• Southbank, VIC'da Kumarhane.
• VIP Players can head to the Mahogany Room, where they can experience a high-class level of service. The lounge offers high stakes version of popular table games like roulette and baccarat. Accommodations and Facilities There are three world-class hotels at Crown Casino: The Crown Towers, Crown Metropol and Crown Promenade.

Don’t expect the opulence of Monte Carlo. Picture: Monaco Government Tourist BureauSource:Supplied

Crown mahogany room southbank. Crown Casino, 8 Whiteman St. Erstellt von Marci McCann 20 Dinge.

THE first thing you notice when you enter Crown Casino’s Mahogany Room is the stench.

While the high roller room got a $212 million upgrade a few years ago, there’s one thing that detracts from its opulence: Punters are allowed to smoke.

“It does stink — every second person is a smoker in there,” a member, who did not wish to be named, told news.com.au.

“I think that’s disgraceful, but they pay so much tax that the government comes up with this ridiculous legislation that says smoking is allowed.”

Despite its elite reputation, the vibe was not quite as glamorous as you might expect; like “Las Vegas without the show”.

“I’ve been to a couple of smaller casinos in Europe, where everyone is dressed beautifully, it’s not super crowded, there’s a beautiful buffet in the middle — it’s just much more sophisticated.

“The only dress code at Mahogany Room is you can’t wear thongs or sneakers. Of course, if you’re a high roller, you can wear what you want to wear.”

BIG INCENTIVES

With Crown in turmoil over the arrest of its employees in China, which has clamped down on alleged illegal promotion of its gambling offering to citizens, how are high rollers treated at the casino?

The source news.com.au spoke to says that, while he’s been gambling at the establishment for quite some time, he hasn’t scored that many perks.

“I’ve gotten very few benefits; I might have got some grand final tickets once,” he said.

“But I know other people who would ask for a lot. I never asked for things.”

However, it was a different story for the so-called “whales”, mega rich gamblers from overseas, whose lucrative patronage was hard won.

“As an average Mahogany club member you might get a free meal, invited to races, that’s it,” the gambler said. “But if you’re an overseas punter, you’ve got the pick of casinos around the world.”

He said he had heard of rebates on gambling losses as high as 30 per cent being offered to overseas gamblers, who have also been known to score business class flights to Melbourne.

“The incentives that they give are quite substantial, but most people are interested in getting rebates on their losses. But it’s usually only for overseas punters.”

The VIP Private Gaming Salon on the Mahogany Room floor at Crown. Picture: David CairdSource:News Limited

‘LIKE BETTING WITH MATCHSTICKS’

While it was impossible to identify visiting overseas gamblers simply by appearance, he said there were some telltale characteristics.

“The men tend to have this colourful way of dressing,” he said.

“Everything is designer. You’ll see them wearing a jacket and they leave the label on the sleeve, so you know it’s Prada, Gucci or Versace.”

Expensive handbags and $50,000 watches were a regular sight at the baccarat table, where high rollers placed bets of as much as $300,000 a hand.

“I was there a few weeks back and this guy had about $700,000 worth of chips in front of him,” he said. “And the money just seems like they’re betting with matchsticks.”

MURKY ALLEGATIONS

The world of high rollers has been documented in court cases examining alleged links to organised crime.

Crown Casino Melbourne Mahogany Room Restaurant

Vietnamese-born suspected drug trafficker Pete Hoang gambled close to $1 billion at Crown before he was arrested in the Mahogany Room bathroom in 2012 and charged with money laundering. Two years later he was dead, gunned down in a darkened Croydon Park street.

A court heard that Crown had allowed him to maintain four different identities at the casino and given him free business class flights, accommodation, and alcohol, as well as cash gifts of up to $100,000, Fairfax media reported.

LEVELS OF ACCESS

Mahogany Room memberships are not created equal; in descending order, they are ranked in five categories: black, platinum, gold, silver and bronze.

Like FlyBuys for gamblers, Crown Signature Club points are accrued depending on how much gamblers spend, and the humble bronze members only get a glimpse of the hedonism on offer.

Crown Casino Melbourne Mahogany Rooms

To gain access to the VIP areas, you’ll need to clock up $15,000 within six months to earn a platinum membership.

And as our gambler is well aware, punters are caught up in a losing game.

“Casinos are built on losers, not winners. All the marble and stuff is paid for by the gamblers,” he said.

“And they know every dollar you lose or win.”

For help or information call Gambler’s Help on 1800 858 858 or Lifeline on 131 114.

The Crown Casino in Melbourne is not just a top-of-the-line casino; it is also a world-class entertainment complex. Here, you’ll find one of the best gaming experiences in Australia, in addition to great dining, accommodation and shopping.

Gaming
Aimed at a higher class of clientele, Crown Casino seems to place more emphasis on table and card games rather than electronic gaming. There is still a great selection of poker machines available, but the casino presents more options for table games than most other casinos in the area. The casino hosts over 300 table games, including popular titles like roulette, baccarat and roulette. Crown Casino also has some hard-to-find casino games like Pai Gow, Pontoon and Sic Bo.

Promotions
There are few promotions available in the gaming department at Crown Casino. Most of the promotions available are geared at dining and accommodations. If you’re planning a multi-day trip, then you will certainly want to take advantage of these promotions. For example, patrons can get 20% off of their hotel rooms and receive deals on meals at any of the Crown’s great restaurants.

VIP Players can head to the Mahogany Room, where they can experience a high-class level of service. The lounge offers high stakes version of popular table games like roulette and baccarat.

Crown Casino Melbourne Mahogany Room Divider

Accommodations and Facilities
There are three world-class hotels at Crown Casino: The Crown Towers, Crown Metropol and Crown Promenade. These hotels offer players a luxurious place to stay while they play to their hearts’ content at the casino below. There are also two day spas, which offer patrons a wide range of beauty and body services like massages, facials and makeovers.

Crown is also home to a vast shopping area. You can spend hours browsing some of the best name brands in the fashion world, including Versace, Louis Vuitton, FCUK and Burberry.

Restaurants and Bars
Crown is home to dozens of amazing bars and restaurants. Ranging from fast food to gourmet to cafes and buffets, there is something for everyone! The casino’s best restaurants include Margo’s (steak and seafood) and Number 8 (gourmet). For an affordable but chic option, we suggest Mesh, which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

There are 14 bars and nightclubs at Crown Casino, each with a unique vibe and atmosphere. In addition to having several sports bars and casual pubs, Crown has quite a few high-class nightclubs and lounges like Co., Fusion and Tonic.