Crown Melbourne

Crown Casino opened on 30 June 1994 at the World Trade Centre on the northern bank of the Yarra River.[1] This location was a temporary, and training, setup while construction of the proper complex occurred.

Crown's permanent location opened on 8 May 1997 of the southern bank of the Yarra River.[2] It was designed by a team of architects and interior designers working in collaboration, including : Bates Smart, Perrott Lyon Mathieson and Daryl Jackson (in association). Principal practitioners included architects Lyndon Hayward, Bob Sinclair, Peter Dredge, and Hamish Lyon, and interior designers Jeff Copolov, Paul Hecker, Jackie Johnston, Kathy Hall, Fiona Ennis, Jan Eastwood, and Kerry Phelan.[3]

On opening night, Actress Rachel Griffiths infamously ran through the casino topless on its opening night to protest the project.[4]

It is one of the central features of the Southbank area in the central business district and the Crown Towers fronts onto the waterfront as part of Southbank Promenade. Children under the age of 18 are permitted into the entertainment and shopping section of complex, but not into the gaming area or areas serving alcohol. The entire complex has a space of 510,000 m², making it the largest casino complex in the Southern Hemisphere[5] and one of the largest in the world.[6][7]

Crown Casino has a licence for 540 table games (100 poker tables) and 2,500 poker machines.[8]

Baccarat is the most popular game a crown and a large portion of crowns revenue comes from baccarat. The different variations of baccarat that crown offer include:

• Traditional Baccarat - in this variation, any banker win pays out 95%. This version is only available in the Mahogany Room and in other exclusive salons and lounges with a minimum bet of $100.[9]
• Crown Baccarat - this variation is more commonly known as 'no-commission baccarat' where the house payout is 50% when the banker wins with a point total '6'. The minimum bet is typically $100, however there are a few tables in the Tia To area with a $50 minimum bet.[9]
• 2 to 1 Baccarat - this variation is a lower limit version of baccarat and usually has a minimum bet of $25. The rules feature no commission on bets and 2 to 1 payouts when the banker wins with 3 cards on 8 or 9, however, ties lose. [9][10]

Blackjack is a game found throughout Crown Casino and in many casinos around the globe. There are more than 10 different variations of blackjack at crown and the availability of different versions are on constant rotation. The most common variations include:

• Traditional Blackjack - this variation is only found in the Mahogany Room and in other exclusive salons and lounges. The key feature of Traditional Blackjack is that the dealer stands on a 'soft 17'.[11]
• Crown Blackjack - this variation of blackjack is the same as Tradition Blackjack with the only difference being that the dealer hits on a 'soft 17'. Crown Blackjack can be found in any area outside the Mahogany Room and usually has a minimum bet of $25-100.[11]
• Blackjack Plus - this variation of blackjack has a much higher house edge than Crown Blackjack and as a result, the typical minimum bet is $10-20. The rules feature a stand-off when the dealer achieves a total '22' and in return players are able to double down with three cards in their hand, get an instant payout on 21, 'five-and-under' wins, and the other rules.[11] Blackjack Plus has been described as "the worst game of blackjack in Australia" due to the house advantage of around 5%.[12]

Crown Casino has 2,500 poker machines.[8] on the casino floor, with values ranging from one cent to one dollar, as well as a few two- and five-dollar machines in the VIP areas. Slot machines at Crown are made by Aristocrat, Ainsworth Gaming Technology (AGT), IGT, Konami and SHFL entertainment/Shuffle Master and WMS Gaming, the latter using Shuffle Master machines.

The Crown Poker Room encompasses a large separate space in the Crown basement underneath the food court. The games on offer include No Limit Hold 'em, PLO, as well as variations such as Three Card Poker and Mississippi Stud.[13]
Crown also host a number poker tournaments including the Aussie Millions which is the largest poker tournament in the Southern Hemisphere.[14]

Crown provides the six other games, craps, pai gow, poker, and roulette, among others and it was also the first to introduce an electronic version of roulette known as Rapid Roulette. There is also Bigwheel, the electronic Vegas Star Roulette and Rapid Baccarat.

The Crown is also one of the major centres for competitive poker in the Asia-Pacific region. It annually hosts the Aussie Millions, currently the Southern Hemisphere's richest poker event. Starting in 2013, it became home to the World Series of Poker Asia-Pacific, the latest expansion of the World Series of Poker.

The member tier is the base level, offers very basic rewards and is automatically given to any patron who is eligible to gamble at the casino. The rewards include free multi-level parking when $50 is spent and free internet on the casino floor.[16]

The silver tier is earned when a person attains five status credits with rewards including free multi-level parking when $1 is spent, 10% off the spa and hotels, a welcome gift at hotels, and access to the Riverside Room.[16]

The Riverside Room is exclusive to guests with a silver card or higher and is located near the food court entrance of the casino at the west end of the complex. The room has many poker machines and two TAB machines with many TVs with horse racing and sports playing. Access to the room also grants free non-alcoholic drinks which include a variety of soft drinks, coffee and lemon, lime and bitters at the bar.

