Yes, there is a casino in Canberra, and only one. Casino Canberra sits at 21 Binara Street in Civic and opens 12pm to 4am, seven days a week. It runs blackjack, baccarat, roulette and poker with live dealers, but it has no poker machines. This site is an independent guide to the venue. We are not the casino, and we have no connection with its owner.
Most people who search “canberra casino” (or “canbera casino”, the common typo) want the basics: where it is, when it’s open and what’s inside. The box above answers that.
Where the casino in Canberra is
The casino stands in Civic on land that was cut out of Glebe Park, with the National Convention Centre as its neighbour. In fact, the first temporary casino opened inside the convention centre on 14 November 1992, and the permanent building followed on 29 July 1994. The Crowne Plaza Canberra is next door.
Hours, parking, ID rules, food and nearby hotels are covered in our visitor guide.
Does Canberra Casino have pokies?
No. Casino Canberra is the only casino in Australia that doesn’t operate poker machines, and it’s been that way since 1992.
It wasn’t for lack of trying. Owners asked the ACT Government for machines more than once. In November 2017 the Assembly passed a law allowing the casino up to 200 poker machines plus 60 fully automated table games, with strings attached. The casino first had to finish a substantial redevelopment of the site. It also had to publish a social impact assessment for at least eight weeks of public comment. And every machine authorisation had to be bought from existing ACT venues, with one in three surrendered in each trade instead of passed on.
That redevelopment never happened (more on that below), so the condition is still unmet. When we checked in November 2026 the casino’s gaming page listed tables and Stadium Gaming only.
What you can play
The main floor is all table games. The casino’s gaming page lists:
- blackjack and pontoon
- baccarat, including Dragon Bonus and Tiger Baccarat side bets
- roulette and the Money Wheel
- Ultimate Texas Hold’em and Canberra Poker, a one-round game played against the dealer
- Stadium Gaming, which the casino calls the only one in Canberra: individual terminals that bet on games run by live dealers
Wikipedia’s entry on the venue counts 39 gaming tables. The poker pit opens Thursday to Saturday nights for player-versus-player games; stakes, buy-ins and the rest are on our poker page. There’s also TAB in the Onyx Sports Lounge for racing and sport.
Who owns Canberra Casino?
Casino Canberra describes itself as “part of the Iris Capital family”. Iris CC Holdings, a hotel group whose sole director was reported as Sam Arnaout, agreed in July 2022 to buy the operating company from Aquis Entertainment for $63 million. It was the third bidder: the Oscars Group had opened at $52 million and raised its offer before Iris came in higher. The sale was completed in January 2023, and Allison Gallaugher stayed on as chief executive at the time.
The ownership line before that:
| Period | Owner | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1992–2014 | Casinos Austria International | Won the licence and opened the venue |
| 2014–2023 | Aquis (Tony Fung’s group) | Pushed the redevelopment and pokies plan |
| 2023– | Iris Capital | Current owner |
The redevelopment that never happened
Aquis wanted to spend about $330 million turning the site into a hotel, dining and retail precinct, with 200 poker machines inside. Talks with the ACT Government broke down in 2018 and the project died. The new owner hasn’t published a redevelopment plan or timeline that we could find, as of November 2026. So for now the “canberra casino upgrade” people search for is the casino you can already walk into, not a resort.
No online version of the venue
No. Casino Canberra has no online casino, no app and no online bonus. Online casino games can’t legally be offered to people in Australia anyway, which we explain on the online page. The pages on this domain that once claimed otherwise were fake; we have taken them down.
For readers in a country where online casino play is legal, this is our partner’s offer. It isn’t run by Casino Canberra, and it isn’t for players in Australia: See today’s offer
Casino Canberra reviews: our take
We judged the venue on what it publishes, the public record and the rules that apply to it. We give no star rating. In short, this is a compact, late-opening table casino in the middle of Civic. It is not a resort. It suits a few hands after dinner, a poker night or a fight on the big screen. Visitors expecting rows of pokies, a hotel tower or a buffet will be disappointed, because none of those exist here.
Good to know
- Doors stay open until 4am, every day of the week
- Real dealers on every game, including the Stadium Gaming terminals
- Poker pit with a $2/$3 no-limit game three nights a week
- Free Infinity Rewards membership, with points worth $1 per 100
Watch out for
- No pokies at all, so it's the wrong trip if that's what you want
- No hotel on site; rooms are through partner hotels nearby
- No dedicated casino car park; you park at the convention centre
- Photo ID is checked at the door and there are no exceptions
Quick answers
Is Canberra Casino open today?
The venue's contact page lists the same hours for every day of the week: 12pm to 4am. Public holidays and special events can change that, so ring +61 2 6243 3700 if you're heading in on a holiday.
Is there a Crown casino in Canberra?
No. Crown's casinos are in Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. The Canberra one is Casino Canberra, owned by Iris Capital. The Crowne Plaza hotel right next door is probably where the mix-up starts.
How old do you need to be to get into Casino Canberra?
18. Everyone is asked for current photo ID at the door, even people who are only going to Natural Nine for dinner.
Where can I play pokies in Canberra if not at the casino?
Poker machines in the ACT are in licensed clubs and a few hotels, not in the casino. If you want to keep away from them altogether, the ACT exclusion scheme covers clubs as well as the casino.