[toc]Most gamblers love nothing more than finding a new place to play. As a result, 2018 is shaping up as a great year for gamblers on the East Coast. Mostly because there are a number of new and revamped casino properties schedule to open or start construction.
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Nicest Casino East Coast Resorts
Here’s a look at four East Coast casinos with big plans for the new year its really easy to get excited about:
The casino, which opened in 1997, boasts the Gulf Coast's only 'Vegas-style' lounge and a 32-story hotel, with 1,088 rooms. It has 60 table games and 1,700 gaming machines. The hotel offers 116 rustic rooms, 17 cottages, and 35 vacation homes. It’s a great place for families to unplug, since rooms don’t have phones or TVs (but they do have Wi-Fi), and there are plenty of nature-related activities for the family including canoeing, hiking, golfing, and swimming. Plan a luxury vacation at a high-end resort on the East Coast. These top resorts offer lush accommodations, stellar service and activities like golf and horseback-riding on the beach. Located high in Vermont’s Green Mountains, the Castle Hill Resort & Spa is a year-round resort that welcomes. Turning Stone Resort Casino Serenely situated in Upstate New York, this expansive 3,400-acre hideaway has all the fresh air and green space you never knew you needed from a casino resort. For a luxurious home base filled with gambling fun, check into Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star The Lodge at Turning Stone Resort Casino.
MGM Springfield
When MGM Springfield opens in September 2018 it will become the first real Las Vegas-style casino in Massachusetts.
A slots parlor opened up at Plainridge Park Casino in June 2015, but slots parlors and Las Vegas-style casinos are two different things. Plus, the state’s other massive commercial casino project, Wynn Boston Harbor, isn’t schedule to open until 2019. Therefore, 2018 will be MGM Springfield’s year to shine.
The $960 millionMGM complex is currently under construction in Springfield’s South End neighborhood.
When it is finished, MGM Springfield is going to feature 760,000 square feet of interior space. Inside, MGM is planning a 270-room, four-star luxury hotel with 45,000 square feet of meeting and convention space. There’s also going to be a 7,000 square-foot spa and 55,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.
When it comes to gambling, players can expect to find 3,000 slot machines, 100table games, a poker room, and a high-limit VIP gaming area.
The development is also expected to feature an entertainment square. Further entertainment amenities including retail space, restaurants, bars, a movie theater, a bowling facility and an outdoor plaza are part of the plans as well.
That’s a lot to get excited about. MGM Springfield officials claim the project remains on target for a September 2018 opening.
Resorts World Catskills
The fourth, final, and easily most impressive of the four new commercial casino properties approved by the state of New York is scheduled to open in March 2018.
To say the $1.2 billionResort World Catskills is going to be big would be a massive understatement.
Construction is just wrapping up in Kiamesha Lake in Upstate New York near Monticello. The property is on the same land that once housed the Concord Hotel Catskills resort. Think Dirty Dancing, and remember, nobody puts Resort World Catskills in a corner.
The original plan was to call it Montreign. However, operator Empire Resorts entered into a licensing agreement with casino giant Resorts World and its Malaysian owner TheGenting Group. They decided on a re-branding in the spring of this year.
The 18-story Catskills casino and hotel will feature 332 luxury suites, a spa and salon, two pools, two fitness centers, and a 2,000-person event room.
The casino will include a 100,000 square-foot gaming floor with 134 table games and more than 2,100 state-of-the-art slot machines. There are also plans to include private gaming salons and a 19-table poker room.
Further resort amenities include a Rees Jones-redesigned 18-hole golf course. Plus, there are plans for a 24-hour cafe and several bars and restaurants. That include a high-end Italian steakhouse run by the Food Network’s Scott Conant.
There’s more, but we’re running out of space and have already listed enough amenities to get excited about. Even if they are all hidden up in the Catskills, a fair distance from civilization.
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City
Hard Rock International is attempting to rebuild the now-defunct Trump Taj Mahal and Atlantic City’s image in one go.
It’s now planning to unveil the results of those efforts when the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City opens in New Jersey the summer of 2018.
With 2,400 slots and 130 table games, the casino will be one of the biggest in town. However, there’s a whole lot more to this project than just a casino.
Hard Rock is completely redesigning the Taj interior. There will be first-class food and beverage options, including a newly relocated Hard Rock Cafe Atlantic City with 400 seats, an improved stage, and beach access.
Plus, developers are promising the property will become the premier entertainment destination in Atlantic City. To that end, they are building two separate arenas with more than 7,000 seats that will feature live music, sporting events, conferences, and shows.
They are rebuilding all entries into the property, and renovating every hotel room. Plus, Hard Rock is redesigning the decor property-wide to feature part of the company’s massive collection of music memorabilia, with a special nod to musicians and artists who call New Jersey home.
