Top 10 Casino vacation destinations:
1. Aruba - Carribean
Aruba offers visitors that rare win-win Caribbean vacation:
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, operate 24-7 in downtown Oranjestad.
Smoke a hand-rolled Cuban cigar at the Latin-themed Copacabana Casino,
or try your hand at Caribbean Stud Poker at the Marriott's Stellaris Casino,
the island's largest gambling destination. Spring-breakers can also have fun,
thanks to the gambling age of 18. Given the enticements of Aruba's casinos,
you might be forgiven for missing out on the island's near-perfect weather.
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2. Atlantic City - New Jersey - U.S.A.
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
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 to sprawling spas and N.Y.-style nightclubs.
Add to the pot an historic concert hall that draws the likes of The Police,
The Rolling Stones and Madonna, as well as sparkling new retail, dining
and entertainment complexes, like The Pier Shops at Caesars and
the Havana-inspired The Quarter at Tropicana
and you get a high-ante gaming destination that promises plenty of payoff.
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3. 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 eight hotel casino-resorts, but
it's the state's newest gaming offerings that make Goa our wild card entry:
five new floating casinos are in the works to entice gamblers to sail the
Mandovi River instead. One ship is already doing brisk business:
The lavish MS Caravela departs several times a day from Panaji,
carrying 300 players who can opt to dine or hit the sundeck and
swimming pool, when taking a break from the tables or slot machines.
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4. Las Vegas - Nevada - U.S.A.
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 provides a peek into the classic
gambling halls of yesteryear, the central hub 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. Gamblers can get their hands on slot machines,
table games, off-track betting and professional tournaments. With
tawdry attractions, rental stretch Hummers and showgirls everywhere,
you'll quickly realize they didn't coin the phrase:
"What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" for nothing.
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5. Macau - China
Five years ago, no one would have believed that the small Chinese
peninsula of Macau would ever rival America's Sin City, but today
it's not only surpassed that casino-superstar in gambling revenue,
but it's gaining on it in reputation to boot. Whether you're a card player
or a fan of roulette, boule or slots, Macau definitely 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, 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 and MGM are upping the ante with billions of dollars' worth of
expansions scheduled for their Macau resorts and big-name properties,
the Four Seasons, Shangri-La, InterContinental, have high-rolling plans to
open new casino-hotels here as well. Conclusion?
Move over Vegas, Macau is on a roll!
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6. Mississippi Gulf Coast - Mississippi - U.S.A.
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 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 gaming hotspot in
the southern US. 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,
the Hard Rock and the IP Casino Resort Spa,
that sought-after Sin City feel is in this Bible Belt state.
So, so long Redneck Riviera, hello Las Vegas of the south.
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7. Monte Carlo - Monaco
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 in glamorous Monte Carlo.
Nowhere on our list is glitzier than the majestic Monte Carlo Casino,
an example of 19th-century belle epoque architecture designed by
Charles Garnier. 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 with a bank account to match.
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8. Nassau & Paradise Island - Bahamas
It's a safe bet that you'll visit spectacular casinos in the Bahamas.
Every year, hordes of tourists head to these breezy isles to rendezvous
with Lady Luck in Nassau and get some beachside sun at the same time.
On Cable Beach the Crystal Palace Casino has hundreds of slot machines.
Table games, roulette and off-track betting are open for round-the-clock fun.
The main show-stopper is the casino at Atlantis on Paradise Island.
Surrounded by rambling lagoons and gardens, Atlantis boasts a huge indoor
aquarium and may also be the only place you'll spot a local on the property,
since Bahamian citizens are prohibited from gambling.
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9. Niagara Falls - Ontario - Canada
One of the newer gaming destinations,
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,
on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, pioneered the
gaming movement and when the larger, billion-dollar
Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort 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 game tables, 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 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.
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10. Sun City - South Africa
Gaming and game viewing go hand in hand at the Sun City complex.
South Africa's jungle-themed gambling Mecca lies 90 minutes northwest
of Johannesburg on the southern border of Pilanesberg National Park.
Take your chances on a "big five" 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!