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DEL.ICIO.USLuck be a Lady in the South?
Where do you go round here to gamble?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Many years ago, just out of college and living in Washington, we made plans to meet up with some old friends for the weekend in Atlantic City, NJ. I knew the basics of your standard casino games, but this Georgia girl was really naive about gambling and the entire atmosphere that surrounds it - so naive that I actually asked what time the casinos opened on Sundays. (We were trying to figure out departure times, and I was willing to roll into DC a little later if we couldn’t get into the casinos until, say, 1 p.m.)
Amidst uncontrollable laughter, I was quickly told the casinos never close - even on Sundays. The Blue Laws of my youth did not exist in the East Coast’s gambling den. I now laugh at myself on that one, but to be fair, gambling dens (official ones at least) did not exist in the South when I was a child. That has all changed.
Today, you can find several spots to quench your thirst for roulette, craps and poker right here in our neck of the woods. Real high rollers will tell you that there’s no replacing Vegas, but Atlantans looking for a quick getaway need not travel to the desert to find a casino that will gladly take their money.
A plane ride to Memphis and a short drive south will lead you to Tunica, Miss.,. and its nine casinos, where you can golf, catch Vegas-style shows, and gamble at the tables or on the slots. Or head further south to Mississippi’s Gulf Coast and Biloxi, where at least eleven casinos are up and running and several more are in the works.
Closer to Atlanta is the Harrah’s casino in Cherokee, N.C., where you can cash in on video poker and slots. Along the coast of South Carolina and Georgia you can also take gambling cruises off shore. These cruise ships depart from Little River, S.C., (near North Myrtle Beach) and Brunswick, Ga.. They head a few miles out to sea, giving passengers a dinner, drinks and lots of opportunities to play poker, craps, roulette and the slots before the ship returns to the dock.
Have you gone gambling in the South? What are your favorite casinos and why? Do you know of other spots to check out for someone wishing to try their luck? Is there anything fun to do outside of the casinos in these gambling hot spots?
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By Unclebuck
January 2, 2008 12:33 PM | Link to this
Imagine all the revenue the state could raise if they allwoed poker rooms here in Georgia. Not Casions but just poker. California and Florida decided Poker was a game of skill and not gambling and they legilized it and making a killing.
What better way to get revenue that is going to Mississippi and Florida coming into this state. Put a Poker Room in Underground and have the revenue to go Grady Hosp.
For those that say it would bring in crime; guess what… we got the crime might as well have the $$$$
By faye
January 2, 2008 1:25 PM | Link to this
I haven’t had a chance to try any of the southern casinos, but as a horse racing fan (hard to be here in Georgia), I drive either 5-6 hours to go to Keeneland in Lexington or Churchill Downs in Louisville, or 2 1/2 hours to Birmingham for horse racing simulcasts (I don’t bet on the dogs, there, though).
Georgia is really missing out on some revenue opportunities.
By Ace McKing
January 2, 2008 1:31 PM | Link to this
The only way poker would work in Atlanta is to have high enough buy-ins and limits that you eliminate all the trash and thugs who would want to hang around with $5 in thier pocket and dirty the whole thing up. And to do that would be to discriminate, so it will never fly.
Went through the same thing at the Bham Horse Track. The common free areas were full of scum and filth and smoke, but they had a club level that cost $10 bucks just to enter and it stayed nice in that area until enough complained and the cover charge got removed. Then that area turned into a filthy smoke filled scumfest. Shortly after the track went downhill and almost bankrupt.
By Just Curious
January 2, 2008 1:42 PM | Link to this
Go to Tunica, Mississippi and see how many of the license plates ARE NOT FROM Mississippi.
They are collecting millions of dollars from out-of-staters and are providing virtually no services to them.
The same is true for Charlestown, WV. Most of the vehicles are from Virginia, Maryland and DC.
I guess in Georgia gambling is only OK if it is a state-run lottery. My wife and I gamble every time we go to Nevada, Mississippi, New Jersey and Florida. It is a shame we can’t leave our dollars in Georgia to support Georgian needs.
Please, no bible thumping…that won’t bring in much needed tax revenue, even if you pray for it.
By todd
January 2, 2008 1:42 PM | Link to this
That track in Birmingham is a pig pen. Ive never been so disappointed in a place. My wife and I went over one Saturday and it was filthy and disgusting to be in. My wife was actaully afraid of some of the characters, it looked like a homeless shelter. We had men begging us for a dollar and trying to give us picks if we would split our winnings with them. I dont know why anyone would think we would want the picks of some homeless looking old man who seems to have never picked anything right his whole life.
Anyways, Beau Rivage in Biloxi is amazing and the only Vegas style casino Ive seen in the south. Its beautiful there. They have a nice spa, a large marina with fishing charters, a nice pool area, and good shows and food. We go there at least 3-4 times a year.
