Brisbane’s Only Casino and What a Visitor Actually Gets

Updated September 2026

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Brisbane has exactly one casino. The Star Brisbane at Queen’s Wharf opened on 29 August 2024, two years behind its original schedule, and replaced the Treasury Casino that closed four days earlier. The $3.6 billion precinct it sits inside spans more than 12 hectares along the Brisbane River, with four hotel towers rising above the street — and the gaming floor is less than 5 per cent of that footprint. That ratio is the first thing a visitor should understand, because it explains why this page spends time on restaurants, bars, a 250-metre rooftop runway and a 3,500-square-metre ballroom alongside the pokies and tables.

For anyone searching for the “best casino in Brisbane,” the short answer is that the choice has been made for you by Queensland’s licensing regime. The Star holds a 99-year licence with a 25-year exclusivity window inside a 60-kilometre radius of the Brisbane CBD. No second casino can open in that zone until at least August 2049. The practical question, then, is not which operator to pick but what The Star Brisbane actually delivers across gaming, dining, accommodation and entertainment — and whether the trip is worth making for a Brisbane resident or visitor.

That is what the rest of this page covers. Every figure below is drawn from public sources including the Queensland Government’s State Development briefings, the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR), Star Entertainment Group’s ASX announcements, the Queen’s Wharf Brisbane media releases, and casino directory data.

Current as of 3 September 2026, verified against the OLGR casino register and the Star Entertainment Group ASX announcements.

The Star Brisbane at Queen’s Wharf — What the Venue Is

Brisbane’s casino story changed completely in August 2024. The Star Brisbane replaced the Treasury Casino after the Destination Brisbane Consortium — a private consortium led by Chow Tai Fook Enterprises and Far East Consortium — delivered the first phase of the Queen’s Wharf Brisbane integrated resort. The November 2015 contract between the Queensland Government and the consortium set the $3.6 billion budget and the 99-year licence terms; the venue finally opened on 29 August 2024, two years behind schedule.

The building itself sits at 33 William Street in the Brisbane CBD, on the south bank of the Brisbane River. The precinct covers more than 12 hectares of riverfront land, anchored by four hotel towers. The casino floor occupies roughly 65,000 square feet, which works out to less than 5 per cent of the total footprint. The rest is hotel rooms, restaurants, bars, retail space, public parkland, a riverside Sky Deck and an Event Centre — a deliberate mix that positions the precinct as a tourism destination rather than a pure gaming venue.

The old Treasury Casino on George Street closed on 25 August 2024, four days before The Star opened. Griffith University bought the heritage Treasury Building on 30 September 2024 for $60.5 million plus GST. That transaction closed the chapter on Brisbane’s first casino, which had operated under a licence allowing 1,632 gaming machines. The new licence allows up to 2,500 machines — an entitlement increase of 868 pokies over what the previous operator ran.

Where Brisbane’s Casino Sits and How to Reach It

The Star Brisbane sits at 33 William Street, Brisbane City, QLD 4000, on the south bank of the Brisbane River between the Victoria Bridge and the Go Between Bridge. The CBD location puts it within walking distance of Central Station, the Queen Street Mall and most inner-city hotels. Vehicle entry to the precinct’s car park is off William Street.

The wider precinct stretches across more than 12 hectares of riverfront land, with four hotel towers and two residential towers planned for the completed build. As of 2026, the first phase is open — The Star Grand hotel, the Dorsett Brisbane hotel, the casino, the dining venues, the Event Centre and the Sky Deck — while the remaining towers and roughly 1,800 apartments are scheduled for delivery by December 2029. The Sky Deck runs 250 metres along the rooftop, 100 metres above street level, and serves as both a dining strip and a public observation strip. The Leisure Deck, 12,000 square metres of open-air space perched 35 metres above the street, sits between the towers.

Access from outside the CBD is straightforward, with the venue situated within easy walking distance of the Cultural Centre busway and South Brisbane train station via the Victoria Bridge.

Hours, Contact and What You Need at the Door

• The casino operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• Guest Services desk runs from 9am to 8pm, AEST/AEDT, every day.
• General enquiries line: 1800 88 88 99.
• The Star Grand Reception: 07 3306 8888.
• Address: 33 William Street, Brisbane City, QLD 4000.
• Minimum age for entry: 18. Identification is checked at the door.
• Dress code: smart casual. Closed footwear is required; thongs, singlets and workwear with visible soiling are typically refused at the gaming floor entrance.
• Responsible-service signage and pre-commitment registration are mandatory before entry to the gaming floor under the March 2024 reforms.

Brisbane’s Only Casino vs the Rest — How The Star Measures Up

Brisbane has one casino. Queensland has four. The table below puts The Star Brisbane against the three other licensed Queensland venues and the four largest interstate casinos a Brisbane-based reader might compare. Two views are useful: the full national picture (Table 1) and a tighter Queensland-only comparison (Table 2).

Table 1 — Australian casinos ranked by relevance to a Brisbane visitor

Table 2 — Queensland’s four regulated casinos

The spread across these two tables tells the Brisbane visitor’s actual story. In machine count, The Star Brisbane sits between SkyCity Adelaide (950) and The Star Sydney (1,490) on the low end and Crown Melbourne (2,500) at the top. In table-game count, the gap is wider — Crown Melbourne runs 540 tables against The Star’s ~180. The closest peer by floor area is The Star Gold Coast at roughly the same 65,000 square feet, but Gold Coast is a separate licence, a separate building, and an 80-kilometre drive south. For a Brisbane resident, the comparison is largely theoretical.

