Land-Based Casino Reviews: Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Louisiana

Land-based casinos are where it all started. When most Americans first began to gamble, they did so in US land-based casino resorts. That’s especially true in the past 30 years, as the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act set the table for a wide proliferation of brick-and-mortar casinos throughout America.

Thus, most US states have land-based casinos these days. Whether they are Native American or commercial casinos, hundreds upon hundreds of US land-based casinos exist. Competition is fierce, and US players who read land-based casino reviews before they go on vacation are rewarded. Today, we provide all kinds of US land-based casino reviews. The guide below offers casino reviews for Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Louisiana, and all of the land-cased casinos in between.

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Land-Based Casino Reviews

Land-based casino reviews are different than online casino reviews. For sure, players want to know about the gambling options. Visitors to this site certainly want to know about slot machine gambling. Beyond that, people reading land-based casino reviews want to know about the resort itself.

Their list of concerns includes:

How many slot machines are in the casino?
How many gaming tables are there? What’s more, what kind of table games?
Does it have a poker room, a sportsbook, or a bingo hall there?
What is the slots club like?

These are questions similar to what online casino reviews include. Because it’s about a vacation trip, land-based casino reviews need to answer other questions.

How many rooms are there in the hotel?
How much do the hotel rooms cost? Next, can I get comps for the hotel room?
How many restaurants are in the resort complex?
How many clubs and bars are at the resort?
What are the swimming pool and other amenities like?
What kind of live shows are on the premises? Lastly, are tickets cheap?

It’s a lot to consider, but gamblers need to know the answers to these questions when a family or personal vacation is on the line. Slots Guy has taken this into consideration over the years. Naturally, our biggest concentration of land-based casino reviews involves Las Vegas.

The Best Land-Based Casinos in the USA

By our count, the United States has 1,672 land-based casinos. That’s a lot of brick-and-mortar gaming venues to cover, but we’ve tried to point the way to the best American gambling houses over the years. Our staff has visited a fair number of these establishments, so we’ll just point the way to some of our favorite USA land-based casinos. Enjoy these US casino reviews, and keep coming back for more.

Las Vegas Land-Based Casino Reviews

Bellagio
Mandalay Bay
MGM Grand
Venetian Las Vegas
Caesars Palace
Harrah’s Las Vegas
Golden Nugget Casino
Luxor Casino
Circus Circus Las Vegas
Excalibur Las Vegas
New York New York Casino Las Vegas
The Mirage
The Palms Las Vegas
Planet Hollywood Las Vegas
The Plaza Las Vegas
Park MGM Las Vegas (Monte Carlo Resort)
Hard Rock Las Vegas Slots
Rio All-Suite Hotel Casino
Flamingo Las Vegas
Orleans Las Vegas
Treasure Island Las Vegas
Tropicana Las Vegas
Binion’s Gambling Hall

US Land-Based Casinos in the American West

US State	Land Based Casinos	Facts and Further Information
California	79	On the whole, the Golden State has 79 land-based casinos and 58 poker clubs.
Colorado	32	In fact, most casinos are in Black Hawk, Central City, or Cripple Creek.
Nevada	418	Besides Vegas Strip casinos, Nevada has casinos spread throughout Reno, Carson City, airports, and small gas stops.
Oregon	10	Indeed, ten land-based casinos, but also 15 poker clubs.
Utah	0	In short, Utah has a 100% ban on all forms of land-based gambling.
Washington	33	In fact, thirty-three casinos, 42 card rooms, and 20 casino cruises out of Seattle and Bellevue.
Wyoming	4	Four casinos with a few hundred gaming machines plus one poker room.

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Best Land-Based Casinos in Louisiana

Since several of us are Texans, we have particular experience with Louisiana and Oklahoma brick-and-mortar casinos. The powers that be keep us from gambling in Texas resorts, so some of the world’s largest casinos sit just across the border. That’s especially true of Oklahoma, but Louisiana also makes use of its close proximity to the 4th and 5th largest metropolitan areas in the United States: Houston and Dallas.

With over a hundred land-based casinos in Louisiana, it’s hard to pick the best four or five establishments. Louisiana has casinos spread around the state, seeking to take advantage of adjacent states that don’t have land-based casinos (Texas). Most are relatively small venues with a few gaming machines, but a few resort casinos stand out from the rest. Here are the best of the bunch.

