Australia came late to legal casinos. Until 1973 the only way to play roulette or baccarat for money here was on a ship, at a charity night, or in one of the illegal clubs that ran in the back rooms of the big cities. Fifty years later every state and territory has at least one licensed casino, and the chips they issued along the way are the backbone of this guide.
Tasmania goes first
The first legal casino came from the smallest state. In December 1968 Tasmanians voted at a referendum to allow a casino at Wrest Point in Hobart, on the condition that the old riviera hotel was redeveloped. Wrest Point opened on 10 February 1973 under a new 17-storey tower. Its owner, Federal Hotels, followed it with the Country Club Casino at Launceston in 1982.
The Territory and the resort casinos
The Northern Territory was next. Darwin’s casino was licensed at the Don Hotel in 1979, then moved to Mindil Beach in 1983, and an Alice Springs casino opened in 1981. Both were Federal Hotels projects until the Territory government bought them out in 1984. Darwin’s venue has since traded as Diamond Beach, MGM Grand, SkyCity and today Mindil Beach again, which makes it one of the most interesting houses to collect.
1985: the big three open
The mid-1980s brought the first large casinos to the mainland states. Conrad Jupiters opened at Broadbeach on the Gold Coast on 22 November 1985. Adelaide Casino opened in the city’s grand railway station on 12 December. And Burswood opened on reclaimed land beside the Swan River in Perth on 30 December. Queensland added a second casino in June 1986, the Sheraton Breakwater in Townsville.
The 1990s: Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney and the island
The next wave reached the capitals that had held out. Casino Canberra opened in a temporary venue in November 1992. Melbourne’s Crown opened at the World Trade Centre on 30 June 1994 and moved to its permanent Southbank home on 8 May 1997. Sydney’s first legal casino, the temporary Sydney Harbour Casino, opened at Pyrmont on 13 September 1995 and was replaced by Star City in November 1997. Brisbane’s Treasury Casino opened in April 1995, and Cairns’ Reef Hotel Casino in January 1996.
The decade’s most unusual casino opened on Christmas Island in December 1993, aimed at high rollers from Jakarta. It closed in 1998 after the Asian financial crisis, leaving behind some of the most sought-after chips in Australian collecting.
Rebrands, mergers and closures
Since 2000 the story has been less about new casinos and more about new names. SkyCity bought Adelaide and Darwin. Burswood became Crown Perth in 2012. Star City became The Star in 2011, and Jupiters became The Star Gold Coast in 2017. Townsville’s casino became Jupiters Townsville and then The Ville. Brisbane’s Treasury closed on 25 August 2024 when the new Queen’s Wharf casino opened. Every one of these changes produced new chips, and often retired old ones.
- 1973Wrest Point, Hobart: Australia’s first legal casino.
- 1979Darwin’s first casino is licensed at the Don Hotel.
- 1981Alice Springs casino opens.
- 1982Country Club Casino, Launceston.
- 1985Jupiters (Gold Coast), Adelaide Casino and Burswood (Perth).
- 1986Sheraton Breakwater, Townsville.
- 1992Casino Canberra (temporary venue).
- 1993Christmas Island Resort.
- 1994Crown opens at Melbourne’s World Trade Centre.
- 1995Treasury, Brisbane; Sydney Harbour Casino.
- 1996Reef Hotel Casino, Cairns.
- 1997Crown Southbank and Star City open.
- 1998Christmas Island casino closes.
- 2024Treasury closes; Queen’s Wharf opens.
What it means for collectors
Three things follow from this history. First, the oldest Australian casino chips date from 1973, so the whole field fits inside a lifetime, and many of the people who handled the early chips are still around to tell the story. Second, temporary venues and short-lived casinos, such as Crown at the World Trade Centre, the Sydney Harbour Casino and Christmas Island, produced chips with a natural scarcity. Third, rebrands give each casino distinct eras, and following one venue through all its names is one of the most satisfying ways to build a collection.
Browse every casino in the guide or search the catalogue.
Sources: the venue histories on each casino page, drawn from Wikipedia and the casinos’ own published histories.