The Star Brisbane — Brisbane’s Only Casino and the Centrepiece of Queen’s Wharf

The Star Brisbane opened on 29 August 2024 inside the first phase of the $3.6 billion Queen’s Wharf precinct. The licence runs for 99 years, and within that term the first 25 years grant the operator exclusivity inside a 60-kilometre radius of the Brisbane CBD — meaning no second casino can open in greater Brisbane until August 2049 at the earliest. The initial phase runs roughly 1,600 electronic gaming machines and around 180 gaming tables across a 65,000-square-foot gaming floor. Two premium rooms, Oasis and Sovereign, sit inside that floor and run 24/7 with private restaurants and high-limit play.

The Star Entertainment Group managed the venue from opening through the ownership transition that completed on 31 March 2026. Star sold its 50 per cent stake in Destination Brisbane Consortium to its joint-venture partners, Chow Tai Fook Enterprises and Far East Consortium, leaving CTFE and FEC as equal 50 per cent owners of the venue. Star continues to operate the casino on a management contract: a fixed annual fee of $18 million, paid monthly, plus a performance-based incentive. Destination Brisbane Consortium can terminate the management agreement on 90 days’ written notice based on performance. Crown Resorts and SkyCity have been reported in industry coverage as potential replacement operators if DBC chooses to switch.

For the visitor, the headline figure is the $3.6 billion build and the 99-year licence term. The headline experience is the precinct itself — the riverside setting, the four towers, the Sky Deck and the dining — not the gaming floor, which by the developer’s own figures is less than 5 per cent of what was built.

The Star Gold Coast — Brisbane’s Nearest Casino Alternative

The Star Gold Coast sits on Broadbeach Island, Gold Coast, QLD 4218, about 80 kilometres south of Brisbane along the M1. It is the closest alternative casino for a Brisbane-based visitor who wants to gamble outside the city. The venue runs more than 1,600 gaming machines, more than 78 table games and a dedicated poker room on a roughly 65,000-square-foot floor. It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, under a Casino Control Act 1982 licence regulated by OLGR — one of the four Queensland casinos on the register.

Compared with The Star Brisbane, the machine count is almost identical but the table-game count is lower (78+ versus ~180) and the hotel offering is older. The Gold Coast venue remains a strong alternative for a day trip or weekend, but for a Brisbane resident the commute shifts the value proposition: the 80-kilometre drive south replaces the convenience of a CBD venue.

The Ville Casino — Townsville’s Regional Queensland Option

The Ville operates in Townsville under Breakwater Island Limited, with the licence framework set by the Breakwater Island Casino Agreement Act 1984 and the Casino Control Act 1982. The venue sits well outside practical day-trip range for a Brisbane visitor — Townsville is more than 1,300 kilometres north by road — but it completes the picture of Queensland’s regulated casino network and is one of the four venues on the OLGR register.

For a Brisbane-based reader, The Ville is essentially a regional reference point: it shows that Queensland’s casino licensing is not a single-venue monopoly but a four-property framework, with each venue running under its own agreement act layered on top of the state-level Casino Control Act 1982. The Ville is best understood as the North Queensland anchor of the state’s casino network.

The Reef Hotel Casino — Cairns and the Far North Queensland Licence

The Reef Hotel Casino operates in Cairns under Casinos Austria International (Cairns) Limited, licensed under the Cairns Casino Agreement Act 1993 and the Casino Control Act 1982. It is the northernmost of Queensland’s four regulated casinos, and it is the only major casino operating in Far North Queensland.

Like The Ville, The Reef Hotel Casino sits well outside a Brisbane day-trip radius — Cairns is roughly 1,700 kilometres north by road, or a two-and-a-half-hour flight. For a Brisbane visitor, the venue’s relevance is regulatory rather than practical: it confirms that Queensland’s casino framework covers the entire state, not just the south-east corner. The Reef Hotel Casino is best treated as a regional reference point within the four-casino state framework.

Crown Melbourne — Australia’s Largest Casino and the Interstate Benchmark

Crown Melbourne is Australia’s largest casino by floor area and machine count, with 2,500 gaming machines, 540 table games and a 220,000-square-foot gaming floor. The venue operates 24/7 with a dedicated poker room and sits in the Southbank precinct on the south bank of the Yarra River. It is the natural benchmark for casino scale in the country — The Star Brisbane’s ~1,600 machines and ~180 tables cover roughly two-thirds of Crown Melbourne’s machine count and one-third of its table count.

For a Brisbane visitor, Crown Melbourne is the comparison that shows what scale looks like outside Queensland. The Crown complex also runs three hotels, dozens of restaurants, retail space and a convention centre, making it the closest Australian analogue to The Star Brisbane’s integrated-resort positioning — although Crown Melbourne opened in 1997 and has had decades to fill out its floor space.

Crown Perth — Western Australia’s Sole Casino Entry

Crown Perth is Western Australia’s only casino, operating from the Burswood precinct on the Swan River. The venue runs more than 2,000 gaming machines, more than 240 table games, a poker room and a 75,000-square-foot gaming floor, all under a 24/7 operating model. By machine count, it sits between The Star Brisbane and Crown Melbourne; by floor area, it is roughly comparable to The Star Brisbane’s 65,000 square feet.