Margaritaville Resort Casino in Bossier City

Margaritaville Resort Casino is the best casino in Northern Louisiana. Visitors from the Dallas-Fort Worth area and Northeast Texas make the trip each weekend to Bossier City and/or Shreveport, and Margaritaville Casino gets the best ratings of them all. Margaritaville Casino has 1200 slot machines and 50 table games in its 30,000-square-foot casino. The resort has four restaurants, five parts, and 395 hotel rooms. Margaritaville also has its own dedicated poker room.

Harrah’s Casino New Orleans

With over 100,000 of gaming spaces, Harrah’s Casino New Orleans is by far the best casino in New Orleans. it has 1260 slot machines, 140 gaming tables, a poker room, and likewise a sportsbook. Of course, its slots row features world-famous IGT slots like Megabucks, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, Fabulous ’50s, and Quartermania.

The table games include 58 blackjack tables and 12 craps tables. It also has baccarat, mini-baccarat, roulette, Pai Gow Poker, Caribbean Stud Poker, 3 Card Poker, and Let It Ride. The resort also includes seafood restaurants, sushi bars, steakhouses, buffets, and fast food chains.

Golden Nugget Casino in Lake Charles

The Golden Nugget Casino in Lake Charles is the best casino in Southwestern Louisiana. Located 70 miles from Lafayette and 140 miles from Houston, Lake Charles casinos like Golden Nugget and L’Auberge draw locals but are also destinations each weekend for many visitors from Houston and East Texas.

Golden Nugget Casino edges out L’Auberge with its 1551 slot machines and 86 gaming tables. The gaming space includes a dozen different table games, including EZ Baccarat. It also has its own poker room. L’Auberge Casino has 1529 slot machines, 80 table games, EZ Baccarat, an 8-table poker room, and a waterpark-style lazy river at the poolside area.

L’Auberge Casino Hotel Baton Rouge

The biggest casino in Baton Rouge is the L’Auberge Casino Hotel. It has 74,000 square feet of gaming space, which accommodates 1332 slot machines, 54 table games, and a sportsbook. The table game selection includes blackjack, craps, roulette, baccarat, EZ Baccarat, mini-baccarat, Fortune Pai Gow, Mississippi Stud, and Flop Poker. It also has a 7-table poker room. The hotel only has 204 rooms and 4 restaurants, but it’s double the gaming options of other Baton Rouge casinos.

US Land-Based Casinos in the American Southeast

US State	Land Based Casinos	Facts and Further Information
Alabama	6	In this case, these are electronic bingo parlors.
Arkansas	3	Saracen Casino, while Southland and Oaklawn racetracks also have casino games.
Florida	9	Likewise, the Seminoles (Hard Rock) own Florida’s land-based casinos.
Georgia	0	Georgia likewise has two casino cruises but no land-based casinos.
Kentucky	2	Mint Gaming Halls with 500 video gaming machines in Bowling Green and also 450 in Williamsburg.
Louisiana	176	Ranging from Harrah’s New Orleans to small truck stops with gaming machines.
Mississippi	31	With multiple casinos each in Biloxi, Vicksburg, and also Robinsonville (Tunica).
North Carolina	3	Harrah’s Cherokee Casino, Two Kings Casino in Kings Mountain, and also Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino (Murphy).
South Carolina	0	No land-based casinos, but there are two Big M casino cruises out of Little River.
Tennessee	0	Although it has no land-based casinos, Tennessee residents can visit casinos in nearby states in most directions.
Virginia	7	Five land-based casinos, though two of the OTBs have video gaming machines.
West Virginia	5	One land-based casino, two dog track racinos, and also two horse track racinos.

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Land-Based Casinos in Other Jurisdictions We Cover

In short, casinos spread throughout the USA over the past few decades. If you want to learn about casino gambling outside of Las Vegas and Atlantic City, it takes a while. Later, take a look at our series on the loosest slots in US land-based casinos further down the page. For now, slot gamblers on the East Coast should read our reviews of Atlantic City’s land-based casinos. While one or two no longer exist, most have changed names over the years but still operate.

