Malta casino guide: all four casinos and how to choose

Looking for a Malta casino for your trip? The choice is easier than you might expect. Malta has four licensed land-based casinos, all of them open 24 hours a day and free to enter. Three are in St Julian's, within a short taxi ride of each other, and one is on the seafront in Qawra in the north. This guide explains what each Malta casino offers, what a visit costs, which games you can play and how to pick the right one for your evening.

Malta casinos at a glance

How many casinos are there in Malta?

There are four, and every Malta casino on this page holds a licence for land-based gaming. That small number surprises many visitors, because Malta is famous in the gaming world. The reason is that most of the industry here works online: hundreds of internet gaming companies are licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority and have offices on the island. If you want to sit at a real roulette table or play a slot machine in person, your choice comes down to these four houses.

The good news is that they are all different. One is a palace from the 1870s, one is a large modern floor in the nightlife district, one is a poker specialist beside a marina and one is an easy-going seafront casino far from the crowds.

The four casinos in Malta

Dragonara Casino, St Julian's

The Dragonara is the oldest Malta casino. It opened in 1964 inside the Dragonara Palace, a summer residence built in the 1870s for the Marquis Scicluna, and it stands on its own headland with the sea on three sides. Inside you play under chandeliers and painted ceilings.

The floor has up to 300 video slots and tables for roulette, blackjack, Punto Banco and Heads Up Hold'em. Roulette starts at €2 and card games at €5. There is a poker room with Hold'em cash games, Pot Limit Omaha and tournaments, and the Brasserie restaurant and a sports bar are in the same building.

Casino Malta, St Julian's

Casino Malta is the newest and the largest. It opened at the end of 2015 at the InterContinental in St George's Bay and is run by Olympic Entertainment Group. On 3,000 m² it has more than 300 slot machines and 29 tables, including nine American roulette tables, three Ultimate Texas Hold'em tables, two Mini Punto Banco tables and blackjack.

It sits in the middle of the Paceville nightlife area, so it is the busiest of the four late at night. The Eden Sports Bar inside is open around the clock, and the casino hosts big international poker festivals such as the WSOP Circuit Malta and the Battle of Malta.

Portomaso Casino, St Julian's

The Portomaso Casino is one level below the Portomaso Business Tower, next to the Hilton and the yacht marina. It has been a well-known poker address since it hosted its first international tournament in 2008, and it has four separate poker areas on 4,000 m².

You can also play roulette from €1, blackjack, Punto Banco, WPT Heads-Up Hold'em and Three Card Prime, and there are about 150 slot machines. Drivers like it for a simple reason: the underground car park has 1,500 free spaces and is open 24 hours.

Oracle Casino, Qawra

The Oracle is the only Malta casino outside St Julian's. It is part of the Dolmen Resort on the Qawra seafront, close to Bugibba and St Paul's Bay, and it is known for its relaxed atmosphere. Many slot machines start at 1 cent, roulette starts at €1 and the automatic roulette takes bets from 25 cents.

There are about 150 slots and 11 tables, six of them for roulette, plus blackjack, WPT Heads-Up Hold'em, Three Card Prime and poker. The casino offers free transport on request, which helps if you are staying in the north without a car.

What does a Malta casino visit cost?

Entry is free at all four casinos. There is no membership fee and you do not need to book. What you spend depends on what you play.

Casino Malta does not publish its table minimums, so ask at the table before you sit down. Minimums at every casino can be higher at busy times.

Entry rules: age, ID and dress code

The rules are almost the same in every Malta casino:

• Age. Visitors from abroad must be at least 18. Maltese citizens must be 25.
• ID. You register once at the reception. Bring your passport or national ID card. The Oracle also accepts a driving licence.
• Dress code. Smart casual at the Dragonara and Casino Malta, where sportswear is not accepted. Casual at Portomaso and the Oracle. Swimwear is not allowed anywhere.

Registration takes a few minutes on your first visit and is quicker after that. Our guide to Malta casino entry rules covers the details.

Which games can you play?

Every Malta casino has roulette, blackjack and slot machines. The differences are in the extras.

• Roulette. Casino Malta has the most tables with nine. The Oracle has six and adds automatic roulette for small stakes.
• Blackjack. Available at all four casinos.
• Punto Banco. At the Dragonara and Portomaso, and as Mini Punto Banco at Casino Malta.
• Poker-style table games. Heads Up Hold'em at the Dragonara, Ultimate Texas Hold'em at Casino Malta, WPT Heads-Up Hold'em and Three Card Prime at Portomaso and the Oracle.
• Poker. All four run poker. Portomaso and Casino Malta are the main addresses for tournaments, and the Dragonara has a poker room with sea views.
• Slots. Casino Malta and the Dragonara have the largest floors with around 300 machines each.

If poker is the reason for your trip, read our guide to poker in Malta first.

Which Malta casino is right for you?

• For your first visit: the Dragonara Casino, because the palace setting is hard to beat.
• For the biggest choice of slots and tables: Casino Malta.
• For poker: the Portomaso Casino, or Casino Malta during a festival.
• For small stakes: the Oracle Casino, or roulette from €1 at Portomaso.
• If you drive: the Portomaso Casino with its free car park.
• If you are staying in Bugibba, Qawra or St Paul's Bay: the Oracle Casino.
• For a night out in Paceville: Casino Malta, which is a few steps from the bars and clubs.

Staying in St Julian's? You can easily see two casinos in one evening. Our comparison of the casinos in St Julian's shows how the three differ in detail.

Practical tips for your visit

• Go when it suits you. All four casinos never close, but restaurants, some tables and poker tournaments keep their own hours.
• Eat before or during. The Dragonara has a full restaurant and Casino Malta a 24-hour sports bar. Portomaso and the Oracle serve snack menus while their restaurants are being refurbished.
• Take a taxi if you drink. Ride apps and taxis are easy to find in St Julian's at night.
• Learn at a quiet table. Staff will explain a game if you ask before you sit down, and low-stakes roulette is the easiest place to start.
• Check the schedule. Tournament days and special events change from week to week.

Our verdict

For most visitors the best Malta casino is the Dragonara, thanks to its setting and its full range of games. Casino Malta is the better pick if you want the most choice, Portomaso if you play poker or arrive by car, and the Oracle if you want low stakes by the sea. You can compare scores, photos and visitor reviews for all four in our casino ranking.

Casinos in this guide

Frequently asked questions

Opening hours, minimum bets, prices and games can change at any time. Please check with the casino before you visit. All information is provided without guarantee.