Best Casino Hotels in Australia

Despite its geographical distance from the rest of the world, Australia has rapidly become one of the world’s favourite tourist destinations. 

People from across the globe flock to Australia to experience its vast landscapes, beautiful beaches, and unique wildlife. The influx of tourists to Australia has allowed the economy to flourish, giving residents and visitors many entertainment options across all its major cities. 

One of Australia’s favourite pastimes is to spend time with friends at its casinos. As of 2024, there are 14 Casinos spread across the country. This begs the question – how do Australia’s casinos stack up against each other? 

Several factors must be considered before deciding whether a casino is worthy of the highest tier of gaming experiences. In this guide, we’ll examine the five best casino hotels in Australia. 

List of the Best Casino Hotels in Australia 

Before we dive into our picks for the five best casino hotels in Australia, we believe it’s important to take a moment to acknowledge all 14 of the country’s licensed casinos. 

 

With its casinos spread evenly across all major states, you never know when you may find yourself in a position to play a few hands in the land Down Under. Below, you can take a glance at all of Australia’s casinos, with our picks for the top five highlighted in blue: 

 

Casino Name	Regulatory Authority	Territory	City
Crown Melbourne	Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission	Victoria	Melbourne
The Darling	Liquor and Gaming NSW	New South Wales	Melbourne
Crown Sydney	Liquor and Gaming NSW	New South Wales	Sydney
The Reef Hotel Casino	Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation	Queensland	Townsville
The Star Grand Hotel Casino	Liquor and Gaming NSW	New South Wales	Sydney
Casino Canberra	ACT Gambling and Racing Commission	Australian Capital Territory	Canberra
The Star	Liquor and Gaming NSW	New South Wales	Sydney
Mindil Beach Casino	Office for Liquor, Gaming and Racing	Northern Territory	Darwin
The Ville Resort-Casino	Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation	Queensland	Townsville City
Treasury Casino	Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation	Queensland	Brisbane
SkyCity Casino	Independent Gambling Authority	South Australia	Adelaide
Wrest Point Hotel Casino	Tasmanian Gaming Commission	Tasmania	Hobart
Country Club Casino	Tasmanian Gaming Commission	Tasmania	Launceston
Crown Perth	Department of Racing, Gaming and Liquor	Western Australia	Perth

 

5 Best Casino Hotels in Australia You Must Visit

While you can safely assume that every casino in Australia offers something unique to its visitors, a handful stand out for going the extra mile. 

The five best casino hotels have set themselves apart in several ways, primarily by offering their visitors a gaming experience that’s a cut above the others while simultaneously raising their hospitality quotient. 

 

Accordingly, Australia’s best casinos are more than just casinos: they are well-rounded entertainment centres with plenty to offer to every kind of visitor. 

 

If you’re looking for an in-person gaming experience at the best casinos in Australia, we recommend visiting any of the five best casinos shortlisted by the gaming experts here at Betsquare: 

Crown Melbourne

• Address: 8 Whiteman St, Southbank VIC 3006, Australia
• Casino games: 2,500+ pokies, 500+ table games
• Contact information: Front desk: +61 3 9292 8888

Located on the south bank of the Yarra River, the Crown Melbourne is the single largest casino resort in Australia.

The gambling venue is owned by Crown Resorts, one of Australia’s leading gaming resort operators, and has operated since 1994. Over time, it has become an iconic part of the Southbank skyline in Melbourne’s central business district. 

The complex is as large as two city blocks, over 510,000 square meters. Its gargantuan size makes it the single largest casino in the Southern Hemisphere and makes it one of the largest casinos in the world. 

Three hotels are located within the same complex: the Crown Towers, Crown Promenade, and Crown Metropol. 

At the massive casino complex, visitors can enjoy 2,500 pokies and 540 table games. Overall, the Crown Melbourne is undoubtedly one of the best hotel casinos in Australia. 