For a Brisbane visitor, Crown Perth is geographically distant — a roughly four-hour flight across the continent — but it represents the only casino option in WA. The Crown Perth complex also includes a resort hotel, a theatre, multiple restaurants and a convention centre, placing it firmly in the integrated-resort category alongside The Star Brisbane.

The Star Sydney — New South Wales and the Pyrmont Flagship

The Star Sydney sits in Pyrmont on the western edge of Sydney’s CBD, on Darling Harbour. The venue runs 1,490 gaming machines, more than 140 table games and a dedicated poker room across a 104,000-square-foot gaming floor. It operates 24 hours a day. By machine count, it sits slightly below The Star Brisbane; by floor area, it is roughly 60 per cent larger.

The Star Sydney is currently subject to a $5,000 cash limit that took effect on 19 August 2024 and mandatory carded play in all gaming areas from 19 October 2024. The Queensland equivalent of that cash limit was not confirmed this run, so the two states are not directly comparable on that metric. For a Brisbane visitor, The Star Sydney represents the closest major interstate alternative — a one-hour flight — offering a comparable brand presence.

SkyCity Adelaide — Heritage Setting, Modest Scale

SkyCity Adelaide operates from the heritage-listed Adelaide Casino building on the banks of the Torrens River in the South Australian capital. The venue runs 950 gaming machines, 90 table games and a poker room on a 129,000-square-foot gaming floor — the largest floor in the comparison set despite the smallest machine count. It operates 24/7.

For a Brisbane visitor, SkyCity Adelaide represents the heritage-casino model at modest scale: the building itself is the attraction, more so than the gaming floor. The venue is roughly a two-and-a-half-hour flight from Brisbane.

Treasury Hotel — The Heritage Building That Used to House Brisbane’s Casino

The Treasury Hotel is not a casino. It is the heritage-listed Treasury Building on George Street that housed Brisbane’s casino until 25 August 2024. The casino closed four days before The Star Brisbane opened, and the building was sold to Griffith University on 30 September 2024 for $60.5 million plus GST. The Treasury Hotel now operates as part of the Queen’s Wharf precinct’s heritage offering, with hotel rooms and bars in the restored nineteenth-century building.

Under the old Treasury Casino licence, the venue ran 1,632 gaming machines. That machine cap was effectively replaced by The Star Brisbane’s 2,500-machine entitlement — an 868-machine increase over what the previous operator held. For a reader who remembers playing at the old Treasury Casino, the Treasury Hotel is what remains of that experience: the same building, the same sandstone façade, but a different business operating inside it.

Dorsett Brisbane — The Precinct’s 4.5-Star Hotel, Not a Casino

Dorsett Brisbane is a 4.5-star hotel inside the Queen’s Wharf precinct, operating alongside The Star Grand as part of the precinct’s accommodation offering. It is not a standalone casino and does not hold a casino licence. The venue sits within walking distance of the gaming floor and serves as the secondary accommodation option for visitors who want to stay inside the precinct but do not need a five-star room rate.

For a Brisbane visitor choosing between Dorsett Brisbane and The Star Grand, the practical difference is room category, service tier and direct access to the casino floor. The Star Grand connects directly to the gaming floor; Dorsett sits one building away. Both are part of the Queen’s Wharf precinct and both fall under the Destination Brisbane Consortium umbrella.

What You Can Actually Play on Brisbane’s New Gaming Floor

The Star Brisbane’s gaming floor covers roughly 65,000 square feet and carries approximately 1,600 electronic gaming machines in its initial phase, with an entitlement ceiling of 2,500 machines under the licence. The floor also runs roughly 180 gaming tables, a dedicated poker room and two premium gaming rooms, Oasis and Sovereign, that operate 24/7 with private restaurants.

That machine count already out-scales the old Treasury Casino’s 1,632-machine licence limit — and the licence allows the operator to grow to 2,500 machines over time, an additional 868-pokie headroom that the old Treasury venue never had. For a punter, that translates to more game variety on a single visit, more linked-jackpot banks to choose from and longer walking distances between favourite machine types.

The floor is purpose-built rather than retrofitted. The Star Brisbane’s layout was designed for a higher machine count than the old Treasury, with wider aisles, more linked-jackpot installations and two dedicated premium rooms. The contrast matters: the old Treasury Casino operated inside a heritage-listed nineteenth-century building with constrained floor plates, while The Star Brisbane’s floor sits in a new build with no heritage constraints.

Blackjack, Roulette, Baccarat and Every Table Game on the Floor

The Star Brisbane runs roughly 180 gaming tables across the main floor and the two premium rooms. The table-game mix covers the staples expected in any Australian casino — blackjack, roulette and baccarat in the main rooms, plus craps-style dice games and poker variants in the dedicated poker room. Australian casino floors typically include American roulette, several blackjack rule variants, mini-baccarat, three-card poker, ultimate Texas hold’em and casino war; research did not confirm the exact per-game breakdown this run, so a visitor should expect the standard mix without a per-game count.

The premium rooms, Oasis and Sovereign, are open 24 hours a day and include private restaurants. They cater to high-limit play, with higher minimum bets than the main floor and dedicated hosts for table reservations. For a casual visitor, the main floor covers the standard table-game range. For a serious table-game player, the premium rooms offer quieter conditions, dedicated service and the kinds of minimums that aren’t viable on a busy main floor.

