Las Vegas Welcomed a Record 41 Million Visitors in 2014
A record 41.1 million people visited Las Vegas in 2014, with monthly visitation increasing over its 2013 counterpart; that represents a year-over-year increase of 3.6%. Over the last five years, the number of tourists to visit Las Vegas has climbed 13.1%.
Las Vegas is also one of the most popular convention destinations. In 2014, 5.17 million delegates attended 22,103 conventions in Las Vegas, and in 2013, Las Vegas hosted 22,027 conventions and 5.10 million delegates.
Las Vegas, without question, has the most storied history when it comes to gambling. The country’s most popular gambling destination, the Las Vegas strip, generated $6.4 billion in gaming revenue.
Despite the worldwide proliferation of new gambling destinations, Las Vegas continues to be the most famous and prestigious. While every casino has its own unique atmosphere and amenities, not all casinos are created equal.
Here, in no particular order, is a list of 10 of the top casinos in Las Vegas:
10. Wynn Resorts
Wynn Resorts holds more Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star awards than any other independent hotel company in the world. The resort offers award-winning restaurants, an 18-hole golf course, two award-winning spas, salons, and luxury shopping. As for the casino, on the slots, you can drop a penny or $5,000, blackjack minimums start at $15.00 and go up to $10,000, and there is also baccarat ($100–$15,000), big six, and mini-baccarat ($50,00–$10,000). The casino also has 26 poker tables and everything else you could imagine.
9. Aria Resort & Casino
The Aria Resort and Casino contains 4,004 guest rooms and suites, 16 restaurants, 10 bars and nightclubs, a 215,000-square-foot pool area with 50 cabanas, an 80,000-square-foot salon and spa, a 300,000-square-foot convention center, and a 1,800-seat theatre. The 150,000-square-foot casino has slots that will take a penny bet, dollar, or $5,000 bet. In addition to all the traditional table games, the Aria also hosts a high-limit table lounge, Salon Privé, where elite players from around the world enjoy a collection of high-end table games, including every level of poker and race and sports betting.
8. The Bellagio
The Bellagio might be considered “old” by current Las Vegas standards (it opened in October 1998), but it still has the “wow factor.” The splashy fountains at the Bellagio were featured in Ocean’s Eleven and continue to be a popular attraction on the Strip. The Bellagio hotel has 3,933 guest rooms and suites; visitors can also stay in one of their 6,500-square-foot, two-bedroom/five-bathroom villas or 8,000-square-foot, three-bedroom/seven-bathroom villas. The 100,000-square-foot casino features 2,400 slots, 190 table and poker games, and a high-limit lounge. On top of that, the Bellagio has a 5,600-square-foot race and sports book venue with 99 individual racing monitors, including seven large screens for racing and six large screens for sports.
7. The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
The Cosmopolitan, although fairly new, has already been named one of the top hotels in the world. The two high-rise towers contain 2,995 hotel rooms, suites, and penthouses; 300,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space; a 40,000-square-foot spa and fitness facility; a 1,800-seat theatre; and 150,000 square feet of convention space. The 100,000-square-foot casino features 83 individual gaming tables including blackjack, roulette, craps, baccarat, three card poker, fortune pai gow poker, and ultimate Texas hold’em. High-limit gaming is also available. The casino also features roughly 1,500 slots, with denominations ranging from $0.01 to $500. The casino’s race and sports book offers bettors the chance to wager on sports and other live events.
6. Mandalay Bay
Mandalay Bay is a mega-resort with 3,200 rooms, a 12,000-seat events centre, a 30,000-square-foot spa, shopping, restaurants, a beach, a shark reef, and 1.7 million square feet of meeting space. Those who like to gamble can wander the casino’s 135,000-square-foot gaming environment. Home to over 1,700 slot and video poker machines, gamers can bet anywhere from $0.01 to $100. Favourite gaming table games include poker, blackjack, craps, and roulette. The Mandalay Bay casino also features a high-limit slots room, the Lotus Room, where players can try their hand at a variety of table games, including pai gow poker, pai gow tile, and blackjack, and VIP hosting services. The Mandalay Bay Sports Book has 17 large-screen TVs and countless individual race seats with individual monitors. Enclosed VIP seating is available for groups of one to eight.
5. Luxor Hotel and Casino
If you’ve ever wanted to spend the night in a glass pyramid and whittle the hours away watching Criss Angel: Believe or listening to Carrot Top, then the Luxor is for you. The casino has a hotel with 4,407 rooms (including 442 suites), a wedding chapel, 20,000 square feet of convention space, a spa, and 30 retail stores. You can even book your very own custom in-room boudoir photo shoot! In your spare time, you can visit the 120,000-square-foot casino with over 2,000 slot machines and 87 table games. The Luxor Poker Room offers daily poker tournaments along with limit hold’em and no limit hold’em. The exclusive high-limit area of the casino has a private cocktail station and race and sports book offers wagering on every major collegiate and professional sport.