Atlantic City Land-Based Casinos

Borgata Casino
Resorts Casino Atlantic City
Caesars Atlantic City
Harrah’s Atlantic City
Bally’s Atlantic City
Golden Nugget Atlantic City (Trump Marina)
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino AC (Trump Taj Mahal)
Atlantic City Hilton (Closed)
Trump Plaza (Closed)
Tropicana Atlantic City

US Land-Based Casinos in the American Northeast

Firstly, the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act led to the proliferation of Native American casinos throughout America. Secondly, the presence of those casinos led many states to slacken their rules against commercial casinos. Thirdly, as states learned that non-direct tax revenues were available through gambling, more states approved lottery gambling.

Lastly, as states tried to protect traditional race tracks, they allowed those venues to have slot parlors and become racinos. In short, the USA has a lot of land-based casinos than a generation ago, which hurt Atlantic City’s monopoly on gambling east of the Mississippi River. Thus, we have the situation that you see below.

US State	Land Based Casinos	Facts and Further Information
Connecticut	2	Indeed, the world-famous Foxwoods Resort and Mohegan Sun.
Delaware	3	Also, Bally’s Dover, Harrington Raceway, and Delaware Park are racetrack casinos.
Maine	2	Oxford Casino & Hotel in Oxford and likewise the Hollywood Casino Hotel & Raceway in Bangor.
Maryland	5	On the whole, sites like Horseshoe Baltimore, Live! Casino in Hanover, and MGM National Harbor.
Massachusetts	3	Encore Boston Harbor, MGM Springfield, and Plainridge Park Casino.
New Hampshire	16	In fact, it includes 15 card rooms and one dog track/casino.
New Jersey	9	The Atlantic City casinos have stabilized due to online gambling and sports betting.
New York	33	In fact, it includes 26 land-based casinos and 7 horse track racinos.
Pennsylvania	17	In fact, eleven land-based casinos and 6 more racetrack casinos.
Rhode Island	2	Bally’s Twin River in Lincoln and also Bally’s Tiverton Casino in Tiverton.
Vermont	0	In short, Vermont has a few bingo halls but not much else.

Land-Based Casino Reviews FAQ

What is a land-based casino?

When it’s built on sturdy ground on not anchored in the river, a brick-and-mortar venue is called a land-based casino. Originally, the term “land-based casino” was designed to distinguish gaming venues from riverboat casinos. Riverboat casinos are anchored to land but actually sit in the water. States like Louisiana and Illinois passed laws banning land-based gambling but allowed gambling if the venue actually sat on the water.

These days, people use the term “land-based casino” mainly to distinguish a gambling operation from internet gambling — online casinos and mobile casinos. A land-based casino is therefore the legal equivalent of a retail sportsbook, simply meaning it’s a walk-in brick-and-mortar business instead of an online website.

How many land-based casinos are there in Louisiana?

Louisiana has 176 land-based casinos, but many wouldn’t count all of the state’s casinos. That’s because the number includes truck stops and travel centers, so many are hardly the casino resorts you’ll find in Las Vegas. Still, you’ll find Harrah’s New Orleans, which has 1260 slot machines and 140 gaming tables. New Orleans also has six other gaming venues in the city.

Beyond that, you’ll find ten casinos in Port Allen, seven casinos in Opelousas, six apiece in Houma and Broussard, five apiece in Shreveport and Bossier City, and also four apiece in Breaux Bridge and Amite. Baton Rouge also has four casinos, while Eunice, Grand Couteau, Lake Charles, Minden, Raceland, and Rayne all have three apiece. Sulphur and Thibodaux also have five apiece, while Vinton has four.

Again, most of these are small venues, but sites like L’Auberge Casino Resort and Golden Nugget in Lake Charles each have more than 1500 gaming machines apiece. Consequently, both welcome many Texas gamblers from the Houston area.

US Land-Based Casinos in the American Southwest

US State	Land Based Casinos	Facts and Further Information
Arizona	30	In fact, Arizona has commercial casinos and Native American casinos.
New Mexico	30	On the whole, New Mexico has 25 Native American casinos and also 5 racetrack casinos with gaming machines.
Oklahoma	141	In fact, it includes 139 land-based casinos and also 2 horse track racinos.
Texas	2	Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino in Eagle Pass and also Naskila Gaming in Livingston. Texas also has 32 card rooms.

How many land-based casinos in other jurisdictions do you cover?