There are even plans to put in a Rockstop Gas & Wash gas station outside.
It was Atlantic City’s highest-grossing casino through the 1990s. However, the Taj has become a symbol of the Atlantic City Boardwalk’s ongoing decay in recent years.
Hard Rock is bringing some excitement back to the property and the area surrounding it, just when it really needs it.
Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia
The $600 millionLive! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia was originally slated to open in the first quarter of 2018. After finally jumping through a bunch of regulatory hoops and satisfying state casino ownership laws, the opening date has been pushed to 2020. However, construction will begin in 2018, and that gives us more than enough to get excited about.
Live! Casino and Hotel Philadelphia, is going up in South Philadelphia,right by all the city’s sports stadiums. That should make it a year-round destination for fans of gambling and sports, two peas from the same modern-day entertainment pod.
In fact, the project is already calling itself the first comprehensive gaming, resort, entertainment, and sports destination in the United States.
The casino will feature 2,000 slot machines and 125 game tables. The attached hotel will have more than 200 rooms. Plus, there are plans for a 2,600-square-foot parking garage as well. Tailgate!
It’s a little early, but you can color us excited already.
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The United States is home to some 1,500 casinos scattered from coast to coast, more than any other nation on the planet. USA TODAY 10Best teamed up with a panel of casino and gambling experts to find the best in the USA.
Pechanga Resort & Casino
Temecula, Calif.Located in Southern California, Pechanga Resort & Casino houses a 200,000-square-foot casino floor where gamblers will find 3,400 slots, 130 table games, a 43-table poker room, 700-seat Bingo hall and dedicated areas for high limits and non-smoking gamers.
Photo courtesy of Pechanga Resort & CasinoMohegan Sun
Uncasville, Conn.One of two gambling destination resorts in Connecticut, Mohegan Sun features three casinos: Casino of the Earth, Casino of the Wind and Casino of the Sky. The three gaming floors between them boast a whopping 5,000 slot machines, 275 table games, 42 poker tables, a race book, two smoke-free areas and Sunrise Square, an area fashioned after an Asian market that offers traditional Asian table games like Sic Bo, Pai Gow Poker and Baccarat.
Photo courtesy of Mohegan SunFoxwoods Resort Casino
Mashantucket, Conn.One of two premier gaming resorts in Connecticut, Foxwoods Resort Casino offers 4,500 slot machines – ranging from penny games to $100 minimums – as well as 300 table games, high stakes Bingo at one of the world's largest Bingo halls, a race book with 50-foot digital projection screens and the largest poker room on the East Coast. Four unique hotel properties and over 30 restaurants make it easy to stay and play.
Photo courtesy of Foxwoods Resort CasinoL'Auberge Casino Resort
Lake Charles, La.L'Auberge Casino Resort in Lake Charles, Louisiana sits only two hours from the Houston metro area, making it a convenient place to enjoy 70,000-square-feet of gaming space equipped with 70 table games and some 1,600 slots. The casino's High Limits Salon offers even more tables and slots with denominations up to $100, while its 2,100-square-foot, 24/7 poker room has six tables plus one semi-private high stakes table.
Photo courtesy of Pinnacle EntertainmentHard Rock Hotel and Casino Biloxi
Biloxi, Miss.In true Hard Rock style, guests of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Biloxi get a free music download at check-in. The expansive casino boasts 1,300 slots, including 500 video slots, as well as 50 table games and four poker tables.
Photo courtesy of Hard Rock Hotel and Casino BiloxiHarrah's Resort Southern California
Valley Center, Calif.Bringing the Vegas experience to SoCal, the casino at Harrah's Resort Southern California features 60 table games and 1,700 slot machines, including a wide variety of video poker and Blazing 7s games. Non-smokers enjoy their own area outfitted with 100 popular machines, while a high-stakes slot room sees games with denominations up to $100.
Photo courtesy of Harrah's Resort Southern CaliforniaBorgata Hotel Casino & Spa
Atlantic CityThe only nominee in Atlantic City, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa at Renaissance Pointe opened its doors in 2003 as the first new hotel in over a decade. Today, the 2,000-room resort offers gamblers 3,475 slot machines, 250 table games and Atlantic City's largest poker room, all spread out over 161,000-square-feet of casino space. Restaurants by Bobby Flay and Wolfgang Puck headline the culinary lineup, while the 2,400-seat Borgata Event Center plays host to some of the world's biggest names in music.
Photo courtesy of Borgata Hotel Casino & SpaRed Rock Casino Resort & Spa
Las VegasFrequented by both locals and tourists, the Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa sits on 70 acres of land near the beautiful Red Rock Mountains in Summerlin, about 10 miles west of the Las Vegas Strip. The resort casino includes 3,000 slot and video poker machines, 60 table games, a race and sports book with a 96-foot video wall, a 20-table smoke-free poker room, 600-seat Bingo hall, a 20-seat Keno lounge and two private rooms for high-stakes gamers.
