About the Crown Melbourne Mahogany Room The Mahogany Room has become an icon for Melbourne's elite; an exclusive, opulent space for high stake gambling and special evenings seeped in glamour. Mahogany room southbank. crown mahogany room southbank. Crown Casino, 8 Whiteman St. Created by Marci McCann 20 items. Crown mahogany room southbank. Crown Casino (8 Whiteman St.) Southbank VIC 3006. Created by Marci McCann 20 items. $32 million heist at Crown Casino A foreign high roller has pulled off a $32 million sting at Melbourne's Crown Casino in an elaborate Hollywood style heist. Crown Mahogany Room, Southbank.
Don't expect the opulence of Monte Carlo. Picture: Monaco Government Tourist BureauSource:Supplied
Melbourne's Crown casino was last week accused of tampering with poker machines, ignoring patrons' drug use and turning a blind eye to domestic violence. And get entry into the Mahogany room.
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?
Crown Casino Melbourne Mahogany Rooms
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.
Crown Casino Melbourne Mahogany Room Restaurant
'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.
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.
Crown Casino Melbourne Mahogany Room Divider
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.
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.
We had the pleasure of being invited to a VIP dinner in the Teak room. I was expecting a large group of people to be invited, however when we arrived there was a small intimate table for 10 guests put aside for us, very exclusive!
The dinner was for those guests who are close to receiving a Gold Membership status on their Signature Club cards. It was a great way to get a good feel of the restaurant, the gaming floor and what the Teak Room really has to offer. Being a Platinum Member in the past, we knew what the Teak Room & Mahogany Room had to offer, but was nice to get in to see the space again and enjoy a free meal. To gain access to the Teak Room, you do require a Gold Membership or higher, or enter with someone who does have these privileges.
The teak room is large in size and has a beautiful luxurious feel to it. There is a smoking section available for those who are smokers, however they do have a smoke shield up to ensure that everyone is able to gamble in comfort without the gaming floor filling up with smoke.
Upon entering the Teak Room, you are welcomed by an impress marble service desk where the service is top notch. The floor is divided into several different sections including roulette tables (mins $5-10), Baccarat tables (mins $100-200) and Blackjack.
Moving along, we reach the bar area which offers a full range of complimentary basic spirits, wines and non alcoholic beverages. Near the bar are large couches and chairs for those who prefer to relax (photo above). The last area are the slot/pokies which are on the right of the room. The difference with these machines are that they offer a higher limit and the added bonus of self-serve Nespresso machines.
Finally there is the Teak Restaurant, where we were seated for our VIP dinner. I was able to get the below photos of our meal and space. The service was quite average here, however the food was beautiful.