The gold tier is obtained when a card holder reaches 25 status credits with the rewards including free basement parking, discounted valet parking during off-peak times, 15% off the spa and hotels, and access to the Teak Room.[16]

The Teak Room is an exclusive room for guests with a gold card or higher and is located in front of the casino's atrium entrance. The Teak Room has poker machines, many baccarat tables, and a handful of roulette and blackjack tables as well as electronic games. Access to the Teak Room also grants guests free non-alcoholic drinks and a free selected range of alcoholic drinks including beer, wine, and spirits.

The platinum tier is earned when a person reached 100 status credits with a variety of rewards being on offer including free nights in a hotel rooms, 20% off the spa and hotels, invitations to special events such as AFL games and the tennis, a dedicated VIP host, and most importantly, access to the Mahogany Room.[16]

The Mahogany Room, named after Kerry Packer and Lloyd Williams' horse (Mahogany), is an ultra exclusive room frequented by businessmen and women, drug lords, criminals, wealthy individuals, and celebrities. The Mahogany room is located on level 1 of Crown Towers and has a number of perks attached.[17]

The black tier is the most exclusive tier available and it given to usually given to the 'top 200' domestic gamblers. There are an extraordinary amount of benefits available to black card holders including access to private gambling salons at the top floors of Crown Towers, access to a New Years Eve event at the Palladium Ballroom where Mariah Carey once preformed,[18] and tickets to major events. [19]

Notable guests at the Crown Towers, Crown Metropol and Crown Promenade Hotels have included Celine Dion, Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry, Nicole Kidman, Rachel Griffiths, One Direction, Keanu Reeves, Kerry Packer,[24] Tiger Woods[25] and Neil Murray and many other high-profile celebrities and politicians. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and several other tennis players often stay at the Casino during the Australian Open.

The ornate modern ceiling of the Crown Palladium room

The Palladium at Crown is a ballroom with a seating capacity of 1500. It has played host to some of Australia's premier functions, including the annual TV Week Logie Awards, Brownlow Medal, Melbourne Victory Player of the Year Medal, Allan Border Medal, the Australian Formula One Grand Prix ball and the Melbourne Press Club Quill award for excellence in journalism.

Water features appear both inside and outside the Crown Casino complex. They include the Seasons of Fortune, Southern Porte Cochere, Revelry, and Celebration.

Along the Yarra River, outside crown, there are eight towers, at night these towers shoot spheres of fire, almost 3 meters in diameter, in the air at choreographed intervals. The show occurs every hour with times of operating depending on the season of the year and do not operate in strong winds or when a total fire ban is declared.[26]

The Gas Brigades are an iconic part of Melbourne and is commonly sought by visiting tourists.[27]

While these brigades use a considerable amount of gas to operate, Crown offset the energy emissions created.[28]

• In 2002, Thomas Mangos, a 39 year old man from Bundoora, stole $136,000 from crown casino's Mahogany Room using a fake gun. Mangos' armed robbery occurred after he was "seduced" by the casino and lost $1 million gambling. He later turned himself into police, was charged, pleaded guilty, and was subsequently sentenced to a 5 years term of imprisonment with a 3 year non-parole period.[29]
• In 2013, a man with access to the video feeds from Crown's security cameras via an accomplice cheated the casino out of $33 million.[30]

• In 2016, eighteen employees of Crown Casino were detained by Chinese police after having been accused of resorting to gambling crimes.[31]

• The Royal Commission into the Casino Operator and Licence heavily criticised crown for a variety of illegal and unethical activities. The commission's findings of Crown include money laundering, strong ties to organised criminal networks, and found other serious problems with Crown's corporate governance among other things. Essentially, the Royal Commission made the recommendation that Crown be put under a two year review period where they are able to keep their license to operate, but have to make major changes in order to facilitate a legal casino operation and responsible gambling. This includes the appointment of an inspector to monitor and ascertain whether money laundering, loan sharking, or illicit drug sales were taking place and exclude people when necessary.[32]
• The Victorian State Government accepted the recommendations made by the commission and has introduced the CASINO AND GAMBLING LEGISLATION AMENDMENT BILL 2021 which appoints a Special Manager to oversee all operations and decision making of Crown, establishes a new regulator known as the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission which has new powers and imposes more obligations on Crown, and bans Junket operations among other things.[33]

• In September 2015, Rochelle Nolan the fiancée and de facto wife of entertainer/comedian Russell Gilbert, took her own life after a battle with depression and was found deceased in one of the rooms of the hotel.[34]