A panel of experts including American Casino Guide author Steve Bourie has ranked the top 10 casinos not in Las Vegas (but within the U.S.). Since this is a dicey time to be visiting Sin City, Bourie & Co.’s choices are particularly topical. The number-one spot goes to Foxwoods Resort Casino on the strength of its plethora of hotels (four) and endless supply of gaming that includes 4,500 slots. Just behind Foxwoods is newcomer Hard Rock Atlantic City (“High energy gaming meets classic rock and roll”), followed in order by Atlantis Casino Resort & Spa in Reno (friendly dealers and self-service bars), Ocean Casino Resort (partly for having the largest Topgolf Swing Suite in the country), Casino del Sol in Tucson (low table minimums plus Arizona‘s largest linked progressive jackpot).
The remaining five include Peppermill Resort Casino Spa in Reno, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa and Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City. Rounding out the honors list are Pechanga Resort Casino in California and Mohegan Sun, which barely made it into the winners circle and well behind Foxwoods. Our condolences … and congratulations to everybody who made the honor roll.
Water seeks its own level and the cast of scummy Love Island celebrated the wrap of their season at The Cromwell with dinner at Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen at Caesars Palace. (Only a Guy Fieri restaurant would have been more appropriate.) Social distancing and PPE were nowhere to be seen. Enjoy your STDs, gang. Incidentally, the choice of The Cromwell as a filming venue makes sense in light of the new alliance between CBS and Caesars Entertainment. (Ditto the relocation of the Star Trek Annual Convention to Caesars Forum.) And isn’t it a remarkable coincidence that the Las Vegas Raiders, who are in the nation’s 52-largest media market, are getting prominent treatment from The Eye (which was careful to show the Caesars logo during the Buffalo Bills/Raiders tilt), including the #1 spot in next Sunday’s 1 p.m. slot?
How did Harrah’s Atlantic City get on anyone’s best list? Half the casino hasn’t been touched in decades, except for some new slot machines. Last (and only) time my work association group had a meeting there, I had to ask a Security Guard to call and find out where a particular hotel tower meeting rooms were located, as no employees knew where it was. Adding an expensive Gordon Ramsey Steak House doesn’t make the casino any better. Hope this “panel of experts” wasn’t influenced by the Casino Player Rag Mag “best of” casinos list.