Las Vegas is famously known as the entertainment capital of the world. Surprisingly, it hasn’t always been this way. A little over a century ago, Vegas was a small desert town with nothing more than a few railroad shops.
Today, Las Vegas is jam-packed with extravagant casinos, sports stadiums, concert halls, world-class restaurants and expensive hotels. Below are the best casinos in Vegas and what they’re best for:
Aria: Best for Slot Machines
Nearly every casino in Las Vegas has a floor occupied by rows of slots. However, most casinos are no match for ARIA’s 2000 slots. The games are modern but diverse, targeting sports, TV, video game and political fans and people into sci-fi.
If you’re planning to visit Vegas to play slots, ARIA offers the best variety. It’s a beautiful casino designed by award-winning architect Peter Marino. It’s safe, spacious and features exclusive places to exchange slot tickets for cash.
ARIA is also endowed with state-of-the-art amenities, from bathrooms to restaurants. As such, you don’t need to leave the casino’s premises to cater to your dining or sleeping needs. ARIA has it all. That said, ARIA is located within the Vegas strip.
It’s in close proximity to other famous casinos like the Cosmopolitan, Encore, Wynn, MGM Grand and Tropicana. The entire map of casinos in Las Vegas can be found at casinos.us. The map includes casinos within the strip and the rest of sin city.
Bellagio: Best for Poker
Although slots are easier to play than poker and blackjack, they’re based on pure luck. If you have a small bankroll, there’s a chance you can spend it all before you win anything significant. Poker is a game of skill, though.
And in Las Vegas, the best place to play this game is at the Bellagio Casino. You might have spotted it in Hollywood films like Ocean’s Thirteen, Ocean’s Eleven, Focus and the Hangover Series.
Its iconic water fountains add to the casino’s beauty. Additionally, it’s fully equipped with chefs, restaurants, bars, swimming pools and hotel rooms. If you’re a professional poker player, you’ll also love the fact that Bellagio holds poker tournaments weekly.
Golden Nugget: Best for all Table Games
Bellagio is the place to be if you’re a poker enthusiast. But what if you also enjoy a little bit of roulette and blackjack? Check out Golden Nugget. This casino was designed with table games in mind.
It has dozens of blackjack, roulette and poker games inside its floors. But it also features a handful of games by the pool so that you could relax with friends while also enjoying the cool breeze outside of the casino.
Like all the casinos we’ve mentioned in this article, Golden Nugget is large and swanky. It’s an exciting place to spend your money, whether you want to gamble on slots, play blackjack or spend a night inside an expensive hotel room.
Beyond room service, the Golden Nugget has a tequila bar, a fitness center, a waterslide, flat screen TVs, restaurants, a steakhouse and the most famous nightclub in Freemont Street: Troy Liquor Bar.
The Cosmopolitan: Best for Foodies
So, you love good tasting foods? Head down to the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas for an assortment of the best dishes from around the world. The hotel has restaurants led by famous chefs like Jose Andres, Chris Santos and David Chang.
The chefs have American dishes, South Americans foods, Asian, delicacies, drinks, cocktails and European foods. It’s up to you to choose what you want to eat at any single moment. After you’re full, you can decide whether to socialize at the casino’s outdoor pools.
Or, you could chill in your guest room while using free Wi-Fi. Afterwards, you cand drop into a night club, bar or to the casino floors. The establishment features hundreds of slots, poker, blackjack and roulette games.
The Stratosphere Casino: Best Place to View Sin City
There’s no doubt everyone who’s been to Vegas by air enjoyed the views from the skies. If you would like to relish the city’s skyline a little bit longer, head to the Stratosphere Casino. It features the tallest observation tower in the country (1149 feet).
And get this: it costs from as little as $20 to get to the top of the sky pod. All you need is to book ahead of time. While there, check out the casino’s famous thrill ride that thrusts you 160 feet into the air while you’re strapped inside an open car.
The casino feature several more aerial thrill rides, from a Sky Jump that drops from the 108th floor at speeds of 40MPH to the Big Shot, a free fall ride.
Circus Circus: Best Casino for Families
Many casinos in Vegas aren’t family friendly. Cue: adult arcades, gambling and nightclubs. Circus Circus is an exception. It was designed for family entertainment with its daily performances, swimming pools, restaurants, theme park and fast foods.
The Casino is also budget friendly. You can find rooms that cost from $30 to $100. These aren’t the luxurious rooms you would expect from a famous casino, though. They’re often simple and poorly kept.
But you don’t have to stay at the hotel, though. Being a casino in the strip, Circus Circus neighbors plenty of exquisite casinos. They might be pricier but feature top-tier room service.
Planet Hollywood: Best for Entertainment
Not everyone travels to Vegas for gambling. Some people fly to Vegas to watch their favorite musicians perform. Planet Hollywood is arguably the best casino for live shows. It regularly invites the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Backstreet Boys, Lionel Richie and Pitbull for live concerts.
The musicians perform at different times of the year. If you want to attend a specific artist’s show, then check their due dates. Note: the casino features musicians that cover all major genres, so you’re bound to find an artist you love.
Meanwhile, Planet Hollywood is still a casino. It features over 500 slots, and 50 table games, including live tournaments.
