Casino
The Casino is a recurring mini-game in the Dragon Quest series. It first appeared in Dragon Quest III and has returned in every title since.
The Casino is a gambling hall, usually underground, where the player can exchange gold coins for tokens, which can then be wagered on various games of chance. The only reward for doing well in these games is more tokens, but after accruing large amounts of them, the player can cash them in for various powerful items, many of which cannot be obtained anywhere else in the game. Simply buying enough tokens to purchase the desired items would be insanely expensive, basically necessitating high performance on the casino floor if one wishes to obtain the best prizes. Of course, all games are set in favor of the player losing, so many devise special tricks to increase their odds.
The Casino is known for its "mascots," the energetic, bunny-eared young women who promote the location and do the more secretarial work.
Games
Slot machine
Insert 1, 2, or 3 tokens for a chance to earn multiples of that amount with each spin. The input to return on these machines are very small. This game is the least likely to give the player a high return.
Card tables
These games are real-world card games such as Poker or Blackjack, with various Dragon Quest characters used for the images. Usually, the buy-in is between 1 and 10 tokens
- Poker - As in the regular game, poker starts out by dealing the player five cards. The player has the opening of holding any of the cards dealt if the player choose. Afterward, the player is dealt a number of cards equal to the amount that not held. It is this hand that determines the outcome of the hand. Payouts are determined by the hand the player has.
Poker Hands
| Poker Hand | Requirements | Odds | Payout |
| Two Pair | Having two pairs of the same cards (e.g. Pair of 2s and Pair of 3s) | 15 to 1 | 1 to 1 |
| Three of a kind | Having three of the same card (e.g Three 4s) | 36 to 1 | 1 to 1 |
| Straight | Having cards in successive order in any suit (e.g 5c, 6d, 7h, 8s, 9c) | 237 to 1 | 2 to 1 |
| Flush | Having any cards in the same suit (e.g. 2s, 3s, 5s, 8s, Ks) | 468 to 1 | 4 to 1 |
| Full House | Having three of a kind and a pair in the same hand (e.g. Three 10s and Two Jacks) | 614 to 1 | 10 to 1 |
| Four of a Kind | Having four of the same card (e.g. Four Queens) | 4004 to 1 | 20 to 1 |
| Straight Flush | Having a straight in the same suit (e.g. 5 to 9 in spades) | 71,839 to 1 | 50 to 1 |
| Royal Flush | Having a straight flush with the 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace | 649,020 to 1 | 100 to 1 |
| Slime Flush | Having a royal flush in in the slime suit | 1,296,600 to 1 | 500 to 1 |
Note: Because of the addition of the Joker that can become the highest card the player needs, the odds are slightly lower than in regular poker.
- Double or Nothing: After winning the hand, the dealer will allow the player to go double or nothing, betting their winnings on the chance to double their winnings or lose everything. The game consist of guessing whether or not a given card is higher or lower than the face-up card. Guessing correctly will double the winnings. Guessing incorrectly ends the game and the player leaves with nothing. If the card is the same, it is a draw and the player gets another chance to guess high or low.
- This game is played with a deck of 53 cards, including a Joker. The Joker is the highest and the four 2s are the lowest. Statistically, if the base card is a 2, 3, or 4, the next card will be higher. Conversely, if the base card is an Ace, King or Queen, the next card will be lower. Should the Joker appear always pick lower. If the player understands statistics and has some luck, that player can rack up thousands of tokens.
Monster Arena
The Monster Arena has the player bet on one monster out of a pool of 3-5 that will then battle each other. The odds are listed before the match and affect the payout, but not necessarily its outcome. Once the match begins, the battle is actually performed as it might happen on the field, opening up the possibility of misses and other events, such as the effects of particular moves. The player is initially limited to a bet of only 50 tokens at once, but can earn up to 10,000 tokens in a single round if he continues to bet his winnings from previous rounds.
Lucky Panel
Introduced in Dragon Quest VII, the lucky panel is a matching game that allows the player to win items along with the usual tokens. The game starts with the player revealing six cards. Doing so gives the player some knowledge of what is under that card. If the player matches a pair of cards before the game actually begins, they stay flipped. After the six cards are revealed, the player is given three chances to match all the cards. If the player can do so within the chances allotted, they win all three prizes in the game. There are 12 cards in the game.
- Two Astrological Aquarius signs
- Two Astrological Cancer signs
- Two Astrological Scorpio signs
- Two Astrological Sagittarius signs
- Two Cursive V cards
- Six prize cards, two for each prize
- Shuffle All Cards
- One Bonus Turn.
The player should avoid the Shuffle All Cards card. Flipping it will usually result in the player losing this game. The player should aim for the One Bonus Turn card as it will help the player win this game.
