Guide to Las Vegas Casinos & Atlantic City Casinos

Posted by James Guill .

Although online casinos are the easiest and most convenient way to play your favorite casino games, there’s something special about playing at a land based casino resort. Whether you make the trip to the Strip to visit the top Las Vegas casinos or drive down the Jersey coast to hit up the best Atlantic City casinos, we all love playing at land-based casinos.

Read our expert guide to land-based casinos to learn about the best Las Vegas casinos, casinos in Atlantic City, and other top casino resort destinations in the USA and beyond!

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If you can’t make it to a land-based casino resort, why not check out our recommended USA online casinos:

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Millions of gambling fans flock to Sin City every single year in search of the best casinos in Las Vegas. Las Vegas casinos are famous the world over for their unbeatable gambling and hospitality experience: not only do they offer some of the best casinos in the world, but the casino resort experience includes world-class dining, fantastic entertainment, and much more!

These are the most popular Las Vegas casinos for gamblers (and non-gamblers alike) in 2024:

Casino Resort Casino Floor Size (sq. ft.) Year Opened Location
Aria 150,000 2009 South Strip
Bellagio 156,000 1998 Mid-Strip
Caesars Palace 124,181 1966 Mid-Strip
Golden Nugget 38,000 1946 Downtown
Mandalay Bay 135,000 1999 South Strip
MGM Grand 171,500 1993 South Strip
The Mirage 90,548 1989 Mid-Strip
Palms 94,065 2001 West of the Strip
Planet Hollywood 64,470 2000 South Strip
Rio 117,330 1990 West of the Strip
The Venetian 120,000 1999 Mid-Strip
Wynn 189,000 2005 North Strip

Las Vegas Casino Games

You can play all your favorite games at Las Vegas casinos! After relaxing at the casino resort, you can hit the casino floor to play everything from slots, to blackjack, to poker!

Although you can find plenty of games in each casino resort, most Las Vegas casinos specialize in a few games. So if you really want to play Las Vegas baccarat, read our individual game guides before you leave to find the perfect Las Vegas casinos for you!

New Las Vegas Casinos

The landscape of Las Vegas casinos is an ever-changing one. For decades, old favorites have made way for shiny, new mega-resorts. Although we’re always sad to wave goodbye to classic Las Vegas casinos, it’s always exciting to take in a new casino resort for the very first time!

Here are the newest casinos in Las Vegas as of 2024:
Casino Casino Floor Size (sq. ft.) Opened Location Formerly Known As
Resorts World 117,000 June 2021 North Strip Brand New
Virgin Hotels 60,000 March 2021 East of the Strip Hard Rock Hotel
Circa 8,002 October 2020 Downtown Brand New
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Best Local Casinos in Las Vegas

Although Las Vegas is most famous for the casino resort offering of the Strip, Las Vegas casinos can be found throughout the city. From the historic downtown and Fremont Street, Vegas has something for everyone: from globe-trotting tourist to Vegas and Nevada locals.

So if you’re Vegas local looking for a fantastic casino experience, here are our recommendations for the best local casinos in Las Vegas:

Casino Casino Floor Size (sq. ft.) Year Opened Location
The D 42,000 1980 Downtown
The M 92,000 2009 South Las Vegas
The Orleans 135,000 1996 West of the Strip
Palace Station 84,000 1976 West of the Strip
Red Rock 118,309 2006 West Las Vegas

Since the 1970’s, the New Jersey resort of Atlantic City has become famous for gambling. Atlantic City casinos have attracted players and investors from both New York and further afield who flock to iconic casino resort destinations such as the Borgata, Bally’s, and more!

Here are some of the most popular Atlantic City casinos in 2024:

Casino Casino Floor Size (sq. ft.) Year Opened Location
Bally’s 225,756 1979 Midtown
Hard Rock 167,000 2018 Uptown
Borgata 161,000 2003 Marina
Harrah’s 160,000 1980 Marina
Caesars 145,000 1979 Midtown

Other Casino Destinations

Although Las Vegas and Atlantic City are the two most prominent gambling hubs in the United States, they aren’t the only major gambling destinations either in the US or around the world.

Here are some other important gambling destinations to consider when planning your next trip to land-based casinos:

Reno

It may be hard to believe, but Las Vegas only became America’s top gambling destination in the 1960’s. Prior to that, the city of Reno was the gambling hub of the US.

Only 22 miles from Lake Tahoe, Reno still welcomes gamblers from California and around the world to the “Biggest Little City in the World”.

Major casinos include:

  • Atlantis Casino Resort
  • Peppermill
  • Grand Sierra Resort

Foxwoods

Once the largest casino in the world, Foxwoods Resort offers 344,000 sq. ft. of gaming to players from New York City, Boston, and beyond.

Located on the Mashantucket Pequot reservation in Connecticut, this mega-resort offers 250 gaming tables, 5,000+ slot machines and much more!

