Top 20 Casinos

These days it takes more than a few felt tables and clanging slots to draw a crowd to a casino. The gaming industry has become more sophisticated, and now all-inclusive spas, five-star dining and luxury accommodations are just as much a part of the casino experience as dice and cards. Here’s our list of the top 20 casinos, broken up into categories, which satisfy both your gaming and relaxation needs. By Nick Burry

Casino POOLS

Mandalay Bay
LAS VEGAS
www.mandalaybay.com • 877-632-7800
The Mandalay Bay swimming area feels more like a South Pacific beach than a hotel pool. Wavelets gently lap the sand on the artificial beach that graces a section of the 11 acres of tropical inspired poolside entertainment. A three-story beachfront casino opens directly onto the pool area, offering gamers immediate relief from the heat of the gambling action. Rounding out the poolside amenities is the private, 21-and-older Moorea Beach Club, with an upscale, day-club vibe.

OLD-FASHIONED VEGAS STYLE

Golden Nugget
LAS VEGAS
www.goldennugget.com 800-846-5336
Visitors looking for the well-worn leathery richness of old Vegas charm should take a detour a few miles off the Strip and check into the Golden Nugget. It’s been an anchor on Fremont Street since 1946, where it has watched Vegas trends come and go over the decades. Sticking to old-fashioned high standards, the Golden Nugget has earned the prestigious AAA Four-Diamond Award 30 years in a row—a record in Nevada.

HONEYMOON GETAWAY

Fallsview Casino Resort
NIAGARA FALLS , CANADA
www.fallsviewcasinoresort.com 888-325-5788
As the name suggests, Fallsview overlooks one of the world’s most iconic natural wonders, Niagara Falls. Honeymooners can pamper themselves in the award-winning hotel that features crescent-shaped Ambassador Suites with nearly 180-degree panoramic views. Unwed couples that strike it rich in the casino may decide to ride the euphoria and take the plunge, not over the falls in a barrel, but at

Fallsview’s on-site wedding chapel.

CLASSIC VEGAS SHOW

Les Folies Bergere at the Tropicana
LAS VEGAS
www.tropicanalv.com 888-826-8767
When you’re talking about classic Vegas shows, there’s Sinatra, Elvis and Folies. Les Folies Bergere may trace its roots to 19th century Parisian music halls, but the dozens of extravagantly costumed showgirls parading through elaborate dance numbers are pure Vegas. The show makes its home at the Tropicana, where it delights more than 40,000 fans a month with an ever-changing but always steamy, revue.

BREWS, BLUES AND BARBECUE

Ameristar Kansas City
KANSAS CITY
www.ameristarcasinos.com 866-667-3386
Even if you come to Ameristar Kansas City for the gaming (and it’s home to some of the best poker rooms and loosest slots in the Midwest), you’ll stay for the beer, food and music. Amerisports Brew Pub is a perfect place to watch a game (either on a plasma TV or a personal touch-screen TV from your booth) and enjoy an award-winning cold beer from the on-site brewery. Afterwards, sample signature ’cue at Arthur Bryant’s Barbecue, which has wowed critics since the ’30s. And even if the card tables let you down, you can revel in your loss while listening to a local blues band at Depot #9, Ameristar’s train-depot themed entertainment venue.

MOST Pic tur esque SETTING

Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa
LAS VEGAS
www.redrocklasvegas.com • 866-767-7773
If your eyes need a break from the bright lights and neon buzz of the Strip, book a room just 10 minutes away at Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa. The spectacular mountain views and the oasis-like 70-acre setting stand in stark contrast to the frenetic light show a few miles away. Red Rock’s Adventure Spa lets guests take advantage of the scenic desert surroundings by customizing outdoor activities such as hiking, rock climbing and mountain biking.

FOR EAST COAST High Rollers

Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
ATLANTIC CITY
www.theborgata.com • 866-692-6742
Atlantic City may be America’s original resort playground, but over the years AC has had a hard time keeping up with the fantastic boom in Las Vegas. Now, it’s in the process of reclaiming its former splendor, thanks in no small part to the Borgata. The luxuriously appointed suites and marble-encrusted bathrooms set the standard for style and refinement, while the spacious casino and multiple tournaments on the 85 poker tables draw celebrities and high-rollers from nearby New York and Philadelphia.

