Crypto billionaire Ed Craven gave $10,000 tip at South Yarra cafe Gilson

A diner who splashed out with a generous tip at a South Yarra cafe is one of Melbourne’s high-flyers who throws lavish parties at his extravagant properties.

Melbourne’s most generous tipper has been identified as crypto kingpin Ed Craven.

The Herald Sun can reveal the mystery billionaire who left a $10,000 tip at South Yarra cafe Gilson was Craven, a 27-year-old who made his fortune co-founding the cryptocurrency casino, stake.com.

Craven has made a name for himself among Melbourne’s high-flyers by throwing lavish parties at his extravagant properties, rumoured to only welcome single women.

The crypto casino was founded in 2017 with Craven’s business partner Bijan Tehrani, offering a vast array of betting options for gamblers around the world.

To most people, $10,000 is an exorbitant sum of money accrued over years of stashing, saving and scrimping – but when your investment portfolio resembles that of Craven’s, his generosity is more easily understood.

Crypto billionaire Ed Craven left a $10,000 tip. Picture: Julian Kingma

Success quickly gripped the site and Craven’s wealth soared, landing him in a position to tip thousands of dollars for a pleasant meal at a local eatery.

Here is a look at his properties:

The Ghost Mansion – Toorak, $80m

Known as Toorak’s “ghost mansion”, the unfinished house has been owned by David Yu, director of property developer Ausvest Holdings, and sits on about 7200 square metres of land.

The staggering property was previously owned by the former boss of Hoyts, Leon Fink, who sought to build a Renaissance-style mansion on the land.

However, the mansion was never finished after banks took possession of the property.

The home has been empty and incomplete since then and was purchased by Mr Yu.

He received several offers in 2007 and 2017 following real estate booms but refused them, eventually selling to Craven in August 2022.

Australia’s youngest billionaire hosted a wild Halloween party at the Ghost Mansion in 2022, complete with zombies and werewolves roaming the halls.

The party featured extensive Halloween-inspired decor and neon lights, a dance floor, DJ, a performance from an ‘international guest’, two bars with signature cocktails, catering, a make-up room with professional artists and a photo booth.

Craven’s ‘ghost mansion’ on St Georges Rd, Toorak. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Orrong Road – Toorak, $38.5m

Craven owns a lavish four-bedroom home on almost 2000 square metres on Orrong Road, stumped up for $38.5m in March 2022.

The luxurious home was designed by Conrad Architects, featuring a pool, curved staircase, a contemporary chandelier from a double-height ceiling and an oak study.

Queens Bridge St – Southbank, $12.5m

Adding to Craven’s long list of properties is his city dwelling.

He boasts a sleek four-bedroom, four-bathroom luxury unit on Southbank, taking up half of level 63 of the six-star Prima Tower opposite Crown Resorts.

The apartment was purchased in March 2021 for an eye-watering $12.5m.

Ivan St – Fitzroy North, $1.98m

Topping off his impressive collection of properties is a charming single-front double-storey home in Fitzroy North, bought in November 2021.

The three-bedroom, two-bathroom townhouse is by far the smallest of Craven’s numerous homes, but its modern renovation imbues it with undeniable delight.

Craven’s crypto casino site is banned for Australian users due to strict regulation, but its use has flourished internationally – even attracting pop star Drake as a user.