Casino hall access: 20+ R20
Stacks of chips on the felt in the Horizon Room
Gaming & entertainment · First floor

The Casino at Horizon Quay

The Horizon Room is our gaming lounge: one floor of table games, slot machines and a high-limit salon, above the lake and a short walk from your room. Adults aged 20 and over, photo ID required at the door.

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Overview

A gaming lounge, not a gaming barn

The Horizon Room occupies the first floor of the resort, behind the mezzanine bar. It was designed to feel like the rest of the hotel — timber, brass, low light and space between the tables — rather than like somewhere you would find in an airport.

There are twelve gaming tables, a bank of slot machines along the eastern wall, an electronic gaming area and a five-table high-limit salon that can be closed off for private play. Casino games are dealt by our own trained croupiers, and the room takes about eighty guests comfortably.

Entry is free and open to hotel guests and visitors alike, provided you are 20 or over and can show photo ID. There is no membership, no minimum spend and no obligation to play — many guests come up simply for a drink at the mezzanine bar and the view down the lake.

The gaming floor

What you will find in the Horizon Room

Table limits are posted at each table and adjusted through the evening. Our floor managers are happy to explain any game to a first-time player before you sit down.

Slot machines lit in a gaming room
Slots

Slot machines

Ninety-four machines along the eastern wall and the mezzanine landing: modern video slots with themed features, a row of classic three-reel machines for guests who prefer them, and four linked progressive units. Denominations run from 1c to NZ$5, with seated play and table service throughout.

  • Modern video slots — themed, multi-line, bonus rounds
  • Classic reel machines, single and three-line
  • Linked progressive jackpots, displayed live on the floor
  • Electronic gaming terminals for roulette and blackjack
Blackjack table with cards and dealing shoe
Tables

Table games

Twelve tables across the main floor. Blackjack is the mainstay with six tables, alongside American roulette, three-card poker, Texas hold'em poker and baccarat. Tables open progressively from mid-afternoon as the room fills, and all of them are dealt by hand.

  • Blackjack — six tables, NZ$10 to NZ$500
  • Roulette — two American wheels, NZ$5 minimum
  • Poker — three-card and Texas hold'em, tournament nights weekly
  • Baccarat — one table, opening from 7.00pm
Roulette wheel in low light
Live

Live gaming & events

Every table in the Horizon Room is live gaming in the true sense — a dealer, a wheel, a shoe and the people around it. Thursday is our weekly hold'em tournament, and through winter we run dealer's-choice evenings and roulette masterclasses for guests who want to learn the table properly.

  • Professional dealers, all locally trained and licensed
  • Thursday poker tournament, registration from 6.30pm
  • Beginners' table walkthroughs, nightly at 7.00pm
  • Mezzanine bar service to every seat
Private lounge with leather armchairs
VIP

The high-limit salon

Five tables in a separate room behind the main floor, with its own bar, host and entrance from the lift lobby. Reserved for VIP gaming by arrangement — a private blackjack or roulette table for a group, higher limits, and a dedicated host for the evening.

  • Private table reservations for two to sixteen guests
  • Higher limits, agreed in advance with the duty manager
  • Dedicated host, sommelier and supper service
  • Enquire at least 48 hours ahead via reservations
Enquire about the salon
Playing cards and chips on a table
12Gaming tables

An evening in the Horizon Room

Most guests come up after dinner. The mezzanine bar opens at four with a short cocktail list and Central Otago wine by the glass; the first tables open around five, and the room is at its best between eight and midnight when the lake has gone dark and the windows turn into mirrors.

There is a supper menu from the Harbourmaster kitchen until 11.00pm — oysters, a small plates list, and a proper burger for the people who have been at a table for three hours. Charge everything to your room if you are staying with us.

  • Mezzanine bar from 4.00pm, cocktails and Otago wine
  • Supper menu until 11.00pm, room charging for in-house guests
  • Cloakroom and secure storage at the entrance
  • Live piano on Friday and Saturday from 8.00pm
Practical information

Hours, dress code and entry

Opening hours

  • Monday – Thursday4.00pm – 2.00am
  • Friday – Saturday2.00pm – 3.00am
  • Sunday2.00pm – 1.00am
  • Mezzanine barFrom 4.00pm daily
  • High-limit salonBy reservation

Tables open progressively through the afternoon. Christmas Day, Good Friday and Easter Sunday hours differ — please call ahead.

Entry requirements

  • 20 years and over only. There are no exceptions and no supervised entry for minors.
  • Photo ID is checked at the door: NZ driver licence, HANZ 18+ card or passport.
  • Entry is free. No membership or booking is needed for the main floor.
  • The lounge is on-site only — nothing here is available online or remotely.
  • Management may refuse or withdraw entry at its discretion.

Dress code & house rules

  • Smart casual after 6.00pm. No high-visibility workwear, singlets, beachwear or gang insignia.
  • No photography or filming on the gaming floor.
  • Mobile phones on silent at the tables.
  • Intoxicated guests will not be served or admitted.
  • The whole resort, including the lounge, is smoke-free and vape-free indoors.
Host responsibility

Play for entertainment, nothing more

Gaming at Horizon Quay is entertainment and should stay that way. We operate a host responsibility policy under the Gambling Act 2003: ID at the door for everyone who looks under 25, trained staff on the floor at all times, clocks and natural light in the room, no cash machines on the gaming floor, and voluntary self-exclusion available on request in confidence.

If gambling is causing difficulty for you or someone close to you, help is free and available at any hour. NZ Gambling Helpline 0800 654 655 · Need to Talk? 1737 · Problem Gambling Foundation 0800 664 262 · text 8006.

Plan your visit

Stay the night, take the lift down

The simplest way to enjoy the Horizon Room is to book a room upstairs. Our stay & play packages include lounge access, dining credit and a late checkout the morning after.