With the jolly season fast approaching, one thing’s on everyone’s mind, and that’s Christmas vacation time! If you’re anything like me, you’ll be looking forward to taking a nice long break and spending some time at the tables right about now. And not just at online casinos, as nice as those are.
I’m gonna look on the bright side, and enjoy the fact that I can spend my workday planning my captivating Christmas casino crash. Hopefully, you’ll agree with my logic, and I’ll see you ‘cross the casino floor with a pint of eggnog (don’t judge me) come December.
Without further ado, let’s vaycay away to our top Christmas casinos.
9. Atlantis Casino Resort Spa, Reno, Nevada
Plot twist, we’re starting with a Nevada casino that’s not on the Vegas Strip! Located in the heart of Reno, and established as it’s most-award-winning casino, you’ll have 60,000 square feet of casino floor to run across. Take it as a challenge; it’s the most creative way of burning the post-Christmas calories I’ve ever come up with.
While you’re doing your laps, you can take a breather at any of the 1,400+ slot machines, a race & sports book and a poker room. You’ll have plenty of table games to choose from on the floor, including blackjack, craps, roulette, baccarat and pai gow poker. High-limit gaming is available, and is a perfect stud in the crown of this 4-star destination.
8. Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, Florida
Are you dreaming of a white Christmas? No? I get it, snowtime’s not for everybody. I’ve put in a couple of warm options here for those who like their Christmases toasty — and not the fireplace kind.
Florida’s stellar guitar-shaped getaway is palm trees and pool weather all year round. Their poker room offers 45 tables, and their gaming floor boasts 200 table games and a whopping 3,100 slots! They’ve even got a high-limit slots room that’ll let you play $1,000 spins. Seminole Hard Rock’s also running tons of promotions for new and returning guests, so be sure to have a Google dive before booking your stay.
7. French Lick Resort Casino, French Lick, Indiana
French Lick Resort Casino may not be the biggest name on this list, but we’re including it as a bit of a hidden gem. This one came recommended from a fellow Time2player, who described it as ‘great for romantic getaways.’ So, if Love Actually is your favorite Christmas movie, this one’s the choice for you. The casino resort comes with 2 hotels attached, and our guy says the West Baden Springs Hotel is by far ‘the nicer of the two.’
51,000 sq. feet of casino floor with 1,000 slot machines and 37 tables makes it the smallest casino-specific offer on our Christmas casino getaways list so far, but French Lick diversifies its portfolio by offering 45 holes of golf, 55,000 sq. feet of spa, 16 dining venues, a 6-lane bowling alley, 11 miles of hiking and biking trails, and a 27-horse stable. If you want a happy betting holiday, but don’t want to spend the whole vacation in the casino, French Lick’s a great shout.
6. Borgata, Atlantic City, New Jersey
We’re heading towards the big time now with New Jersey’s biggest hotel. The hotel alone’s got nearly 3,000 rooms, and the spa in the Water Club takes up the whole 32nd and 33rd floors. 161,000 sq feet of gaming space is enough for 4,000 slot machines and 180 tables, with 50 more for poker.
Borgata’s a top option for the poker fans who’re looking for a royal flush this Christmas. The poker squad at Borgata hosts daily and weekly tournaments, affiliated with the World Poker Tour. Low and high-stake options are available with buy-ins ranging from $30 – $1,000. The hotel recruits heavily for live entertainment, so keep an eye on their December listings…
5. Harrah’s Resort Southern California, Valley Center, California
Well, we couldn’t leave you with just the 1 warm winter option, could we? Harrah’s SoCal spot has 1,087 rooms spread across 3 towers, a spa, golf and of course, the casino. Interesting fact: the Rincon Band of Luiseño Mission Indians officially renamed the land on which the resort sits to Funner, California, and Funner’s first official mayor was none other than David Hasselhoff.
86,000 feet of gaming space is plenty of space for 1,600 slot machines and 51 tables. There’s lots to do in SoCal, from the San Diego Safari Park to tours of the Hill Top Winery (which Harrah’s is giving a discount on as I write this, thanks to their affiliation with Caesar’s Rewards).
4. WinStar World Casino and Resort, Thackerville, Oklahoma
Christmas is a time for gifts, and some of us won’t settle for anything less than the biggest and the best. Well, best is subjective but Winstar is certainly the biggest casino in the world. The casino property stretches over a mile, and there’s 370,000 sq feet of gaming space across that in 9 different themed gaming rooms.
Despite the size, it’s ‘only’ got 100 table games and 55-table poker room, but it makes up for it with 8,600 slots and other electronic games. It’s got many high and ultra-high stakes + VIP rooms to cater to all kinds of players. 2 18-hole golf courses round out the offering, and it’s got 2 hotels and even a frikkin’ RV park. What can we say? Size matters. They usually nail the Christmas spirit, with over half a mile of garland and 15 storeys worth of Xmas trees!
3. Beau Rivage, Biloxi, Mississippi
A top choice for many a casino traveller. A high limit lounge, table games with a free cocktail service and nearly 2,000 slots make for a spicy offering. Over 500 of those slots have progressive jackpots, so there’s ample opportunity to compete for the biggest wins.
The Beau Rivage Christmas in the Air show runs all throughout December, featuring Broadway-style dancers, top singers and ‘special appearances’ from Santa and co. It’s Christmas fun for everyone!
2. Mohegan Sun, Uncasville Connecticut
I’m not gonna lie, I like this one. Just aesthetically, I find the interior super-beautiful and appealing. That doesn’t make it better than anywhere else, but it does mean it’s leading the polls for my personal Xmas pick. There are a few different Xmas concerts lined up too.
On the gaming front, things look good. It’s another big one, with over 300k square feet of floor, and it’s got the biggest table game offering on our list, passing the 300 mark. I’ve been playing a lot of blackjack recently, so I think I’m feeling a Sun-ny Christmas coming up… There’s about 5,000 slots too, if the table games haven’t quite convinced you.
1. Bellagio Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
Hey, ho, Bellagio! We couldn’t go through a whole list without at least 1 Vegas casino, and there’s a clear choice. Known for decking out the Bellagio Conservatory with all the Xmas bells and whistles, it also puts out massive trees and red-and-white flower sculptures for all to see. Even the famous Bellagio fountains are synced up to dance to some Christmas carol favorites.
The hotel’s got almost 4,000 rooms, and many pro poker players refer to the Bellagio poker room as “The Office.” The high-stakes games there can range up to $8,000, and pots can exceed the million-dollar mark. 40 poker tables, 2,300+ slots, and around 150 table games make up the casino offering.
Bonus: Fallsview Casino Resort, Ontario, Canada
For the bonus round, I thought I’d take you outside the states. Let’s be frank, if you live in certain parts of the US, the falls will be closer to you than some of the other spots on this list anyway. If you want Christmas with a view, maybe this is the pick for you. Fallsview Casino’s Christmas Wonderland will sort you for Xmas-spirit indoor entertainment, too.
The gaming offering itself consists of 200,000 sq. feet of floor, 3,500 slot machines and 130 table games. If you want to check out the views before arriving, they’ve got a 24/7 Falls cam running on their site.
What do you make of our top Christmas casinos getaway list? What’re you looking to play this Xmas, and is there anywhere you’d add to our list?
