelaide. The casino features more that 1,000 electronic gaming machines.
- Address : North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5001
- Website : www.adelaidecasino.com.au
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Crown Perth
Originally known as Burswood Casino and re-branded to Crown Perth after a $750 million upgrade in 2012, Crown Perth has 2,000 gaming machines and is the only place to play pokies in Western Australia.
- Address : Great Eastern Highway, Burswood WA 6100
- Website : www.crownperth.com.au
TASMANIA
Wrest Point Casino
Australia's first casino, Wrest Point Casino was opened in 1973 and is still in operation today. The casino is operated by the Federal Hotels Group and offers a range of about 650 gaming machines.
- Address : 410 Sandy Bay Rd, Sandy Bay Tasmania 7005
- Website : www.wrestpoint.com.au
Country Club Casino
Located in Launceston and set on an 18 Hole Championship Golf Course, Country Club Casino is the second casino operated by the Federal Hotels Group and offers a small amount of gaming machines.
- Address : Country Club Avenue, Prospect Vale 7250
- Website : www.countryclubtasmania.com.au
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
Casino Canberra
Opened in 1994, Casino Canberra is owned by
Casinos Austria International Limited and has the distinction of being the only casino with no poker machines. The casino only has a small selection of table games.
- Address : 21 Binara Street, Canberra City ACT 2601
- Website : www.casinocanberra.com.au
NORTHERN TERRITORY
Sky City Darwin
Sky City Darwin has a history going back to 1979 when it was opened as Mindil Beach Casino. It was taken over by the MGM Group in 1995 and again by the Sky City Group in 2004. The casino has 750 gaming machines.
- Address : Casino Drive, The Gardens NT 0820
- Website : www.skycitydarwin.com.au
Lasseters Hotel Casino
Open since 1981, Lasseters Casino is located in Alice Springs and features 300 gaming machines. In the early 2000's, Lasseters also operated a popular online casino however this was closed in 2008.
- Address : 93 Barret Dr, Desert Springs NT 0870
- Website : www.lasseters.com.au
ALTERNATIVES TO CASINOS
In addition to the casinos there are other venues that have poker machines in some Australian states. Particularly in NSW and Victoria pokies can be found in a lot of pubs and sporting clubs.
Some of these Clubs could be almost be considered casinos themselves with venues like the Rooty Hill RSL and Penrith Panthers in NSW having hundreds of pokies. The only thing that really seperates these venues from the casinos is that they aren't licensed for table games.