The Darling

• Address: 80 Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont NSW 2009 Australia
• Casino games: 1,400+ pokies, 70+ table games
• Contact information: 1800 800 830 (within Australia) / +61 2 9777 9888 (outside Australia)

Located just off Australia’s Gold Coast, The Darling is in the Star Gold Coast hotel complex, south of Brisbane. Formerly known as Jupiters Hotel and Casino, the property has bragging rights as Queensland’s first casino. 

The hotel and casino were initially launched in November 1985 under the moniker of Conrad Jupiters before being rebranded in 2017 as The Star, Gold Coast. Interestingly, the Conrad Jupiters was the largest hotel in Australia at the time of its launch.

The Casino at The Darling is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Visitors can enjoy over 1,400 pokies or indulge themselves at 70 table games at the casino. One of the biggest highlights of the Darling is its Rapid-Fire Zone, where players can enjoy fast gameplay with high-frequency winnings and payouts. 

Crown Sydney

• Address: 1 Barangaroo Ave, Barangaroo NSW 2000
• Casino games: 160 gaming tables, 70 electronic tables, 12 high roller salons
• Contact information: 1800 858 858

Also known as One Barangaroo, Crown Sydney is an unmissable icon in the Sydney Skyline. Towering over its surroundings at a height of 271.3 m, this casino hotel is the fourth tallest building in Australia and the tallest in Sydney. 

 

Crown Sydney holds the distinction of being opulent and luxurious, though the absence of pokie machines will disappoint some visitors. 

Initially designed as a VIP-only facility, the casino has a minimum bet value of $20. Visitors can enjoy various table games, such as baccarat, blackjack and poker, spread over 160 gaming tables. 

The skyscraper casino caters to high rollers and offers 12 Sky Salons, accessible only to big spenders. Crown Sydney also features a hotel and spa, restaurants, bars, and cafes, as well as a luxurious gaming facility.

If you plan on visiting the casino, we recommend visiting its website to view upcoming bespoke events that the facility regularly hosts.  

The Reef Hotel Casino

• Address: 35-41 Wharf St, Cairns City QLD 4870, Australia
• Casino games: 500+ pokies, 16+ table games
• Contact information: +61 7 4030 8888

The Reef Hotel Casino is the only casino in Cairns City, Queensland. Besides its casino, the Reef Hotel also offers its visitors live entertainment five nights a week, in addition to housing several restaurants and cafes. 

Visitors to the casino can test their luck at 500+ pokies or experience the thrill of live-table poker and other casino staples at any of its 16+ table games.

Patrons of the Reef Hotel can enjoy global flavours at the Merchant Artisan Food & Coffee Cafe, the Tamarind, the Cafe China Noodle Bar, the Cafe China Restaurant, and the Flinders Bar & Grill. 

The Reef Hotel sets itself apart by hosting the Cairns Zoom & Wildlife Dome on its rooftop, offering both gaming and wildlife-related activities in a single facility. 

The Star Grand Hotel Casino

• Address: The Star Sydney, Level G/80 Pyrmont St, Pyrmont NSW 2009, Australia
• Casino games: 1400+ pokies, 300+ table games
• Contact information: 1800 074 344(within Australia) / +61 7 5592 8100(outside Australia)

Formerly known as the Sydney Harbour Casino and the Star City Casino, the Star Grand is a sprawling establishment that features two dedicated gaming floors, a bar, and three restaurants. The property also houses a large 351-room hotel complex and 130 serviced apartments. 

 

The Star Casino’s two floors cater to two different types of clientele. The main gaming floor on level one is for general entry, while the members-only Sovereign Room on level three has bet values fixed between $25 and $75,000. 

 

The Inner Sanctum in the Sovereign Room is reserved for high rollers, with bet values between $100 and $500,000. To visit the high-roller areas, visitors must submit a membership application to the casino’s management. 