4. MGM Grand
The biggest hotel in the country is like a city unto itself. The MGM Grand has 6,852 suites and rooms located in several buildings. Those with a little extra spending money can stay in a private SkyLOFT or exclusive villa. The MGM Grand also has a spa, wedding chapel, restaurants, night clubs, shopping, and a 380,000-square-foot convention centre. Guests can watch David Copperfield, KÀ from Cirque du Soleil, or catch stand-up at Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club. Home to the largest casino in Clark County, the MGM Grand measures 171,500 square feet and has more than 2,500 machines and 140 poker and table games. There is a special high-limit slots area, featuring slot machines with payouts up to $500,000. The MGM Grand race and sports book area features thirty-six 60-inch plasma TVs, along with twenty-four 42-inch plasmas.
3. SLS Las Vegas Hotel & Casino
Situated at the legendary north end of the Las Vegas Strip and the site of the former Sahara Hotel & Casino, SLS Las Vegas Hotel & Casino features over 1,600 guestrooms (and more than 250 urbane hotel suites) in three different hotel towers: Story, Lux, and World. SLS also has a first-class spa, fitness center, two pools, a number of restaurants, poolside lounges, and a trio of premier nightclubs. The SLS also has 80,000 square feet of convention and meeting space and a 9,000-square-foot ballroom. The nearly 60,000-square-foot SLS casino has 800 of the latest slot and video poker machines, 70 classic table games (high-limit blackjack, baccarat, fortune pai gow poker, big six, roulette, craps, ultimate Texas hold’em, three card poker), and a race and sports book presented by William Hill. The intimate High Limit Salon offers a gaming environment for those looking for a more private gaming experience.
2. Mirage Hotel & Casino
The Mirage is a 3,044-room, Polynesian-themed hotel and casino with a volcano in its front yard. The Mirage has an on-site spa, salon, shopping, specialty shops, pools, restaurants (from fine dining to casual), and nightclubs. The Mirage event centre has 90,000 square feet of convention and meeting space and a 40,000-square-foot ballroom, while the Mirage casino has everything you’d expect from one of the top destinations in Las Vegas, from poker to pai gow, blackjack to baccarat, and slots to high-limit gaming. The race and sports book venue has ultra-HD projection screens featuring 24-hour sports and races.
1. Caesars Palace
The granddaddy of Las Vegas, Caesars Palace first opened in 1966 and was home to the Rat Pack, prize-winning fights, and Evel Knievel; today, Caesars Palace is home to Elton John and Rod Stewart. Caesars Palace has 3,960 hotel rooms in six towers. The luxury hotel also has a salon, pool, nightclubs, and the Forum Shops, one of the city’s first retail centres, with 160 specialty stores, fine restaurants, and attractions. The hotel includes a convention facility of over 300,000 square feet and plenty of areas to conduct a wedding. Caesars Palace’s 130,000-square-foot casino is a hotspot for high rollers and celebrities. With 1,500 gaming machines, Caesars Palace has more $1.0 million-and-up slot jackpots than any other casino in the world. It also has 185 table games (from craps and baccarat to pai gow, roulette, and six card poker) and 92 poker tables. The race book features 65 multiple flat-screen TVs, each in its own private booth, as well as 140 seats.
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Sources:
“Las Vegas Stats & Facts,” Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority web site; http://www.lvcva.com/stats-and-facts/, last accessed March 20, 2015.
“Vegas FAQs,” Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority web site; http://www.lvcva.com/includes/content/images/MEDIA/docs/2013-Vegas-FAQs.pdf, last accessed March 20, 2015.
Wynn Las Vegas web site; http://www.wynnlasvegas.com/, last accessed March 20, 2015.
Aria Resort & Casino web site; http://www.aria.com/, last accessed March 20, 2015.
Bellagio Las Vegas web site; http://www.bellagio.com/casino/default.aspx, last accessed March 20, 2015.
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas web site; http://www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com/, last accessed March 20, 2015.
Mandalay Bay web site; http://www.mandalaybay.com/, last accessed March 20, 2015.
Luxor Las Vegas web site; https://www.luxor.com/, last accessed March 20, 2015.
MGM Grand web site; http://www.mgmgrand.com/, last accessed March 20, 2015.
SLS Las Vegas web site; http://slslasvegas.com/, last accessed March 20, 2015.
Mirage Last Vegas web site; http://www.mirage.com/, last accessed March 20, 2015.
Caesars Entertainment web site; https://www.caesars.com/index.html, last accessed March 20, 2015.