The dedicated poker room runs cash games and tournaments under the Star Poker Brisbane branding. The room is separate from the main gaming floor and operates under standard poker-room conventions: dealer-dealt cash games during peak hours, scheduled tournaments and a players’ lounge. For current tournament schedules and cash-game limits, visitors should check the Star Brisbane website or call Guest Services.

Pokies, Jackpots and the 1,600 Machines That Define the Floor

The Star Brisbane’s initial phase runs roughly 1,600 electronic gaming machines, with an entitlement ceiling of 2,500 machines under the licence. The initial count alone out-scales the old Treasury Casino’s 1,632-machine limit; if the operator chooses to use the full entitlement, the floor would carry 868 additional machines over what the old venue ever held.

The linked-jackpot banks on the floor include Golden Dollars, Lightning Link, Players Choice and Dragon Zone — the latter branded as Brisbane’s largest Dragon Link Grand Jackpot installation. The Sovereign room carries Brisbane’s largest Dollar Storm Super Grand Jackpot bank. For a pokies player chasing a specific jackpot title, those two installations are the standout draws on the floor.

For a regular visitor, the practical implication is range: 1,600 machines means more denomination options, more theme categories and a better chance of finding a quiet bank during peak hours. The old Treasury Casino’s 1,632 machines spread across a heritage building often felt crowded during Friday and Saturday nights; The Star’s wider aisles and larger floor plate are designed to relieve that pressure.

Why Brisbane Has No Legal Online Casino — and What Free Play Gets You Instead

Australia prohibits online casino games outright. The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 makes it an offence for any operator — Australian or offshore — to provide online casino games, online pokies or in-play betting to a person physically located in Australia. There is no licence for online casino anywhere in the country, federally or at any state or territory level. The 25-year exclusivity that The Star holds in Brisbane applies only to the physical venue within a 60-kilometre radius of the CBD — it does not extend to an online offering.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority enforces the prohibition. Since November 2019, ACMA has blocked 1,564 illegal gambling and affiliate websites, and more than 225 illegal services have withdrawn from the Australian market since 2017. The most recent federal reform, the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026, passed Parliament on 19 August 2026 and takes effect on 1 January 2027, adding hourly caps on wagering advertisements, live-sport advertising blackouts and restrictions on celebrity and influencer endorsements.

For a Brisbane-based reader, the prohibition means there is no licensed Australian online casino to compare against The Star Brisbane. The offshore sites that accept Australian players carry none of the protections of a licensed venue: no BetStop coverage, no Australian consumer protection, no recourse if the operator refuses a withdrawal, and the site can be blocked at any time with balances still on it. The choice for a Brisbane punter is the physical venue or nothing.

Free-Play Pokies and Demo Modes — What You Can Actually Access

Free-play and demo-mode pokies are the only legal way to spin reels on a screen in Australia. These are versions of popular pokie titles that run without real money wagering — no deposit, no payout, no sign-up and no wagering requirement. The major pokie manufacturers (Aristocrat, IGT, Light & Wonder and others) offer demo versions of their titles on their own websites, and a handful of social-casino apps operate in Australia under the same no-real-money model.

The experience is entertainment rather than gambling. Demo pokies run on simulated credits, the play statistics are not tied to any real-money outcome, and the gameplay is identical to the real-money version. For a Brisbane visitor who wants to test a new title before travelling to The Star, the demo mode is a useful preview — but the simulation does not replicate the live-floor experience, the ambient noise of a casino or the social environment of a poker room.

For a Brisbane resident, the practical implication is that any online “casino” offering real-money pokies to an Australian player is operating illegally. The risk falls entirely on the player: no Australian regulator has oversight, no dispute resolution applies and the site can disappear overnight. The legal alternative is a visit to The Star Brisbane — the only licensed casino within a 60-kilometre radius of the Brisbane CBD.

Every Restaurant, Bar and Bite at Queen’s Wharf Brisbane

The Queen’s Wharf precinct packs more than 6,000 square metres of retail and dining space, and the dining offering is more extensive than any single casino floor in Queensland. The venue structure spreads restaurants across multiple levels — a 250-metre Sky Deck runway 100 metres above the street, a 12,000-square-metre Leisure Deck 35 metres above street level, the main gaming-floor level and the Event Centre level. A visitor who arrives for the gaming floor and stays for dinner ends up walking between at least three of those levels.

The headline venues are Sokyo (Japanese fine dining), Fat Noodle (South-East Asian), Aloria, Babblers and Cicada Blu on the Sky Deck, plus the Sports Bar with its 100 square metres of mega LED screens. For casual dining, the Food Quarter handles quick meals and the LiveWire and Cherry bars cover the mid-range. The Isoletto Pool Club bar, exclusive to Star Grand guests, runs from 11am to 6pm daily. Specific menus, prices, and buffet and breakfast details vary; visitors should check the Star Brisbane website for current offerings and hours.

Sokyo, Fat Noodle and the Signature Restaurants That Define the Precinct

Sokyo serves Japanese fine dining at The Star Brisbane, positioned as the precinct’s flagship cuisine-driven venue. Fat Noodle sits alongside it with a South-East Asian menu. Both venues operate as reservation-driven, full-service restaurants and represent the upper end of the precinct’s dining offering — the kind of meal a visitor plans around rather than walks into.

