The four venues
Casino Portomaso, in the tower of the same name in St Julian's, is the largest and most modern. The Dragonara, set in a nineteenth-century palace on its own headland in Paceville, is the oldest and by far the most striking. The Oracle, in Paceville's Bay Street, is the most relaxed and the closest to the clubs. Casino Malta, also at Portomaso, plays the American hand with a poker room. All four are walking distance from each other, more or less.
Age and ID
Eighteen for residents and EU visitors, and ID is asked for every time at the door, including when you clearly stopped being twenty a while ago. It is a real check, not a formality: no document, no entry. Worth noting, the age for Paceville clubs is lower than for the casinos, which catches mixed groups out.
The dress code
This is what stops most people. Maltese casinos run a smart casual dress code and enforce it: no shorts, no flip-flops, no swimwear, no caps. A shirt or polo and closed shoes will do, but arriving straight from a pool party will not. The Dragonara is the strictest of the four.
What entry costs
Entry is generally free for foreign visitors, sometimes with a quick sign-up at the desk. There is no minimum spend and nothing obliges you to play: you can have a drink and watch. Table minimums start low, often around five euros, which makes a casino an affordable outing as long as you set your budget before walking in.
How it fits around the night
Casinos open in the late afternoon and run late, often to four or five in the morning. Two uses work: the early evening, between dinner and the club, when clubs are still empty before midnight; or the end of it, when the group wants to sit down and the dancefloors are closing. Proximity does the rest: from the Oracle to Paceville's main street is a two-minute walk.