CASINO STEAK

The Besh Steakhouse at Harrah’s New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS
www.harrahs.com 504-533-6111
Steak at casino resorts used to be limited to the rubbery gray hunks that made up half of a cheap surf and turf special. But in the last decade, casino food has moved upscale, and serious steakhouses have sprouted up at most major venues. Executive Chef John Besh gives a regional twist to the classic steakhouse menu (expect to see some local Louisiana oysters).

But meat is still the focus, and a 40-ounce, bone-in “cowboy” rib-eye is the reigning beef jackpot.

CASINO NIGHTCLUB

Rain at the Palms Casino Resort
LAS VEGAS
www.palms.com 866-942-7770
Las Vegas has been shedding its family-friendly image for about a decade, which is good news for twenty-somethings who are just as interested in the dance floor as the casino floor. At Rain, located in the Palms Casino, a gold-mirrored entrance tunnel leads to a multilevel 25,000-square-foot dance party. World famous DJs spin mostly deep house and techno to the delight of the hundreds of well-dressed patrons grooving on the bamboo dance floor. VIP skyboxes and cabanas also offer a respite from the pounding rain of beats.

CASINO FOR THE WINE AFICIONADO

Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino
LAS VEGAS
www.riolasvegas.com 702-777-7962
The Wine Cellar at Rio boasts more than 50,000 bottles—or about $10 million worth—of red, white and bubbly. While lifetime oenophiles may be able to fully appreciate a bottle of 1800 Madeira from Thomas Jefferson’s cellar, the average wine lover may get more out of the experience by heeding the advice from one of the professional wine stewards, who are more than happy to recommend a perfect wine and food pairing menu.

THE LUCKY 7

Find Trump exclusives, Mediterranean palazzos and $100,000 jackpots at these seven hot casinos.

Ip Hotel & Casino

BILOXI, MS www.ipbiloxi.com • 228-436-3000
This 70,000-square-foot casino with views of the scenic Back Bay is home to the nation’s only Ultimate Reward, a randomly generated progressive jackpot that starts at $100,000. It’s eligible on any game, at any time, on any denomination.

Grand Casino Resort Tunica

ROBINSONVILLE, MS www.harrahs.com • 800-946-4946
Winner of the 2006 Casino Player Award for best overall casino hotel, this Harrah’s casino lets guests work on their aim at the Willows Trap, Skeet and Sporting Clays, where realistic hunting environments are simulated on 14 different shooting stations.

Showboat The Mardi Gras Casino

ATLANTIC CITY www.harrahs.com • 800-621-0200
This 1,329-room, Mardi Gras-themed casino is home to the House of Blues, where you can become a member of the private Foundation Room, giving you benefits and privileges like members-only events, VIP seating and more.

Caesars Indiana

ELIZABETH, IN www.harrahs.com • 866-766-2671
Located in the southern part of the state, this 93,000-square-foot casino is the largest gaming establishment in Indiana—and it boasts the biggest poker room between Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

Argosy Casino Riverside

KANSAS CITY www.argosy.com • 816-746-3100
Step out of the Midwest and into the Mediterranean at this $105 million casino, which features a domed stained-glass ceiling, handmade Moroccan tile and intricate in-laid terrazzo floors.

Potawatomi Bingo Casino

MILWAUKEE www.paysbig.com • 800-729-7244
If Bingo is your game of choice, then this is your place. Programs abound, from “Breakfast Bingo” and “Who’s Your Buddy?” to “Night Owl” and “$10,000 Wheel Spin Night.”

Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino

ATLANTIC CITY www.trumpplaza.com • 609-441-6000
Leave it to Donald to create the Trump One Card, which provides access to members-only events, more comp choices and cash back, and the chance to earn and redeem dollars at all three Atlantic City Trump resorts.

POKER Room

Commerce Casino
LOS ANGELES
www.commercecasino.com • 323-721-2100
The Commerce Casino is the world’s largest casino devoted strictly to cards. The serious poker player will appreciate the daily tournaments, and the novice player can benefit from the free, fake money beginner lessons. If you’re a weekly “poker night” player, Commerce Casino encourages you to transplant your home game to the casino, where you’ll enjoy VIP treatment, professional dealers and staff, and free snacks.

MEGA EVENT VENUE

MGM Grand Garden Arena
LAS VEGAS
www.mgmgrand.com 877-880-0880
This arena is Oz for major sporting events and concerts. From Oscar de la Hoya and the US Open of Supercross to Jennifer Lopez and The Rolling Stones, the Grand Garden routinely packs in a capacity crowd of 16,800, ravenous for a taste of the biggest names in showbiz. The man behind the curtain operates state-of-the-art lighting and sound, guaranteeing that you’ll be chanting, “There’s no place like the MGM.”