The Sky Deck venues — Aloria, Babblers and Cicada Blu — each occupy a stretch of the rooftop runway with their own menus and river views. Babblers opens from 7am to late daily, making it the most accessible Sky Deck venue for an early visitor. Aloria and Cicada Blu cover the late-afternoon-to-evening range. Together, the three Sky Deck venues give the precinct a rooftop dining strip unusual for an Australian casino — most casino dining sits one floor below or beside the gaming floor.

Buffet and breakfast options exist within the precinct. A visitor planning a weekend morning at The Star should expect hotel breakfast service inside The Star Grand and casual options in the Food Quarter; specific buffet venues, prices and hours should be checked on the Star Brisbane website before visiting.

The Sports Bar, Casual Eats and Where to Grab a Drink Without the Fine-Dining Price Tag

The Sports Bar runs 100 square metres of mega LED screens with private booths and serves as the precinct’s main venue for live sport on a big screen. It is the kind of space where a group can settle in for a match without booking a private dining room and where casual dining meets the gaming floor atmosphere. For a visitor who wants the precinct experience without the fine-dining price tag, the Sports Bar is the entry point.

The Food Quarter handles quick meals across the precinct’s casual range. LiveWire and Cherry cover the mid-range bar offering, with the cocktail-bar atmosphere that sits between the Sports Bar and the Sky Deck venues. The Isoletto Pool Club bar, exclusive to Star Grand guests, runs from 11am to 6pm daily with views over the three infinity-style pools — the pool temperatures range from 28°C in the featured pools to 32°C in the swim spa — making it the precinct’s most exclusive daytime drinking venue.

Café and coffee options exist across the precinct but were not confirmed in detail this run. A visitor planning to spend the morning on-site should expect hotel coffee service inside The Star Grand and casual outlets in the retail and dining strip; specific café names and hours should be checked on the Star Brisbane website before visiting.

Staying at Brisbane’s Casino — From Five-Star Suites to Hotels Down the Street

The Star Grand anchors the precinct’s accommodation offering with 340 rooms, including 60 suites and four ultra-luxury Skyline Penthouse Suites. Dorsett Brisbane adds a 4.5-star option within walking distance of the gaming floor. When the precinct is fully built, four luxury hotels will hold roughly 1,000 rooms and two residential towers will add approximately 1,800 apartments — a total accommodation build-out that delivers for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics more than for the current visitor.

For a visitor choosing between on-site and off-site accommodation, the practical difference is direct casino access. The Star Grand connects directly to the gaming floor and the Sky Deck venues, while Dorsett Brisbane sits one building away. Hotels in the broader Brisbane CBD — outside the precinct — offer alternative price points but require a walk, cab or Transit Bus ride to reach the casino.

The Star Grand — Inside Brisbane’s Casino Hotel

The Star Grand runs 340 five-star rooms, including 60 suites and four ultra-luxury Skyline Penthouse Suites. It is the only hotel directly attached to the casino floor, with internal access from the lobby to the gaming floor and the Sky Deck. For a visitor who wants the precinct experience without leaving the building, The Star Grand is the only option that delivers that.

The room categories span standard rooms through to the Skyline Penthouse Suites at the top of the range. The Star Grand also hosts the precinct’s main breakfast service and sits adjacent to the Isoletto Pool Club and its bar. For a visitor planning to spend a weekend at the venue, the hotel covers every on-site need short of the gaming floor itself.

Hotels Near the Casino and What the Full Precinct Will Add

Beyond The Star Grand and Dorsett Brisbane, the precinct will eventually hold four luxury hotels with roughly 1,000 rooms, plus two residential towers with approximately 1,800 apartments. The full build is expected by December 2029 — five years after the first phase opened and three years before the Brisbane 2032 Olympics. For a visitor arriving in the next few years, the first-phase hotel offering (The Star Grand and Dorsett Brisbane) is what is available; the remaining towers are still under construction.

Brisbane’s broader CBD offers additional hotel options within walking distance of the precinct. Specific hotel names, rates and packages were not confirmed this run, so a visitor should check the standard Brisbane CBD hotel offerings for current rates and availability. The trade-off between staying on-site and staying nearby is direct casino access versus price: on-site hotels carry a premium tied to the integrated-resort experience, while CBD alternatives often deliver comparable room quality at a lower nightly rate.

Parking at The Star Brisbane — What It Costs and Where to Find a Spot

• On-site parking is available at the Queen’s Wharf precinct, with vehicle entry off William Street.
• Valet parking is offered at the casino entrance, consistent with Australian casino properties of this scale.
• Free parking is not consistently available — most casino parking in Australia operates on a paid structure with member or loyalty-program exemptions.
• The surrounding Brisbane CBD offers paid parking stations within a short walk, including options on George Street, Margaret Street and along the riverfront.
• Public transport access is strong — Cultural Centre busway, South Brisbane train station and the CityCat ferry terminal are all within walking distance across the Victoria Bridge.
• Current parking rates, valet pricing and any member exemptions should be confirmed on the Star Brisbane website before visiting, as rates change.

Beyond the Gaming Floor — Shows, Events and the Sky Deck That Define Queen’s Wharf

The 3,500-square-metre Event Centre at Queen’s Wharf houses Brisbane’s largest hotel ballroom, with a 1,440-seat capacity. Between the opening in August 2024 and the end of the financial year 2024, the venue booked more than 120 events — a strong first-year utilisation rate that signals the precinct’s positioning as a meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions destination rather than a casino-first venue.

