Don’t roll the dice when planning your next gaming getaway! Choose instead from these action-packed gambling trips to destinations where the odds are in your favor for good times both on and off the floor. We’ve rounded up a winning mix of tried-and-true stateside contenders where Lady Luck rules the roost, as well as up-and-coming Asian hot spots that are raising international stakes. Card sharks can also ante up in sunny Caribbean and Mediterranean destinations, add big game to their card game in Africa, or make their wagers beside thundering waterfalls in Canada. From high rollers to slot slingers to those who just enjoy being around betting buzz, this list is the jackpot for gamers of every ilk.
Aruba
Aruba offers visitors that rare win-win Caribbean gambling trip: Days relaxing on Palm Beach morph into nights spent rolling the dice at the island's 10 alluring casinos. Most maintain addresses in glitzy hotels, and offer floor action until 3 a.m., but a few, like the elegant Crystal Casino in the Renaissance Aruba Resort (www.renaissancearubaresort.com), operate 24–7 in bustling downtown Oranjestad. Smoke a hand-rolled Cuban cigar at the Latin-themed Copacabana Casino at the Hyatt Regency (www.hyattcasinoaruba.com), or try your hand at Caribbean Stud Poker (a poker game said to be invented in Aruba) at the Marriott’s Stellaris Casino (www.stellariscasino.com), the island's largest gambling destination. Spring-breakers can also have their fun, thanks to the Caribbean's legal gambling age of 18. Indeed, given the enticements of Aruba’s casinos, you might be forgiven for missing out on the island's famous near-perfect weather.
For more trip-planning information, check out ShermansTravel.com’s Aruba Travel Guide.
Atlantic City
This ain’t your daddy’s Atlantic City. A wave of development has crashed ashore at this long-standing Jersey Shore resort, bringing with it big-money investors who are betting big time that this East Coast gaming mecca has what it takes to be a little Las Vegas-by-the-sea. The last few years have witnessed serious upgrades at the city's 11 casinos, from celebrity chef restaurants – headed by the likes of Wolfgang Puck and Michael Mina (both at the Vegas-style Borgata (www.theborgata.com)) – to sprawling spas and New York-style nightclubs. Add to the pot a historic concert hall that draws the likes of The Police, The Rolling Stones, and Madonna, as well as sparkling retail, dining, and entertainment complexes like The Pier Shops at Caesars (www.thepiershopsatcaesars.com) (where Tiffany and Gucci boutiques hold court) and the Havana-inspired The Quarter at Tropicana (www.tropicana.net), and you get a high-ante gambling trip that promises plenty of payoff.
For more trip-planning information, check out ShermansTravel.com’s Atlantic City Travel Guide.
Goa, India
In a nation renowned for spiritual pilgrimages and Yoga retreats, it would seem that the state of Goa is very much the yin to India’s yang. Synonymous with hedonism, this southern state's white-sand beaches, five-star hotels, and all-night-long seaside parties are already legendary; add on the fact that it's the only place in India to allow gambling dens, and you can imagine the activity at its 11-plus hotel casino-resorts. But it's the state's newest gaming offerings that make Goa our wild card entry for top gambling trips: A bevy of recently debuted floating casinos are competing to entice gamblers to sail the Mandovi River instead, like Casino Pride Goa (www.casinopridegoa.com) and King's Casino Goa (www.kingscasinogoa.com). They join the ranks of the pioneer casino ship, the lavish MS Caravela, which departs several times a day from Panaji (the state capital) and carries up to 270 players who can opt to dine or hit the sundeck and swimming pool when taking a break from the tables or slot machines.
For more trip-planning information, check out ShermansTravel.com’s Goa Travel Guide.
Las Vegas
Las Vegas is world-renowned as a city of gambling, gluttony, and the ultimate good time. Two distinct neighborhoods draw revelers: an old-fashioned gambling quarter downtown, as well as a sexy “Strip” chockfull of the newest and hottest resorts and attractions around. Though downtown Fremont Street (www.vegasexperience.com) provides a peek into the classic gambling halls of yesteryear (like the 1906 Golden Gate (www.goldengatecasino.com)), the central hub of Sin City is Las Vegas Boulevard, better known as the Strip. Lined by dozens of casino resorts varying in theme from ancient Egypt to tropical oases, this thoroughfare buzzes around the clock with Broadway-style shows, world-class eateries, celebrity-owned nightclubs, and ultra-high-end shops. But Vegas isn't all show. Visitors on pure-blooded gambling trips can get their hands on slot machines, table games, off-track betting, and professional tournaments of every price and style. And with tawdry attractions, rental stretch Hummers, and showgirls around every corner, you'll quickly realize they didn't coin the phrase "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" for nothing.
For more trip-planning information, check out ShermansTravel.com’s Las Vegas Travel Guide.
Macau
Five years ago, no one would have believed that the small, Chinese peninsula of Macau would ever rival America’s Sin City as a top gambling trip, but today it's not only surpassed that casino-superstar in gambling revenue – it's gaining on it in reputation, to boot. Whether you’re a card player (poker, blackjack, baccarat) or a fan of roulette, boule, or slots, Macau has your game. Packed into its 11 square miles (less than half the size of Manhattan island) are 26 casinos, including the $2.4 billion Venetian Macau (www.venetianmacau.com)– the mammoth gaming/hotel complex with 4,000 slots and 800 gaming tables that became the world’s largest casino when it opened in August 2007. Now Wynn (www.wynnmacau.com) and MGM (www.mgmgrandmacau.com) are upping the ante with billions of dollars’ worth of expansions scheduled for their Macau resorts, and big-name properties – like the Shangri-La (www.shangri-la.com) and InterContinental (www.intercontinental.com) – have high-rolling plans to open new casino-hotels here as well. They'll join the swank Four Seasons (www.fourseasons.com/macau), which debuted in August 2008. Conclusion? Move over Vegas, Macau is on a roll!
