Hundreds line up to play illegal game

By 9am the line at The Royal Hotel Padditon in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs had reached several blocks long, with the heritage pub widely advertising their two-up event on social media.

Popularised by Australian troops during WWI, the gambling game is banned year-round with the exception of April 25 – Anzac Day – and other special occasions.

Footage shared by Sydney-based Instagram account, Bondi Lines showed hundreds of people gearing up to play.

Punters were also eager to get into The Clovelly Hotel on Sydney’s Eastern beaches, which was nearing capacity by 11am.

Queues of revellers were videoed snaking several metres down the street by 10.30am.

Famed for having the “largest outdoor two up arena” in Sydney’s east, the pub opened at 9am on Tuesday.

While Victorian law states two-up can be played during commemorative events in the seven days leading up to Anzac, other states and territories only allow the game to be played on April 25.

Another special reservation is made for the NSW town of Broken Hill where two-up can legally played all year-round, due to a special licence issued by the state government.

How to play

The game supervisor, or ‘ringie’, puts two coins tail-side up on a paddle, or ‘kip’.

Participants gather round the ‘spinner’ (the person who tosses the coins), and make their bets for heads or tails.

The game-runner or ‘boxer’ calls “come in spinner”, and the coins are tossed at least three metres up into the air.

If one or both coins falls outside of the crown’s circle then they must be tossed again, but if not then the spinner must keep tossing the coins until two of the same side appear.

Then you win or lose! — but remember to gamble responsibly.