Crown Casino Melbourne guide

Crown Melbourne is the No.1 gambling venue in Australia, and the only casino in Victoria. Crown Melbourne has more than 500 tables and 2400 pokies in the massive South Bank building situated on the Yarra River.

While gambling is obviously the main event and the reason Crown Melbourne exists, the venue is also extremely popular as a shopping and entertainment precinct, with some of Australia’s best restaurants situated in the complex.

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Crown Melbourne is home to the famous Mahogany Room, named after the champion racehorse Mahogany, which is the VIP high rollers area where some of the world’s wealthiest punters have played games such as baccarat, poker, roulette and blackjack.

The Aussie Millions poker tournament is also a huge part of Crown Melbourne’s identity, with the best players from all over the world converging on the venue every January for two weeks of poker, culminating in the Main Event, worth more than $7 million.

Gambling at Crown Melbourne

Crown Melbourne offers the most diverse gambling experience in Australia, with the venue licensed for 540 tables and 2600 poker machines. In this section of our Crown Melbourne guide we will run you through the casino games on offer, and what to expect when you step onto the gaming floor:

Table games at Crown Melbourne

• The Big Wheel: Largely unique to Australian casinos, the Big Wheel is simply a wheel of fortune-style game where you spin the wheel and win or lose.
• Caribbean Poker: Much like 5 card stud, Caribbean Stud has a progressive jackpot attached to it. Definitely a game to keep an eye out for.
• Casino War: An exceptionally easy game to play, Casino War pits you directly against the dealer. If your hand is better that the dealer’s you win.
• Craps: The most well-known of the dice games, Craps is not frequent at Crown Melbourne, although we have had a glorious run in the Mahogany Room a few years back. You might struggle to find an affordable table if your budget is low.
• Mississippi Stud: A new game at Crown Melbourne, Mississippi Stud has a house edge going on close to 5%, which puts it almost on the banned list for us. But if you are looking for a fun poker game, it could be worth having a look at.
• Pai Gow: Pai Gow is one of the oldest gambling games recorded, and you can play it at Crown Melbourne. Pai uses Domino-like blocks with red and white dots. Crown Melbourne also has a variation called Bonanza Pai Gow with it including two bet types: The bonus bet and the tie bet.
• Fully automated table games: You know those games where there are 20 screens situated around a big screen at casinos? Well, Crown Melbourne has plenty of these electronic digital games. But in our opinion why go to a casino to sit down at a computer? If that is the style of game you fancy, you’re better off playing at online casinos.

Poker at Crown Melbourne

Crown Melbourne is easily the best poker venue in Australia, with tables open 24/7 during peak times, including during the annual Aussie Millions poker tournament.

Crown Poker has a variety of tournaments open to players with most bet levels catered for, with it common to have a minimum buy-in for each table. For instance the lower end of cash tables will require players to have a minimum bankroll of somewhere between $50 and $100.

High roller tournaments and cash games are also available but are not as common, although you will almost always find tables with blinds of $5/$10, $10/20 and $50/$100.

While you will find other variations of poker games available in the poker room at Crown Melbourne, including 5 Card Stud, Omaha and Omaha Hi/Lo, Texas Hold’em is easily the No.1 game in the venue, which is a reflection of its popularity in Australia.

Another feature of the poker at Melbourne Casino is the WSOP Texas Hold’em variation which has a progressive jackpot attached to it, giving players a chance to win a share of $50,000.

Poker War is also worth a look, despite an unfavourable 5% house edge. It’s a combination of poker and Casino War.

Unfortunately Crown Melbourne does not host any online poker rooms, which are banned under Australian gambling laws.

Crown Melbourne Hotels

Melbourne’s Crown Casino is home to some of the most luxurious and popular accommodation in Melbourne, with its central location one of its key drawcards.

The accommodation at Crown Melbourne includes: Crown Towers, Crown Metropol, Crown Promenade and Crown Spa, with all these hotels housed within walking distance of the gambling floors.

Don’t expect to find a room at Crown for under $AUD200 a night, with some of the better rooms running well into the thousands of dollars per night.

Another key asset of the Crown accommodation offering is the fact it is so close to the restaurants.

Crown Melbourne history

Crown Melbourne, formally known as the Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex, is a landmark integrated resort on the south bank of the Yarra River in Melbourne. Its first temporary casino opened in June 1994, with the permanent complex designed by architects including Bates Smart, Perrott Lyon Mathieson and Daryl Jackson opening in May 1997. It remains one of the largest casino resorts in the Southern Hemisphere, with luxury hotels, extensive gaming floors, restaurants and entertainment facilities.

The casino operates under an exclusive licence to be Victoria’s sole casino, effectively giving Crown Melbourne a monopoly on large-scale gambling in the state. This licence was granted under long-term agreements designed to anchor major investment and tourism to the site, and it is currently extended until 2050.

Despite its economic significance, Crown Melbourne has faced major controversies. A 2021 Victorian Royal Commission found systemic failings including money laundering, poor corporate governance and links to organised crime, describing conduct that was “illegal, dishonest, unethical and exploitative.” Regulators imposed strict oversight, a Special Manager role, and reforms to allow the licence to continue. The casino was also fined heavily for facilitating illicit transactions and breaching responsible-gambling laws, and its parent company paid large penalties for anti-money-laundering breaches across Australian properties.

Ongoing transformation plans and regulatory monitoring aim to ensure compliance and mitigate harms, but the Crown Melbourne’s history remains marked by its dominant market position and significant legal and ethical challenges.

Crown Melbourne Q and A

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