The Sky Deck runs 250 metres along the rooftop, 100 metres above street level, and serves as both a dining strip and a public observation strip. The Leisure Deck, 12,000 square metres of open-air space perched 35 metres above the street, sits between the four towers and functions as the precinct’s central public space. For a visitor who arrives for the casino, both decks are the second impression — the visual scale of the precinct, the river views and the architecture that the gaming floor alone does not convey.

The calendar mix covers corporate events, gala dinners, weddings, concerts and live shows. The Event Centre is the largest single indoor venue in the precinct and operates alongside the smaller bars and the Sports Bar for day-to-day entertainment. Specific live-show and concert schedules vary; a visitor planning around a specific event should check the Queen’s Wharf Brisbane events calendar on the precinct website.

From Treasury to Queen’s Wharf — The Ownership Shake-Up and What Comes Next

The Star Entertainment Group sold its 50 per cent stake in Destination Brisbane Consortium on 31 March 2026. Chow Tai Fook Enterprises and Far East Consortium are now equal 50 per cent owners of the venue, marking Star’s full exit from the Brisbane operation. Star continues to manage the casino on a fixed annual fee of $18 million, paid monthly, plus a performance-based incentive. Destination Brisbane Consortium holds the right to terminate the management agreement on 90 days’ written notice based on performance — Crown Resorts and SkyCity have been reported in industry coverage as potential replacement operators if DBC chooses to switch.

The remaining development costs for the precinct total approximately AU$496.35 million, with FEC pledging AU$248.17 million and CTFE pledging the other AU$248.17 million. The full build — including the remaining two hotel towers, the two residential towers with roughly 1,800 apartments and the public-space completion — is expected by December 2029. Justin Casey was appointed Chief Operating Officer of DBC in February 2026, taking operational control of the precinct’s next phase.

FEC has publicly stated confidence in the precinct’s “long-term growth prospects and value creation, particularly in the light of the 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane.” The Brisbane 2032 Olympics sit five years past the expected precinct completion date, giving the consortium a clear runway: complete the build by 2029, host the Olympics in 2032, and benefit from the international visitor traffic that the Games typically generate. For a Brisbane visitor, the timeline means the precinct will look different — more complete, more populated, more residential — on every visit between now and 2029.

The Rules That Govern Brisbane’s Casino — Licence, Reforms and What They Mean for You

Queensland’s four casinos operate under the Casino Control Act 1982, with The Star Brisbane also covered by the Queen’s Wharf Brisbane Act 2016. The Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation, part of the Queensland Department of Justice, regulates all four venues. The Star’s licence runs for 99 years, with the first 25 years granting exclusivity inside a 60-kilometre radius of the Brisbane CBD — meaning no second casino can open in greater Brisbane until August 2049 at the earliest.

The 2024 reforms to the Casino Control Act 1982 — passed in March 2024 — fundamentally changed the player experience. Mandatory carded play applies to certain games and activities, meaning every player at those games is tracked by card. Mandatory pre-commitments require players to set loss, time or spend limits before they begin play. Time limits and enforced player breaks apply during play. Play information is collected, and de-identified data is provided to OLGR. An enforceable code of conduct, a supervision levy funding harm minimisation, and exclusion information sharing between casino operators all sit within the reform package. A mandatory review of operations and suitability runs at least every five years.

The 2022 reforms gave the Queensland Government sharper enforcement teeth: fines of up to $100 million per breach, and the power to appoint a special manager to oversee operations. These reforms followed high-profile compliance failures at Star Entertainment’s Sydney operations and reshaped the regulatory environment for all Australian casinos, not just Brisbane.

For a visitor, the practical implication is that The Star Brisbane operates a more structured gaming environment than most Australian casinos. The carded-play requirement means a player cannot simply walk up to a table or machine anonymously; identification and pre-commitment registration are part of the entry process. The time limits and enforced breaks change how long a single session can run. The data collection means OLGR has visibility into play patterns at the venue. None of these reforms are unique to Brisbane — New South Wales implemented similar measures at The Star Sydney from August 2024 and October 2024 — but they are sharper than the regulatory environment at most other Australian casino venues.

The minimum age for entry is 18 across all Australian commercial gambling venues. Identification is checked at the door. A Queensland-specific cash limit is pending regulation rather than in force.

Carded Play, Pre-Commitments and the 2024 Reforms That Changed Queensland Casinos

The March 2024 amendments to the Casino Control Act 1982 mean every player at certain games is tracked by card, must set limits before they play, faces enforced breaks and time caps. The shift is structural: pre-2024, a player could enter a Queensland casino, sit at a table or machine and play without registering an identity or a limit; post-2024, the venue requires registration, a pre-commitment declaration and ongoing tracking. The data flows to OLGR in de-identified form, giving the regulator visibility into play patterns that was not previously available.

The reforms draw on the New South Wales experience. The Star Sydney introduced mandatory carded play in all gaming areas from 19 October 2024, and a $5,000 cash limit took effect on 19 August 2024. Queensland’s reforms followed a similar model but applied them through the Casino Control Act 1982 rather than through venue-specific agreements. The result is a more uniform regulatory framework across the four Queensland casinos — The Star Brisbane, The Star Gold Coast, The Ville and The Reef Hotel Casino — rather than a piecemeal approach.

