When most people think about Las Vegas, they picture the casinos on the Las Vegas Strip. Others, however, may think of Fremont Street and downtown Las Vegas. In addition to these properties, there are a large number of locals and off-strip casinos.
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Locals and off-strip casinos with table games
Casino Club pages are available for 23 of the 31 casinos named below.* Additionally, all live table game information is listed on blackjack and table game survey pages. These are accessible through Survey & Early Access, Total Access, and Super Fan level memberships.
Boyd Properties
In addition to casinos downtown, Boyd Gaming operates six casinos in the locals market. These properties range both in geographical location and features. Many of these casinos also offer family-friendly amenities, like a bowling alley or movie theater.
The following six casinos are part of the Boyd Gaming family. Players can earn comps by using a Boyd Rewards players card. However, this players club is one of the worst for video poker and table game players.
- Aliante*
- Cannery*
- Gold Coast*
Station Casinos
Station Casinos operates seven casinos with live table games. It also has multiple casinos with non-restricted gaming licenses that only offer a selection of slots, video poker, and electronic table games. Most of these operate under the Wildfire brand. However, one Wildfire location operates under a restricted license. Owned by Station Casinos, Barley’s and The Greens also have non-restricted gaming licenses.
The following casinos deal live table games in addition to offering slots and video poker. Many of these casinos offer family-friendly amenities like a movie theater, arcade, bowling alley, Kids Quest, and Cyber Quest. Players earn comps by using a Boarding Pass. The same players card is used across all Station properties.
Other locals and off-strip casinos
The remaining casinos operate independently of other Las Vegas casinos or operate within a smaller casino group.
- Alamo
- Arizona Charlie’s Decatur
- Ellis Island*
- Jerry’s Nugget
- M Resort*
- Mohegan Casino*
- Silver Sevens
- Silverton*
- Skyline
- South Point*
- Tuscany
- Westgate*
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If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Off-strip versus locals
The definition of an off-strip versus a locals casino is an arbitrary one Vegas Advantage uses simply to help keep data sets smaller. These subsets have been used to summarize our findings.
Off-strip casinos in Las Vegas
Some casinos are located close to the Las Vegas Strip and/or attract more visitors than locals. Many of these properties offer a substantial value compared to casinos on the Strip. Vegas Advantage places fourteen casinos in this category.
Twelve of the fourteen casinos have Casino Club pages*. Live table game information is listed on blackjack and table game survey pages for all fourteen properties. These are accessible through Survey & Early Access, Total Access, and Super Fan level memberships.
- Ellis Island*
- Gold Coast*
- M Resort*
- Mohegan Casino*
- Orleans*
- Oyo*
- Palace Station*
- Palms*
- Rio*
- Silver Sevens
- Silverton*
- South Point*
- Tuscany
- Westgate*
Properties aimed at locals
Other Las Vegas casinos attract locals as their primary customer base. These are mainly located in neighborhood areas away from tourist attractions. Vegas Advantage classifies eighteen casinos with live table games as locals casinos. This group included Eastside Cannery, Fiesta Henderson, Fiesta Rancho, and Texas Station before the pandemic. However, these casinos never reopened. Only Eastside Cannery remains standing.
We offer Casino Club pages for eleven of these eighteen properties*. All live table game information is listed on blackjack and table game survey pages, even if the casino does not have a specific page in our survey. As mentioned above, these are accessible through Survey & Early Access, Total Access, and Super Fan level memberships.
- Alamo
- Aliante*
- Arizona Charlie’s Decatur
- Boulder Station*
- Cannery*
- Durango*
- Green Valley Ranch*
- Jerry’s Nugget
- Pass Casino
- Poker Palace
- Railroad Pass
- Rampart*
- Red Rock*
- Sam’s Town*
- Santa Fe Station*
- Skyline
- Suncoast*
- Sunset Station*
Not all locals casinos have table games
As we discovered when planning for our 21st-anniversary world record, there are a large number of casinos in Las Vegas with non-restricted gaming licenses. These casinos may have live table games and more than 15 gaming devices. On the other hand, local bars (like PT’s), grocery stores, and most Dotty’s locations have restricted gaming licenses.
Most Wildfire Casinos have non-restricted licenses. However, these properties mostly offer video gaming options like slots, keno, and video poker. Some also have a selection of electronic table games.
Live table games were also dealt at Jokers Wild before the pandemic. Now, there is a small selection of electronic table games. Club Fortune removed all live tables in November 2022. Pass Casino, Railroad Pass, and Silver Sevens also removed live tables in the last few years.
Locals casinos offer lower limits and better odds
Las Vegas locals casinos can’t offer bad games with high minimum bets. Locals won’t play with poor odds. This requires a different strategy by locals casino operators. There are still $5 craps, roulette, and 3/2 blackjack games at locals and off-Strip casinos. In a few instances, minimum bets are even lower than that. There are only a few 6/5 blackjack games in this market. Most are at single-deck tables.
Video poker on the Strip is atrocious at low limits. That is not a problem in the locals market. Some of those casinos have 100% payback machines. Most offer at least a few 99% video poker games.
Casino floors in the Las Vegas locals market usually have more video poker machines than slots when compared to the Strip. Residents prefer video poker over slots because the house edge is much lower. Locals build loyalty with casinos that offer the best odds, which is why it is difficult to find operators in that segment of the market with bad games.
Fewer amenities in the locals market
Locals casinos have fewer amenities than Strip properties. Modern properties are required to have hotels. Most build only the minimum number required to comply with this regulation. Only major resorts have spas and pools. Some major locals casinos have movie theaters, bowling alleys, and several dining options, while others are little more than a tavern with a few hundred machines.
Last Updated on December 27, 2024 by John Mehaffey