The resort consists of a casino, a convention centre with meeting rooms, theatre and two ballrooms along with 32 restaurants and bars, a nightclub and recreational facilities.
[8] The winning bidder to build the complex was Tileska Pty Ltd, a joint venture between Dallas Dempster and Genting Berhad, a Malaysian casino operator.
[7] At the time, there were allegations by rival bidders of misconduct against Dempster and Western Australian Premier Brian Burke,[9] but, after a thorough investigation of these accusations, the WA Inc Royal Commission found no impropriety in that regard.
The first stage was initially expected to cost A$200m, and involved futuristic-looking buildings[11] comprising a 135-table casino, 400-room hotel, 18-hole golf course, convention and exhibition centre, tennis courts, amphitheatre and other amenities, together with a beautification of the Burswood Island area.
[8] It was hoped that the hotel-casino complex would be ready in time for the 1987 America's Cup race, to be hosted by Perth,[7] and construction was to a tight schedule to achieve that deadline.
[16] In its early weeks of opening, people were reportedly forced to queue at the entrance for hours as the gaming floor was at its full legal capacity.
[16] The Burswood Island Casino was opened several months ahead of schedule,[16] and the other parts of Stage 1 (including the hotel, conference centre, theatre and indoor stadium) remained under construction throughout 1986 and much of 1987.
[18] This delay meant that the hotel and conference centre was not available during the early stages of the America's Cup race, necessitating refunds to overseas visitors.
In 1996, singer Michael Jackson performed three sold-out shows at Burswood Dome on 30 November, 2 and 4 December, as part of his HIStory World Tour in front of 60,000 attendees.
[24] In 2006, Burswood closed its renowned fine-dining Windows Restaurant to make way for a newer, expanded VIP room for high rollers.
MINQ, an exclusive late night bar, accessible only by a hosted lift at the entrance of The Meridian Room, opened in August 2007.
[25] In March 2012 it was confirmed that the hotels on site would also be re-branded in line with sister complex Crown Melbourne upon completion of a $750 million refurbishment.
The Government of Western Australia is backing Crown's application to the state's Gaming and Wagering Commission, and the proposal has the personal support of WA premier Colin Barnett, who described the increase in gambling facilities "as natural growth," and said it was "common sense" for the expansion as it was being made in line with the development of a new six-star hotel in the casino complex.
Independent senator Nick Xenophon said "James Packer knows he has just been handed the gift that will give him hundreds of millions of dollars for years to come."
"[32] During the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup a contractor entered cricket player Virat Kohli' room uninvited, and made a video that was uploaded to a social media platform.
[38] It also initially featured a public golf course that was closed for redevelopment in 2013,[39] with The Camfield, a large pub and micro brewery built adjacent to Perth Stadium now occupying the site.