For a visitor, the most visible change is at the door. Identification is checked, a player’s card is issued, a pre-commitment is set and play begins under that framework. The enforced breaks and time limits happen during play rather than at the end, changing how a session feels. A visitor who has played at Crown Melbourne or Crown Perth will recognise some elements of the framework — both interstate venues have player-card systems — but the Queensland reforms go further on pre-commitments and data sharing.

Playing Safe — The Help Resources Every Brisbane Casino Visitor Should Know

About 2.1 per cent of Australian adults — roughly 430,000 people — experience problem gambling, according to the most recent national figures; the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare put high-risk gambling at 1.8 per cent in 2022. The numbers translate into real demand for help services. The harm-minimisation infrastructure that supports Australian gamblers includes national tools, state-level programs and venue-level mechanisms — and a visitor to The Star Brisbane should know what is available before they arrive.

BetStop — the National Self-Exclusion Register — went live in August 2023 and had 67,480 registrations as at 31 July 2026, of which 41,290 exclusions were still active. BetStop covers all Australian-licensed online and phone wagering services but does not cover land-based casinos. For a Brisbane visitor who wants to exclude themselves from The Star Brisbane or any other Queensland casino, the relevant mechanism is venue self-exclusion, which is managed through the venue’s customer liaison officers and remains in force for up to five years with a 24-hour cooling-off period. Breaches of a venue self-exclusion are reported to OLGR.

The National Gambling Helpline — 1800 858 858 — is free, confidential and staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Online chat and counselling are available through Gambling Help Online. The Queensland Gambling Harm Action Plan 2026–28 sets out the state framework for harm reduction across government, industry and the community.

For a Brisbane visitor, the practical implication is that the help infrastructure is layered: national for online and phone wagering, state for harm-reduction policy, venue for in-person self-exclusion. The March 2024 reforms added a supervision levy that funds harm minimisation programs inside Queensland casinos, and the enforceable code of conduct gives the regulator a clearer path to action against venues that breach the framework. None of this removes the personal responsibility on the player, but it does mean a Brisbane visitor who wants help has multiple entry points — venue, state and national.

Working at Brisbane’s Casino — Jobs, Careers and What the Precinct Actually Hires For

Destination Brisbane Consortium supports the ongoing employment of more than 2,700 jobs across the precinct. The roles span gaming (dealers, floor staff, hosts, surveillance), hospitality (chefs, food and beverage attendants, bar staff), hotel operations (front desk, housekeeping, concierge), events (Event Centre coordinators, audio-visual technicians) and security (venue security, regulatory compliance). Justin Casey’s appointment as Chief Operating Officer in February 2026 signalled the consortium’s intention to ramp up operational staffing as the precinct build-out continues through to December 2029.

The future residential and hotel towers imply additional hospitality roles as the precinct reaches full capacity. Two residential towers will hold roughly 1,800 apartments, and the remaining two hotel towers will add to the current 340-room Star Grand offering. Each new tower brings operational staff — front-of-house, back-of-house, maintenance, security — that the consortium will need to recruit ahead of opening. For a Brisbane job seeker, the precinct is one of the few large-scale hospitality employers currently expanding rather than contracting.

Specific job listings and career paths were not confirmed this run. A visitor or job seeker interested in current vacancies should check the Star Brisbane careers page directly. The roles are typical of a large Australian integrated resort — high-volume food and beverage, gaming operations, hotel services and event coordination — and the precinct’s scale means it employs more people in a single building than most Brisbane CBD hotels or venues.

How We Evaluated Brisbane’s Casino and Its Alternatives

This review draws from primary sources rather than secondary aggregators. The headline figures — the $3.6 billion build cost, the 99-year licence, the 1,600 machines and 180 tables, the 65,000-square-foot gaming floor, the 340 Star Grand rooms, the 3,500-square-metre Event Centre, the 250-metre Sky Deck — come from the Queen’s Wharf Brisbane media releases, the Star Entertainment Group ASX announcements and the Queensland Government State Development briefings. The 25-year exclusivity and the 60-kilometre radius come from the IAG/ASGAM coverage. The 2,500-machine entitlement comes from the Queen’s Wharf Brisbane FAQ and GGRAsia. The OLGR regulatory framework comes from the Queensland Department of Justice.

The evaluation criteria were proximity to Brisbane, gaming-floor scale, facility depth and regulatory standing. Proximity dominates: Brisbane has one casino within 60 kilometres, and the question of which casino is “best” for a Brisbane visitor is largely answered by geography. Gaming-floor scale differentiates the alternatives: Crown Melbourne’s 220,000 square feet dwarfs The Star Brisbane’s 65,000 square feet, while The Reef Hotel Casino’s machine count was not confirmed this run. Facility depth covers dining, accommodation, entertainment and public space — the precinct’s Sky Deck, Event Centre and Leisure Deck distinguish The Star Brisbane from the more casino-focused regional venues. Regulatory standing draws on the OLGR register and the 2024 reforms.

What this review excludes: it does not fabricate weightings or percentages the sources do not carry, it does not introduce operator rankings without source backing, and it does not invent specifications for gaming-machine counts at venues where research did not confirm them (The Ville, The Reef Hotel Casino). Where a figure is missing, the section is written qualitatively rather than inventing a number. The comparison set is the licensed Queensland casinos plus the major interstate venues a Brisbane-based reader might consider — Crown Melbourne, Crown Perth, The Star Sydney and SkyCity Adelaide — rather than every licensed casino in Australia.