Macau

The premier Asian gambling hub of Macau is actually the world’s largest gambling destination: Macau’s gambling industry is worth seven times that of Las Vegas!

Macau is a special administrative region of China and primarily caters to gamblers from mainland China. The most popular game is baccarat but slots, known locally as Hungry Tigers, are increasingly popular.

Monte Carlo

Home to probably the most famous casino in the world, Monte Carlo is a by-word for gambling, extravagance, and elegance.

The Casino de Monte-Carlo has welcomed guests since 1865 who have historically enjoyed roulette, baccarat, and more!

Monaco has plenty to offer in addition to the casino. The Principality lies on the French Riviera and annually hosts the world famous Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix through the streets of Monte Carlo.

Singapore

A newcomer to the world of legalized gambling, Singapore now boasts two of the top casinos in the world.

The Marina Bay Sands is one of the most iconic buildings in the world with its three towers topped by the SkyPark.

Resorts World Sentosa not only boasts a world-class casino, but it also is home to Universal Studios Singapore. Perfect for a family vacation!

What Casinos Allow Coin Pushers? Are They Legal?

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Here is the deal regarding the legality of coin pusher games. They are not illegal under federal law. That said, they are illegal in most states if they deliver cash prizes, and that is why you don’t see pushers in casinos in Las Vegas, except for a few places like Circus Circus, where the rewards are show tickets and the like.

Gamblers are more likely to spot them in a convenience store that sells instant win lotto cards than at any highly reputable game of chance venue.

Coin pusher machines also get relegated to arcades, gas stations, and cruise ships because they give off a low-rent, low-roller vibe and have a skill element. Gambling commissions obligate operators that every one of their offered products must have a payout rate above a specific percentage. Thus, given that this type of game features a skill aspect that is not possible.

US territories that permit cash prize coin pushers are Minnesota and Illinois. The Land of 10,000 Lakes is home to eighteen casinos, while The Prairie State has eleven. That refers to commercial and tribal venues that offer Class II and Class III gaming. What is interesting is that in many states, like California, Native American casinos can have coin pusher games since state gaming laws have no bearing on tribal land.

So, these devices are only allowed within a reservation’s borders and not outside them. So, the best bet is for players to look for them at tribal locales or in casinos in Minnesota and Illinois. Though, the chances of finding a spot that hosts them are as slim as locating a no deposit bonus that gives away over $100 in free-play funds.

Casinos can’t make money from skill-based gaming options because they run the risk of someone getting so good at a particular game that they rarely lose when playing it. However, some are entirely chance-based, involving Plinko-style gameplay, and they can tie into a progressive prize network, similar to the one slot machines can pay out in their free spins bonus rounds.

How Do You Win in a Coin Pusher Game?

In most coin pusher games, the goal is to slide a quarter down a chute, aiming it to fall directly behind stacks of others. These will usually rest on top of a sliding surface. It is one that pushes other coins on the main area in front of it towards an opening at its end. Naturally, players need to locate coin pushers in arcades and casinos that have gotten packed to the gills with coins.

Then, look to drop multiple coins simultaneously and try to layer them in a horizontal line across the playing field section. If they manage to do that, drop as many coins as possible onto the cabinet’s sliding surface; that will help push those in front to fall to the main area, and the following push will hopefully lead to some coins at the far end dropping off the ridge into the prize slot.

Some coin pushers have a bonus chute located in the middle of the main surface, and the coins that fall into it fill a cup that provides a payout once it reaches a pre-determined limit. Fashioning quarter-like tokens in an attempt to cheat is not wise. If these nefarious actions get discovered, they can lead to a ban from the premises.

That is about it. There is no other tactic one can implement to improve their odds on elementary coin pushers. Remember that the odds of winning are not terrific in any choice from this genre, and these gaming products are unsuitable for high-limit play.

Online Coin Pusher Games

Now that it has been established that coin pushers are not Las Vegas game mainstays. Let us discuss where interested parties can find online iterations for real money gambling.

First, it must be stated that the offer of virtual coin pushers found at online casinos is also not vast. PlayStar, a global game provider that supplies its internet gaming products to sites operating in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, is the top developer of titles from this game category.

Their coin pusher series includes Ganesh Wealth, Cai Shen Dao, and Pirate King, which are more or less identical releases with different themes. They utilize random number generation algorithms similar to those implemented in video poker, and at some sites, these titles can contribute to rollover completion.

All three have gameplay that mirrors the one described above and can payout wins up to 200x. Gambling sites allow these picks because they randomly payout rewards and use concepts found in slot casino games.

Land-Based Casino FAQs

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James Guill

James Guill is a former professional poker player who writes fro GambleOnline.co about poker, sports, casinos, gaming legislation and the online gambling industry in general. His past experience includes working with IveyPoker, PokerNews, PokerJunkie, Bwin, and the Ongame Network. From 2006-2009 he participated in multiple tournaments including the 37th and 38th World Series of Poker (WSOP). James lives in Virginia and he has a side business where he picks and sells vintage and antique items.

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