The casino Canberra is tiny. There is no pokies and the table games are very expensive. The only cheaper thing was the electronic roulette table, which is kinda boring. The drinks prices are expensive. Casino Canberra is a land-based casino located in Canberra’s Central Business District. Canberra is the Australian capital city. Canberra was the first legal casino to operate in the Capital city’s Territory. It is built on land that was acquired from Glebe Park on a 99-year lease from the casino. Casino Canberra is a casino located in the capital city of Australia. It is small in comparison with other Australian casinos and is not licensed to operate poker machines. There are 39 gambling tables where blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and other games are played. Canberra saw a lot of action last year, and they left hundreds of reviews on Canberra casino hotels. That being said, casino hotels in Canberra are a good choice: tons of visitors were highly impressed with their hotel. That's why it's no surprise guests return again and again, and the locals will treat you like family.

• Baccarat
• Blackjack
• Caribbean Stud Poker
• Multi Player Poker
• Pai Gow
• Roulette
• Three Card Poker

Casino Canberra is a top notch casino located in the East of the CBD, very close to the National Convention Centre overlooking the beautiful Glebe Park. It offers all the facilities you would expect and is a great spot to try your luck whilst in the capital. It is unique among Australian casinos in not offering pokies, due to state law, and whilst many will rue this, many others savour the calmer, more sophisticated atmosphere this creates.

The casino itself does not have a hotel but is opposite the Crowne Plaza, with the Waldorf Apartment Hotel a two minute walk away. Those arriving by car can park in the Convention Centre for just $3 at weekends and after 5pm whilst in office hours it is $10 for four hours or $17 for the day. The casino is less than five minutes walk to the bus interchange and a short stroll from the heart of Canberra, whilst there is a large taxi rank right in front of it.

It doesn’t run poker tournaments nor offer multiplayer poker for the general public but if you join their loyalty scheme, the Senators’ Club, there is a weekly Thursday evening game with a pool of up to $6,000. All the standard table games feature, craps aside, and their Party Pit is a good option for private gaming and entertaining and there is also a Premium Player room.

Other entertainment options include two cocktail bars, 180° East Restaurant and the Galaxy Club Retro Nightclub. With a sports bar as well as sports betting facilities, TAB and Sky channels, your options away from the table are pretty good too and so all in all Casino Canberra is well placed to deliver and fun – and perhaps profitable – night out.

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• »Aquis Continues Pursuit of Casino Canberra Project

There’s something to be said for perseverance. Aquis Entertainment still wants to proceed with its $330 million redevelopment of Casino Canberra. But this message is years in the works and lays atop many failed negotiations with and proposals to the ACT government.

Now, amidst a pandemic and resulting unprecedentedly tough economic times, the Hong Kong businessman at the head of Aquis is ready to give it another try.

Original High Hopes for Casino Canberra

The federal Australian government issued a casino license to build Casino Canberra in 1982. The Australian Capital Territory government subsequently selected Casinos Austria International to operate Casino Canberra Limited. Casinos Austria paid $19 million for the land and $500,000 per year as a licensing fee.

By the time all of that was settled, the first Casino Canberra opened in 1992 at the National Convention Centre, a temporary location. In July 1994, the official casino opened in its current location.

Aquis Entertainment bought the casino in 2014 for $6 million. Owner and Hong Kong billionaire Tony Fung said at the time that he had an “exciting vision” for the casino.

Aquis Displays Tenacity and Hope

The purchase price for Casino Canberra seemed low. There was a catch to the license, however. The ACT government restricted the casino to table games only, no poker machines.

The reason for the licensing limitation was due to the influence of Canberra’s clubs and pubs with the ACT government. The idea that Casino Canberra could operate pokies would threaten the revenue of the other establishments.

When the casino began to struggle financially, its management in 2013 petitioned the government for 200 pokie machines. Casinos Austria International was even prepared to sign the land back over to the government and pay initial fees in order to license 200 machines. That attempt failed.

In 2016, after Aquis acquired the property, Aquis submitted a new proposal to the ACT government. The company would agree to a multi-million-dollar redevelopment project of the property if they could set up 500 pokies. ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr then agreed but negotiated the number of machines down to 200 and included other stipulations.

That failed, too, for the most part.

Aquis then worked with Blue Whale Entertainment, a company that wanted to acquire Casino Canberra in a majority-share deal with Aquis. The two entities moved forward with the deal: Blue Whale would pay $32 million for the casino and a controlling share of Aquis’ share capital. All shareholders agreed.

The agreement was based upon a positive end-result of negotiations with the ACT government for pokies. Talks continued from 2018 through 2019, with all necessary steps taken toward a finalized deal. Close to the last hour, though, as the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission was conducting its final review, the ACT government said Aquis and Blue Whale failed to provide requested information.

Aquis emerged from that failed process, still with hope for Casino Canberra.

Same Ideas with Renewed Vigor

No one can accuse Aquis of giving up easily. With Fung determined to make Casino Canberra live up to its full potential, he emerged from Covid-19 shutdowns with hope.

In his recent address for the annual general meeting, Fung noted, “I continue to believe our proposal for the development of an integrated entertainment precinct in Canberra’s CBD offers the ACT a once-in-a-lifetime tourism infrastructure opportunity.”

Fung confirmed that the most recent discussions with the ACT government set the number of electronic gaming machines at 200 per the redevelopment plan, but “we have not advanced our discussions with the government any further than previously reported.”

Casino Canberra Post-Covid

Australia as a whole has been emerging from the 2020 coronavirus shutdowns slowly and cautiously. The reopening process for Casino Canberra has been no different.

Casino Canberra plans to reopen next Monday, August 10, at noon. The ACT government approved the move, and some of the rules in place for the reopening include:

• Casino checking temperatures and requiring sign-ins upon customer arrivals
• Customers social distancing at 1.5m apart
• All parties encouraged to use hand sanitizer regularly

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Website information for customers and detailing safety protocols is quite sparse. Nevertheless, we know that Casino Canberra customers will be able to play the pokies and partake in food and drink. Activities like poker tournaments and roulette competitions will not happen. In fact, the entire poker room will remain closed for the foreseeable future.

It may be some time before Aquis reveals exactly how badly the coronavirus pandemic hurt the company’s bottom line. And only time will tell how safely the casino can reopen and remain open, as well as which parts of the casino will be available.

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For now, Fung remains upbeat and prepared to resume discussions with the ACT government to make improvements to Casino Canberra going forward.