Read the tables above for a breakdown of the number of land-based casinos in different jurisdictions around the United States. The tables list them by region, which is further broken down by state. To sum up, here are the numbers by region.

West: 576
Southwest: 203
Midwest: 401
Northeast: 92
Southeast: 342
Outside the Contiguous US: 7

The West may seem to dominate the list, but 418 of those land-based casinos are in Nevada.

US Land-Based Casinos Outside the Lower 48 States

US State	Land Based Casinos	For Facts and Further Information
Alaska	7	In truth, these venues are more like bingo halls and pull-tab games.
Hawaii	0	Likewise, Hawaii has a 100% ban on all forms of land-based gambling.

Do any land-based casinos accept Bitcoin?

Whereas a few do, though it’s rare. Las Vegas casinos the Golden Gate and also The D accept Bitcoin payments through BitPay. Derek Stevens, who owns both casinos in Downtown Las Vegas, said his company is “quickly adaptive to new technology”. In short, when you’re in Las Vegas and want to play using Bitcoin, you should visit Downtown Las Vegas and be ready to use BitPay.

Where are the loosest slots in the United States?

In fact, the answer to that question changes often. Undoubtedly, some land-based casinos consistently feature slot machines with the highest return-to-player (RTP). So that you can find the loosest slots near you, Slots Guy actually has a series that answers this question on a casino-by-casino, citywide, or sometimes regional basis.

If you want to dive beyond land-based casinos and find the best slots in those casinos, read our series on the loosest slots in the United States. Because these articles run the gamut from coast to coast, one of these articles is certain to help if you play slot machines in land-based casinos around America.

US Land-Based Casinos in the American Midwest

US State	Land Based Casinos	Facts and Further Information
Idaho	10	For example, Clearwater River Casino has gaming machines, racebooks, and bingo halls.
Illinois	11	Harrah’s, Bally’s, DraftKings, and Hollywood Casino likewise are brand names in Illinois.
Indiana	11	Caesars, Bally’s, Hard Rock, Horse Shoe, and Ameristar are likewise brands in Indiana.
Iowa	20	While Diamond Jo, Wild Rose, Ameristar, and Hard Rock operate in Iowa.
Kansas	11	Since many have 500 to 700 gaming machines and 1 to 2 dozen gaming tables,, there offer real casino experiences.
Michigan	26	Twenty-six full land-based casinos and likewise 37 poker rooms.
Minnesota	43	In fact, it includes 41 land-based casinos and 2 racetrack casinos.
Missouri	13	Operators include Bally’s, Harrah’s, Ameristar, Argosy, Century Casino, and likewise Horseshoe.
Montana	142	On the whole, 142 small venues with 15-20 gaming machines, plus 62 card rooms.
Nebraska	4	In short, they are Iron Hard Bar, Ohiya Casino, Lucky 77 Casino, and Native Star Casino.
North Dakota	28	Since 1990 includes 9 land-based casinos and 19 card rooms with blackjack, bingo, and pull-tabs.
Ohio	12	Since 2009, it includes 5 land-based casinos and 7 horse tracks with gaming machines.
South Dakota	44	In fact, this includes 26 casinos in Deadwood alone.
Wisconsin	26	Indeed, many are owned by the Oneida, Ho-Chunk, St. Croix, or Potawatomi.

While the East Coast is more confined, the American Midwest comprises huge spaces. Thus, states like South Dakota feel the need to fill out their landscape with their own homegrown casinos. Meanwhile, a state like Montana agrees to have small gambling venues in a lot of townships, so residents don’t have to drive hundreds of miles to a casino. Hence, many midwestern states have a lot of tiny casinos and card clubs.

Land-Based Casino Review FAQ

Do land-based casinos operate their own online casinos?

In most cases, no. Only five states have licensed online casinos, so those are the only states where a land-based casino will be tied to online gambling sites. Even in those, they partner with an online operator, so the casino often is named for the partner.

Most casino operators have a shortsighted view of the internet, believing an online casino will cannibalize land-based revenues. Studies show that isn’t the case — that the land-based clientele and online customers are completely different groups of people. But change takes time.

If you want to learn more about the online gambling industry, read our hub page for online casino reviews. That’s a good place to start learning about the business. If that’s too broad, it’s a good place to find good online casino suggestions.