Online Casinos in Australia

While the enduring legacy of online casinos in Australia will continue into the foreseeable future, the digital age has forever changed the definition of a ‘good’ gaming experience. 

 

By allowing punters to participate in gaming action without having to travel to a physical land-based casino, online casinos in Australia are evolving the gambling industry in Australia. 

 

Online casinos hold several distinct advantages over traditional casinos. The most noteworthy benefit of playing online vs betting at physical locations is accessibility and ease. 

 

Even if we ignore the portability of online casinos, the cost of entry to an online gaming platform is far lower than what a player might spend to visit a physical casino, most of which typically charge a premium due to their ‘luxury’ tag. 

 

Additionally, online casinos can accommodate vast numbers of games without having to physically accommodate different machines for each game. This simple fact has opened up a world of possibilities since players can now enjoy pokies, table games, jackpots and Megaways games by simply visiting their favourite iGaming platform. 

 

Additionally, gaming technology has made it increasingly easy for gaming platforms to create seamless live gaming experiences for online punters. 

 

While you may never actually visit an online casino in person, the live gaming experiences at online casinos are often on par, if not better than the table games offered across Australia’s casinos. 

 

Lastly, online casinos are known to offer a wide range of promotions and bonuses to give players a head start, while the opposite is true of land-based casinos, which usually charge a premium from their players. 

 

If you wish to indulge in the joys of a good punt without travelling to a physical casino, here are our picks for the best online casinos in Australia:

 

Name of online casino	Bonus	Rating	Highlights
Crownplay	A$750 $750 Bonus + 200 Free Spins	5.5⭐	✔️Live Casino ✔️Fast payouts ✔️Free spin
Nova Jackpot	A$750 Bonus + 200 Free Spins	4.9/5⭐	✔️Live casino ✔️Cash spins ✔️Easy registration
John Vegas	A$10,000 Bonus + 500 Free Spins	4.9/5⭐	✔️Live casino ✔️Premium cashback ✔️Fast payouts
Lucky7even	A$2000 Bonus + 200 Free Spins	4.8/5⭐	✔️Easy registration ✔️1 hour withdrawal time ✔️Free spins
Slots Gallery	A$3000 Bonus + 225 Free Spins	4.8/5⭐	✔️Easy registration ✔️Free spins ✔️Lightspeed payouts
FortunePlay	A$5000 Bonus + 300 Free Spins	4.7/5⭐	✔️Live casino ✔️Easy registration ✔️Fast payouts
Spinch	A$18,000 Bonus + 150 Free Spins	4.7/5⭐	✔️Live casino ✔️Fast payouts ✔️Free Spins
Bet N Play	$5500 Bonus + 300 Free Spins	4.8/5⭐	✔️Easy registration ✔️Fast payouts ✔️Free spins
Skycrown	$4,000 Bonus + 400 Free Spins	4.6/5⭐	✔️Live casino ✔️Free spins ✔️Fast payouts
Boho Casino	A$12,000 Bonus + 225 Free Spins	4.5/5⭐	✔️Lightspeed withdrawals ✔️Easy registration ✔️Live casino

Final Word

The sights, sounds, and smells are a feast for the senses, causing you to lose track of the outside world and, in the process, forget all your worries and problems. If you’re the sort of punter who likes to approach gambling with a larger-than-life mindset, you can’t go wrong with the five physical casinos recommended in this guide. 

 

If you still find it hard to pick, we recommend visiting Crown Melbourne, as it is the crown jewel of the Australian gaming experience. 

 

On the other hand, if you prefer a low-key gaming experience that can be enjoyed from anywhere, at any time, you can’t go wrong with the ten online casinos recommended in the table above. This list comprises Australia’s best online casino experiences, as determined by Betsquare experts. 

 

To make your experience more enjoyable, each casino from our list of the ten best online casinos offers generous welcome bonuses and a host of other perks designed to compensate for the lack of the ‘oomph’ factor of visiting a physical casino in Australia.