By Cane
January 2, 2008 1:55 PM | Link to this
I used to gamble in Mike Vick’s back yard until his dope selling relatives messed everything up by causing the feds to investigate the property.
By Cane
January 2, 2008 1:57 PM | Link to this
I used to gamble in Mike Vick’s back yard until his dope selling relatives messed everything up by causing the feds to investigate the property.
By John in Tampa, FLA
January 2, 2008 1:57 PM | Link to this
I bet if you put casinos in Underground Atlanta you could probably even get some white people to go there. Well, maybe.
By PP
January 2, 2008 2:02 PM | Link to this
Heck, you don’t have to travel that far to Cherokee, NC (3 hours). How about Birmingham Race Course (2hrs, 45 min.) where you can play the horses. Or on a Sunday, you can go to Victoryland in Shorter, AL for simulcast racing and slots action. It is important to know that both facilities offer live greyhound racing as well as full simulcast thoroughbred racing from track throughout the country, but neither facility offers non-electronic table games (their slots are referred to as “electronic bingo”). There is no live roulette, poker, blackjack, etc…
By John in Tampa, FLA
January 2, 2008 2:15 PM | Link to this
The casinos in Rising Sun, Indiana have grown tremendously on the backs of Ohio and Kentucky gamblers. They started out as crappy little riverboat gambling ships and have evolved into large land based casinos with attached hotels and shops. EASY, EASY MONEY for the state.
Legalized casino gambling in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and North Carolina. What do they know that Georgia doesn’t?
Gambling revenue to the state is the ultimate user tax. You only pay if you play!!!
By Geromino
January 2, 2008 2:17 PM | Link to this
Biloxi is the best experience, and many of the casinos are actually improved since Katrina.
I’d love Poker rooms in Atlanta. Since there is rampant underground/online gambling and so many Atlantans visiting to casinos anyhow, we may as well get some tax revenue.
By the way, there was no noticable increase in crime in Biloxi after they legalized gambling there. I seriously doubt it would increase crime here either.
By Rod
January 2, 2008 3:03 PM | Link to this
Harrah’s casino in Cherokee, N.C., is stupid. In order to stay there on a Saturday night, you have to be a member of their “club.” I’ve contacted them and told them that I’d be a regular if I could just stay there - and they told me the first few times I’d just have to stay elsewhere in town! That’s just bad business.
By Lady Luck
January 2, 2008 3:18 PM | Link to this
There’s a great gambling boat — the Emerald Princess II Casino — that launches from the Golden Isles, near St. Simons Island, GA. It’s a big ship with 2 gaming decks, slots, Blackjack, roulette and stud poker, as well Texas Hold ‘em tournaments. It’s lots of fun, and there light dining and observation deck and cocktail lounge.
By John in Tampa, FLA
January 2, 2008 4:18 PM | Link to this
Dang, all this talk about gambling is making me think of braving the cold tonight and going to the Hard Rock Casino here in Tampa. It is nice to have gambling right in your own city.
By John in Tampa, FLA
January 2, 2008 4:23 PM | Link to this
Don’t feel stupid Keith about the Atlantic City casinos being closed on Sundays. When they first opened New Jersey law dictated they be closed on Sunday mornings. It took a few years before they went to 24 hours.
By Parker
January 2, 2008 4:40 PM | Link to this
Go to Tunica if you enjoy comps. I have been going for years and I stay at Sams Town all the time. Poker is great there with close to 20 tables in their recent expansion. Rooms aren’t amazing but great prices. In fact, I go 2 times annually and I get comped for usually 2 or 3 nights and have been getting mailed offers every month. Also to take into thought, I am by no means a high roller at all….. playing quarter slots, 5 dollar blackjack, and 3-6 limit poker but get comped for everything. I went just 4 weeks ago and only payed for the first meal because I hadnt earned any players points at that time. Then got all 6 of my next meals free by simply playing on quarter machines and 5 dollar tables for both me and my wife. If you are a gambler, and like affordability, this is the best place in the South to go hands down!!!
By Parker
January 2, 2008 4:41 PM | Link to this
Go to Tunica if you enjoy comps. I have been going for years and I stay at Sams Town all the time. Poker is great there with close to 20 tables in their recent expansion. Rooms aren’t amazing but great prices. In fact, I go 2 times annually and I get comped for usually 2 or 3 nights and have been getting mailed offers every month. Also to take into thought, I am by no means a high roller at all….. playing quarter slots, 5 dollar blackjack, and 3-6 limit poker but get comped for everything. I went just 4 weeks ago and only payed for the first meal because I hadnt earned any players points at that time. Then got all 6 of my next meals free by simply playing on quarter machines and 5 dollar tables for both me and my wife. If you are a gambler, and like affordability, this is the best place in the South to go hands down!!!
By Blue Water
January 2, 2008 6:06 PM | Link to this
Never go gamble where there no oversight regulations to monitor the machines. Shorter, Al is a sinkhole and you cannot win or break even there, ever!