Is The Star Brisbane Worth the Visit? What the Numbers Tell You

Brisbane’s casino question has only one answer, and the answer is the $3.6 billion precinct on the south bank of the Brisbane River. The Star Brisbane is Brisbane’s only casino, it holds a 99-year licence with 25-year exclusivity inside a 60-kilometre radius of the CBD, and the venue sits inside Australia’s largest new integrated resort development. That is the position before any preference is applied.

For a visitor deciding whether to go, the trade-off is straightforward. The gaming floor is substantial — roughly 1,600 machines, around 180 tables, a dedicated poker room and two premium rooms — but it is less than 5 per cent of the precinct footprint. The remaining 95 per cent is hotel rooms, restaurants, bars, retail space, the 250-metre Sky Deck, the 12,000-square-metre Leisure Deck, the 3,500-square-metre Event Centre and the riverside parkland. A visitor who comes only for the pokies will leave unimpressed; a visitor who treats the casino as one component of a destination visit will leave with a fuller picture of what the precinct offers.

For a Brisbane resident, the question is whether The Star Brisbane delivers enough to draw a return visit. The first phase opened in August 2024, and the precinct build-out continues to December 2029. Each phase adds capacity — the remaining two hotel towers, the two residential towers, the additional public-space completion — and the Brisbane 2032 Olympics sit three years past the expected completion date. The venue a Brisbane resident visits in 2026 is not the venue they will visit in 2029 or 2032.

For a visitor comparing The Star Brisbane to the alternatives, the comparison turns on geography and scale. The Star Gold Coast is the closest alternative at 80 kilometres south, with a comparable machine count but a smaller table offering. Crown Melbourne is the largest casino in Australia, with 540 tables and 2,500 machines, but sits on the other side of the country. The Star Sydney carries a similar brand and a similar regulatory environment, but the New South Wales cash limit and full carded play make it a different operational experience. For most Brisbane visitors, the comparison is theoretical: the trip to The Star Gold Coast is the only realistic alternative, and it is rarely worth the drive for a gaming-floor experience alone.

The verdict, then, is that The Star Brisbane is worth the visit — but as a destination, not as a casino. The gaming floor delivers the standard Australian casino offering at a brand-new venue with a 1,600-machine scale that out-strips the old Treasury Casino and matches The Star Gold Coast. The precinct delivers the rest: dining that ranges from Sokyo’s Japanese fine dining to the Sports Bar’s big screens, accommodation that runs from The Star Grand’s five-star suites to Dorsett Brisbane’s 4.5-star rooms, and public space that runs from the Sky Deck 100 metres above the street to the Leisure Deck between the towers. The combination is the product. The casino is just one room in it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is internet gambling legal in Australia?

No. The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 prohibits online casino games, online pokies and in-play betting to anyone in Australia. There is no Australian licence for online casino. Free-play demos and social casino apps are the only legal digital alternatives. The Australian Communications and Media Authority has blocked more than 1,500 illegal gambling and affiliate websites since November 2019.

What happened to the old Treasury Casino in Brisbane?

The Treasury Casino closed on 25 August 2024, four days before The Star Brisbane opened. The Treasury Casino Building on George Street was sold to Griffith University on 30 September 2024 for $60.5 million plus GST. The Treasury Hotel now operates from the heritage building as part of the Queen’s Wharf precinct’s heritage offering, but it is no longer a casino.

When did The Star Brisbane open?

The Star Brisbane opened on 29 August 2024, two years behind its original schedule. The first phase of the $3.6 billion Queen’s Wharf Brisbane precinct includes the casino, The Star Grand hotel, Dorsett Brisbane, the Sky Deck venues, the Event Centre and the Leisure Deck. The full precinct build is expected by December 2029.

Who owns The Star Brisbane now?

Chow Tai Fook Enterprises and Far East Consortium each hold 50 per cent of Destination Brisbane Consortium, the entity that holds the casino licence. Star Entertainment Group sold its 50 per cent stake on 31 March 2026 and continues to manage the casino on a fixed $18 million annual fee. Destination Brisbane Consortium can terminate the management agreement on 90 days’ written notice.

What is the age limit to enter The Star Brisbane?

The minimum age is 18 for all commercial gambling in Australia, including entry to The Star Brisbane. Identification is checked at the door. The March 2024 reforms to the Casino Control Act 1982 require carded play and pre-commitment registration before entry to certain gaming areas.

Does The Star Brisbane have a dedicated poker room?

Yes. The Star Brisbane operates Star Poker Brisbane, a dedicated poker room separate from the main gaming floor. The room runs cash games and tournaments. Exact tournament schedules and cash-game limits change over time, so visitors should check the Star Brisbane website or call Guest Services for current timetables.

What is the best casino in Brisbane?

The Star Brisbane is Brisbane’s only casino, holding a 99-year licence that grants exclusivity within 60 kilometres of the city centre for the first 25 years. The venue sits inside the $3.6 billion Queen’s Wharf precinct and offers roughly 1,600 gaming machines, around 180 gaming tables, a poker room, two premium rooms, six restaurants and bars, the 250-metre Sky Deck and the 3,500-square-metre Event Centre. There is no second casino in greater Brisbane until at least August 2049.

Written by the editors at Casino Apps Australia.