If you go to Australia, then, of course, you do that for a visit to Sydney. Sure, you also do your best to spot a kangaroo or koala during your stay down under, but just about all trips in Australia start or end in Sydney. And if you are already in the Australian capital, then as a casino lover, you can perfectly combine that with a visit to the casino. After all, you are in the largest gambling country in the world, and then you immediately understand why Australia has so much to offer as a casino destination. We tell you more about the Australian gambling culture, the popularity of the so-called ‘pokies’ and the casinos that you really should not miss.
History
Australia is one of those countries where you can’t beat gambling. Just about every cafe has space where you can gamble, and the money is mainly spent on slot machines, betting on horses, lotteries and of course, the casinos themselves. The reason why Australia is so crazy about gambling, according to the gambling experts, is due to history: the first settlers who settled there had very little to do. There were fewer and fewer massacres, and so all the time was spent on other sins such as sex, alcohol and therefore gambling. In addition, these settlers were also people who were used to taking great risks. Not only were many early settlers unwilling jailers exiled from Britain, but there were also those who made the free-will crossing to Australia. And that’s quite a gamble if you ask us. According to the local experts, gambling is, therefore, in the blood of just about every Australian.
Gambling Law in Australia
However, that does not mean that it is a completely free game for Australians. There are indeed government agencies that try to keep things in line. Gambling regulation in Australia happens on two levels. The national government plays an active role in both the supervision of gambling activities and the addition or amendment of relevant gambling laws. However, the regulation also takes place at the level of the respective state and territory, with different regional authorities performing these tasks. Also noteworthy is that Australia has very favourable tax laws on a national level when it comes to gambling. Gambling is considered a recreational activity. What does that mean? That the winnings from gambling are not taxed. In that respect, it is made very easy for the gambler.
Gaming Culture
Gambling is extremely popular in many Anglo-Saxon countries. In that regard, it will therefore not come as a surprise that the Australians, just like the British, do like to gamble. That’s putting it mildly because the 23 million Australians are considered the biggest gamblers in the world. They gamble more than 60 billion euros per year, of which 11 billion euros are losses. That is more than 900 euros per Australian per year, an amount equal to the expenditure on other addictions such as smoking and alcohol. Why do Australians like to gamble so much? We already mentioned the fact that Australia is a land of settlers, so people took a huge gamble by moving to an unknown country on the other side of the world. Then there is also the volatile nature of the climate, which has always caused a lot of uncertainty throughout history. People have always had to live with uncertainty. Especially in earlier times, survival was a big gamble. And that has remained in Australia.
The Infamous Pokies
We recently reported how hugely popular the so-called FOBTs are in the United Kingdom casino destination. For those who missed it, we are talking about the so-called Fixed Odds Betting Terminals, slot machines on which you can play all kinds of games. Something similar exists in Australia, but there they call it the “pokies.” These vending machines are mainly found in the state of New South Wales, but there are a total of 197,000 of these across the country. That equates to one machine per 114 inhabitants. These poker machines together account for half of all gambling expenditure, and while that is attractive to the providers, it cannot be denied that it causes a lot of problems. Therefore, there has been talked about for a long time to use a maximum bet on the machines, with the UK measures regarding FOBTs bets being followed. For the time being, this has not yet led to actual reductions in the betting limits.
Physical Casinos
Therefore, there have you can gamble at 32 places in Australia, so there is plenty of choice for the enthusiast. There are over 20 full-fledged casinos in Australia spread across all eight states and territories. There are also hundreds of small locations that offer pokie machines. We, of course, recommend to the real enthusiast to go to Sydney and Melbourne.
Online Games of Chance
While there are a ton of benefits for offline gambling enthusiasts, the same cannot be said for online gambling. Online games of chance are illegal there, and in 2016 the government went a step further by tightening up its approach to illegal providers. As a result, huge fines are now being handed out to online operators who break the law. The extension of the law in 2016 has been titled “The Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill of 2016” and can be invoked to fine illegal providers. In the worst cases, this can lead to fines of 1.35 million Australian dollars (currently around 847,000 euros) per day if an online operator specifically targets the Australian player. Those are deterrent fines. As a result, just about all the big names have now closed their doors to players from this country.
The Main Casinos
It will come as no surprise that most casinos are located in Sydney. You can find more than 2000 different gambling games in the Australian capital, such as blackjack, roulette and slot machines. We will take you through a number of casinos:
-Crown Casino Melbourne: not only is the city of Melbourne beautiful, but this is also the place where one of the largest casinos on earth is located. The Crown Casino has an area of no less than 510,000 square meters. The casino opened its doors in 1994 and now offers 2500 slots, 440 gaming tables and 100 poker tables. And do you want to spend the night there? Then that is also possible. You will find 1992 rooms spread over four hotels.
-Star Casino: In terms of grandeur, few can beat this New South Wales casino. Not only does the hotel sparkle, the 1500 pokies, 200 gaming tables and 30 poker tables will keep even the most experienced gambler happy. And in case you get hungry or thirsty, there are 13 restaurants and eight bars where you can have a snack and a drink.
-Crown Perth: The Crown Casino also has an equally extensive branch in Perth. What does that mean? Two thousand pokies, nearly 220 gaming tables and four electronic tables. In addition, there is also a lot of luxury. For example, there are two hotels, 15 restaurants and 16 bars located in the hotel-casino complex.
-Jupiters Hotel And Casino: experienced gamblers can check in first in one of the 594 rooms in the hotel for a complete stay. And after you’re done eating and drinking, try your luck at the 1,400 pokies and 70 gaming tables. However, for your visit to the Jupiters Hotel And Casino, you have to move to Queensland. But once you’re there, it’s all about enjoying yourself.