Royal Hotel Casino - CORY LOVES BEER

After our last Royal in Inverell on Friday we stayed the night in the town of Deepwater and hit up the fantastic Deepwater Brewery. And Deepwater Brewery will definitely be getting its own post in the coming weeks. But for now it’s on to our next Royal, the Royal Hotel Casino.

The first three Royals of this trip were just myself, John, and Bert. But in Casino we were joined by a bit of a crew. Firstly there were John’s mates and Tour veterans Turner and Big Al (who’ll you’ll no doubt remember from the Royals in Nundah and Waratah respectively). But we were soon also joined by my old work mate Tracy and her husband Paul. So there ended up being a fair crowd of us that converged in Casino that Saturday morning.

The Royal in Casino had clearly only recently been done up. And they had definitely done a good job of it. There was a bit of a surprise upon entering as this was officially the first Royal where we had to present ID’s and sign in. It turns out that’s because the Royal in Casino had actually been done up by a local club and now was being run essentially as a pub/club.

Turner and Big Al are impressed by Royal footmats

Fortunately, the scales were tipped towards the pub end of that equation. So while it was all shiny and white, and there was a whiff of clubiness about the place, it was still definitely a pub first. As we arrived firmly in the AM’s, the place was unsurprisingly not very busy. In fact, the only two patrons we could see were Turner and Big Al.

Nothing better than a morning beer with mates

So we settled in to our choice of tables with our AM ales. And before long we were joined by Tracy (who I hadn’t seen in ages) and Paul (who I was meeting in the flesh for the first time).

We usually only stop in at any given Royal for about an hour or so each on average. Although you may have noticed that we often wish we could stay longer. But fortunately, we had scheduled in a good few hours to hang out at this Royal. That meant not only extra time to catch up with mates, but also a chance to sample the food that was on offer.

And the Royal Casino earned very high marks on that front. The steaks some at the table ordered looked great and disappeared quickly. I went for an order of pork belly and buffalo wings. The wings I got were not actually Buffalo wings (a common occurrence in Aussie pubs and a personal pet hate of mine) but they were delicious. So I couldn’t be too angry.

Delicious pork belly, spicy (non-Buffalo) chicken wings, and a beer. Doesn’t get much better (especially if you ignore my ratty-looking wallet ruining this photo)

After relaxing with a few beers, some good food, and some excellent company, we kind of realised the we hadn’t given the pub a proper exploration. Most of it was similar to the part we were hanging out in: a good mixture of comfy (if a bit non-descript) booths and tall tables. The bar had a good variety of taps. Nothing overly crafty (Stone & Wood is about as fancy as it got), but at least some choices. There was a big dining area as well around the back of the bar.

But out the back is where they were hiding the best bit of the entire place. The Royal Hotel Casino has a great beer garden with an absolutely epic TV. It would be a fantastic place (with a presumably massive crowd) for a big sporting event like an Origin or a grand final. But it would probably be even better to wile away the hours watching a day-long summer sporting event like test cricket or the Australian Open.

That would be an absolutely brilliant place for a major sporting event. Maybe just a few recliner lounges and/or beanbags would really make it perfect

At some point during our visit, someone told the bar staff about the Royal Tour. They we understandably extremely impressed and excited to be a part of it. So much so, the manager came around and gave free stubby holders to the whole table!

Tracy and I modelling our awesome free stubby holders

The Royal in Casino was picked for our big catchup for purely geographical reasons. But lucky for us, it ended up being a great place to hang out for a beer and a feed as well. And if I ever find myself in the vicinity of Casino when a big sporting event is on, this is 100% where I’ll be heading.

After a good few hours, it was finally time for us to have to get back on the road. So we bid goodbye to Tracy and Paul (Turner and Big Al had decided to join us for the next leg as well) and headed off for the next Royal in Tenterfield.

Royal Stats

Town/Suburb: Casino, NSW
Population: 9,968
Date Visited: Saturday, August 9, 2025
Visited By: Cory, John, Bert, Tracy, Paul, Turner, and Big Al
Beer Sponsorship on Sign: None
Beer Consumed at Pub: Tooheys New
Price of Schooner of Said Beer: $7.40
Unique Award: First Royal to Share Its Name with a Bond Movie
Tour Progress: 70.4% (95/135)

Royal Stats

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