For more trip-planning information, check out ShermansTravel.com’s Macau Travel Guide.
Mississippi Gulf Coast
There’s big change in store for the riverboat frontier along the Mississippi Gulf Coast – the birthplace of gambling in America. The waterfront gambling towns of Biloxi and Gulfport are back on their A-game post Katrina, with some hundred million dollars of expansions still in the works. Thanks to the ban on land-based casinos being lifted in 2005, the area is on the rise to become a major gambling trip hot spot in the southern U.S. Most of the old stationary boat casinos, built on offshore barges, were destroyed in the hurricane, but with the bulk of rebuilding focused inland – with flashy new casino resorts in Biloxi like MGM’s Beau Rivage (www.beaurivage.com), the Hard Rock (www.hardrockbiloxi.com), and the IP Casino Resort Spa (www.ipbiloxi.com) – that sought-after Sin City feel is actually palpable in this Bible Belt state. So, so long Redneck Riviera, say hello to the new Las Vegas of the South.
Monte Carlo
The storied principality of Monaco is famed for its royal family, rich residents, tax-haven status, Mediterranean landscapes, and, most of all, its high-stakes casinos concentrated in glamorous Monte Carlo. Nowhere on our list is glitzier than the majestic Monte Carlo Casino (www.montecarloresort.com), an opulent example of 19th-century belle époque architecture designed by Charles Garnier (the same architect responsible for the ornate Opéra Garnier (www.operadeparis.fr) in Paris). Inside, a marble-paved atrium surrounded by giant onyx columns leads to both an opera venue and a casino floor, where slot machines, roulette, and gaming tables lie between sculptures, frescoes, and paintings. Dress to the nines, and walk in looking like a million dollars. With any luck, you may just leave this gambling trip with a bank account to match.
For more trip-planning information, check out ShermansTravel.com’s French Riviera Travel Guide.
Nassau and Paradise Island
It’s a safe bet that you’ll visit spectacular oceanfront casinos in the Bahamas. Every year, hordes of tourists head out on gambling trips to these breezy Atlantic isles to rendezvous with Lady Luck in Nassau and get some beachside sun at the same time. On Cable Beach, the Crystal Palace Casino (www.wyndhamnassauresort.com) boasts hundreds of slot machines, plenty of tables, roulette wheels, and off-track betting, and is open for round-the-clock fun. The main showstopper, though, is the casino at Atlantis (www.atlantis.com), on neighboring Paradise Island. The largest casino in the Bahamas (with a gaming floor that measures over 50,000 square feet), Atlantis is lit by skylights and windows that overlook rambling lagoons and gardens, and boasts a huge indoor aquarium just off the lobby that makes a great distraction from a losing streak. Just don't expect to mingle with the locals while gaming – Bahamian citizens are prohibited from gambling.
For more trip-planning information, check out ShermansTravel.com’s Nassau and Paradise Island Travel Guide.
Niagara Falls, Ontario
One of the newer destinations to make this list of gambling trips, with its first casino only opening in the mid-1990s, this ever-popular destination's winning combination of sprawling gaming complexes, bustling tourist promenade, and some of the worlds’ most amazing waterfall views, have more than made up for lost time. Casino Niagara (www.casinoniagara.com), on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, pioneered the gaming movement and when the larger, billion-dollar Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort (www.fallsviewcasinoresort.com) opened in 2004 (with the intention of replacing its predecessor), gambling was deemed sufficiently popular here for both to stick around. The result is neighboring casinos with 4,750 slot machines, 285 table games, a concert hall, wedding chapel, and over 300,000 square feet of gambling space between them. The American side of the Falls, looking to get in on the action, welcomed Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel (www.senecaniagaracasino.com) in 2002, which features over 100 tables and 4,200 slots, plus sumptuous amenities like a spa, showroom, and steakhouse. The combination makes for three casinos spanning two countries, and the unique requirement that you bring your passport to experience them all.
For more trip-planning information, check out ShermansTravel.com’s Niagara Falls Travel Guide.
Sun City, South Africa
Gaming and game viewing go hand in hand at the Sun City complex, South Africa’s jungle-themed gambling mecca 90-minutes northwest of Johannesburg (on the southern border of Pilanesberg National Park (www.pilanesberg-game-reserve.co.za). Take your chances on a “big five” (lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and buffalo) safari before retreating to the five-star Palace of the Lost City for a high-stakes game of punto banco (baccarat). Three other hotel properties, a Gary Player-designed golf course, a crocodile sanctuary, and a massive water park with steep slides and simulated waves are all set amid Sun City’s 60-acre, man-made jungle. Novice gamblers whose arms grow weary tugging at the resort’s 850 slot machines can enroll in the Sun City School of Gaming to learn the skills and etiquette of table games like roulette, blackjack, craps, and stud poker. It’s roaring fun!
For more trip-planning information, check out ShermansTravel.com’s South Africa Travel Guide.