BIGGEST CASINO

Foxwoods Resort Casino
LEDYARD, CT
www.foxwoods.com 800-369-9663
You won’t find the world’s largest casino in Las Vegas, Atlantic City or Monte Carlo. Foxwoods Resort Casino, tucked away in Connecticut halfway between New York and Boston, takes the title with 340,000 square feet of gaming space packed into a 4.7 million-square-foot complex. Every day, more than 40,000 visitors weave between more than 7,000 slot machines feeling for lucky vibrations. The state-of-the-art World Poker Tournament room also draws a big crowd—and big names. But here, bigger is always better and the scheduled development of the new MGM Grand at Foxwoods will be added in 2008.

BEST ARCADE

Coney Island Emporium at New York, New York Hotel & Casino
LAS VEGAS
www.coneyislandemporium.com 702-736-4100 This casino resort couldn’t recreate the Big Apple without tipping its hat to Coney Island. The Coney Island Emporium arcade features all the classic midway style games you’d find along the famous Brooklyn boardwalk, as well as bumper cars, laser tag and hundreds of video games (including an eight-seat Daytona simulator). You might find yourself begging your kids to stay longer.

CASINO TO Catch a New Show

LOVE by Cirque du Soleil at the Mirage
LAS VEGAS
www.mirage.com • 800-374-9000
Old-school Las Vegas has its showgirls, but the Mirage is the exclusive home to the most entertaining new show in town: Cirque du Soleil’s LOVE, a tribute to the music, style and energy of The Beatles. The Mirage’s custom-made theater features 360-degree seating and a design that puts back-row seats just 98 feet from the stage, so no patron will miss a moment of acrobatic magic.

GULF COAST CASINO

Beau Rivage Resort & Casino
BILOXI, MS
www.beaurivage.com 228-386-7444
The Beau Rivage is the gem of the Gulf Coast. Boasting 1,740 guest rooms, 2,100 slot machines, 12 restaurants and a convention center, it’s the largest building in Mississippi. Though grand in size, no detail has been overlooked. Guest rooms are outfitted with soaking tubs and cherry wood furniture; the casino features a luxurious high roller section complete with exclusive lounge; and the top-notch spa employs dozens of massage therapists, aestheticians and cosmetologists.

FINE DINING

Wynn Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS
www.wynnlasvegas.com 877-321-9966
Chef Alessandro Stratta’s elegant French restaurant, Alex, is the jewel in Wynn Las Vegas’ AAA Five-Diamond crown. Alex has won the AAA Five-Diamond Award of excellence two years running, and this year added the Mobil Five-Star Award to its trophy case. But Wynn’s fine dining supremacy doesn’t rest solely on Alex’s shoulders; the resort defends its epicurean edge by retaining a team of master chefs that represent an international range of cuisines.

It may be difficult to decide if you’re in the mood for the crispy duck confit at Daniel Boulud Brasserie or the wok-fried Cantonese Maine lobster at Wing Lei, but it’s the one choice in Vegas where the odds are always in your favor.

CASINO FOR THE Golf Lover

Barona Resort & Casino
LAKESIDE, CA
www.barona.com • 888-722-7662
The year-round temperate weather and the gentle rolling hills of San Diego make it one of the top golf destinations in the country. The babbling water hazards and rugged oaks at Barona Creek Golf Club make the course as technically challenging as it is beautiful. And club Barona members wishing to take a break from the tables can use their player points toward a round at this championship course.

BEST SPA

Canyon Ranch SpaClub at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino
LAS VEGAS
www.venetian.com 877-220-2688
Marathon poker tournaments and hours pulling a slot machine arm can leave the shoulders feeling a little tense. Whether you’re up or down, you owe it to yourself to soak in a Whirlpool and indulge in a therapeutic massage at this multi-award-winning spa. The massage and body treatments soothe and re-energize the body, and kickboxing, yoga and indoor rock climbing help burn off restless energy.

LOOSEST SLOTS

Fiesta Rancho Casino Hotel
LAS VEGAS
www.fiestarancholasvegas.com 888-899-7770 The Fiesta may not win the most elite prizes for dining or accommodations, but, if it’s slots you crave, then it will suit you just right. One of the best casinos for video poker, it’s also generally considered to have some of the loosest slots in Vegas. And even if you don’t hit the jackpot, you’ll be able to stick around for a while and cash in on the comps.