Photo courtesy of Red Rock Casino Resort & SpaFrench Lick Resort
French Lick, Ind.Located in French Lick, Indiana, the French Lick Resort features a 51,000-square-foot Vegas-style casino with 1,000 slots, 37 table games, a high-limit area and a 9,500-square-foot non-smoking gaming room with both table games and slots. Two historic hotels with spas dating back to the 1800s facilitate relaxation.
Photo courtesy of French Lick ResortThunder Valley Casino Resort
Lincoln, Calif.The 144,500-square-foot casino at Thunder Valley Resort in Northern California has just about everything a gambler could want in a casino: table games, 2,500 slot machines, a 24-hour poker room, 500-seat smoke-free Bingo hall and high limits salons with their own dedicated dealers, private bars, flat-screen TVs and plenty of tables and slots with bets ranging from $100 to $5,000.
Photo courtesy of Thunder Valley Casino Resort
After four weeks of reader voting, the polls are closed and we have a winner!
It was an intense battle between the top three finishers, and Pechanga Resort & Casino pulled off a come-from-behind victory to take the top spot and the title of 'Best U.S. Casino.'
The state of Connecticut proved itself as a worthy gambling destination with the second- and third-place casinos: Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort Casino respectively.
Las Vegas, the city most famous for its gambling scene, only had one casino finish in the top 10.
The top 10 winners in the category 'Best U.S. Casino' are as follows:
- Pechanga Resort & Casino - Temecula, Calif.
- Mohegan Sun - Uncasville, Conn.
- Foxwoods Resort Casino - Mashantucket, Conn.
- L'Auberge Casino Resort - Lake Charles, La.
- Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Biloxi - Biloxi, Miss.
- Harrah's Resort Southern California - Valley Center, Calif.
- Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa - Atlantic City
- Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa - Las Vegas
- French Lick Resort - French Lick, Ind.
- Thunder Valley Casino Resort - Lincoln, Calif.
A panel of experts picked the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote. Experts Lisa Robertson-Dziedzic (Casino Player and Strictly Slots magazines) and Tony Harrell (Abundant Travel) were chosen based on their extensive knowledge of U.S. casinos.
Nicest Casino East Coast Florida
Additional nominees for 'Best U.S. Casino' included Aria Resort & Casino, Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, Bellagio, Caesars Palace Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Mirage Hotel & Casino, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and Wynn Las Vegas.
10Best and USA TODAY extend their congratulations to all the winners. The contest was promoted on 10Best and USA TODAY.
The Experts
Nicest Casino East Coast Resort
Lisa Robertson-Dziedzic
Lisa Robertson-Dziedzic is the Publisher of Casino... Read More
Lisa Robertson-Dziedzic is the Publisher of Casino Player magazine and Strictly Slots magazine. Now in its 32nd year, Casino Player has thrived as America’s most popular gambling magazine. Over the decades, millions of gamblers have enjoyed and benefited from Casino Player’s gaming strategies, as well as its ever-changing lifestyle stories. In 1994, Lisa launched its sister publication, Strictly Slots, the nation’s only magazine written exclusively for slots and video poker players. Lisa is an accomplished director specializing in the gaming industry and has more than 35 years of publishing experience.
Lisa Robertson-Dziedzic
Lisa Robertson-Dziedzic is the Publisher of Casino Player magazine and Strictly Slots magazine. Now in its 32nd year, Casino Player has thrived as America’s most popular gambling magazine. Over the decades, millions of gamblers have enjoyed and benefited from Casino Player’s gaming strategies, as well as its ever-changing lifestyle stories. In 1994, Lisa launched its sister publication, Strictly Slots, the nation’s only magazine written exclusively for slots and video poker players. Lisa is an accomplished director specializing in the gaming industry and has more than 35 years of publishing experience.
Best Casinos East Coast
Tony Harrell
Tony Harrell, travel consultant and owner of Read More
Best Casino East Coast
Tony Harrell, travel consultant and owner of Abundant Travel, plans customized vacations for plus-size clients and customers of any size. He is a certified destination expert for Las Vegas and New Orleans as well as Canada. He feels that while Las Vegas is the obvious American mecca for gambling and other entertainment, there are other destinations across the country that are worth the trip.
Nicest Casino East Coast Virginia
Tony Harrell
Casino Virginia
Tony Harrell, travel consultant and owner of Abundant Travel, plans customized vacations for plus-size clients and customers of any size. He is a certified destination expert for Las Vegas and New Orleans as well as Canada. He feels that while Las Vegas is the obvious American mecca for gambling and other entertainment, there are other destinations across the country that are worth the trip.