Top Ten Casinos and Racinos in the Southeast

We visited all 72 casinos and racinos in the Southeastern States during 2014, and some more than once. So we’ve put together our top ten favorites based on observations, the patrons, the food and beverage areas, mood and professional appearance and actions of the employees and operators. Just how did we feel about the place, the crowd factor, would I come back here factor, the entertainment factor, the excitement factor? And my own personal likes and dislikes -- I like thoroughbred horse racing; I dislike greyhound dog racing or being charged extra for wi-fi. So here they are:

1.   Beau Rivage, Biloxi, Mississippi – Beau Rivage has it all. The four star-rated hotel has 1,740 rooms owned and managed by MGM Resorts International. The casino area has 2,100 slots, an assortment of table games along with a 16 table poker room. There are 9 restaurants including one buffet area plus 3 bars adjacent to the gaming areas and one at their beautiful pool area. Their patrons include people of all ages including families with children. The facility has a gorgeous location directly on the Gulf of Mexico, a lobby that welcomes you with its “wow factor,” and a large upscale retail shopping area.  Their entertainment facilities are among the best in the U.S.

2.   L’Auberge Casino Resort, Lake Charles, Louisiana – L’Auberge at Lake Charles has a great wow factor with unique architecture and design that’s immediately inviting.  The facility is owned and operated by Pinnacle Entertainment. The hotel has 995 rooms, 1,600 slots, 83 table games and a large poker room. It has restaurants and eating areas including a large buffet plus a bar at their great pool area. Patrons include people of all ages including families with children. The property also includes an 18-hole championship golf course.  Entertainment areas include a 1,400 seat auditorium featuring top name stars and groups and a 165 seat indoor-outdoor casual dining area with live entertainment.  They too have a large upscale retail area.  Pinnacle has created a great facility that combines upper-end with comfort. 

3.   Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Tampa, Florida – This has the largest gaming area in the southeast with over 4,500 slots, several table game areas including their blackjack pit and Asian-inspired table game area, and a large poker room. Their 242 room hotel boasts its AAA four-diamond rating each year for the past 8 years.  Their 8 restaurants include the Seminole’s signature Council Oak and Hard Rock Café. In addition, the gaming areas have five lounges. Other amenities include a large spa and live entertainment at the Hard Rock Café Council Oaks and in the lounges. The facility is owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida and operated by Hard Rock, International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Seminole Tribe.

4.   Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, Cherokee, North Carolina – This beautiful facility located in a beautiful area and owned by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and operated by Harrah’s.  The hotel has 1,108 rooms, some with gorgeous mountain views. The gaming area houses 3,325 slots, over 100 table games including an Asian gaming area plus a 20 table poker room. Ten restaurants and eating areas include their buffet, Ruth Chris Steak House, Brio and a Noodle Bar restaurants. Other amenities include bar and lounge areas adjacent to the gaming floor, a full service SPA and a retail store area.  Their 3,000 seat event center hosts top name entertainment.

5.   Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood/Fort Lauderdale, Florida – This casino complex includes a 4.5 acre water park, 500 room AAA four-diamond hotel, a large SPA, 130,000 square foot gaming area and an entertainment district. The gaming area houses 2,200 slots, 130 tables and a 40 + table poker room.  Their 5,000 seat Hard Rock Live Arena is among the best in South Florida and hosts top entertainment. In addition, there is live entertainment in several restaurants and lounges.  Numerous restaurants and lounges within the complex include their signature Council Oak Steaks and Seafood (where we had their amazing 30-oz in-bone ribeye steak), Hard Rock Café, a food court, poolside Beach Club and Hooters. This, too, is owned by The Seminole Tribe of Florida and operated by Hard Rock, International.

6.   Harrah’s New Orleans Casino and Hotel, New Orleans, Louisiana – Located just steps away from the famous New Orleans French Quarter, across the street from the New Orleans Convention Center in the heart of all the action.  Facilities include a 450 room hotel, 3800 slots, and 100 + table games.  The complex is surrounded with New Orleans entertainment plus they have entertainment in their numerous lounges and restaurants. The casino hotel complex has more than a dozen restaurants including Besh Steaks, Ruth Chris Steak House, Gordon Borsch, and their buffet.

7.   Margaritaville Resort Casino, Bossier City, Louisiana – I’m a huge fan of this resort casino, which I featured in an earlier post.  The hotel has 395 rooms, a large spa, and houses 1,300 slots and 46 table games. Their 7 food areas include the World Tour Buffet, Margaritaville Restaurant and Jimmy’s Seafood and Steak along with a large lounge and bar area and pool bar area overlooking the Red River. The facility also has a 900-seat performance Hall and has live entertainment in the lounge and pool bar areas. The casino and Hotel opened for business in June 2013. Their 2014 casino revenue market share was 17+ percent of the Shreveport-Bossier City 7-casino market.  The project is privately owned.

8.   Island View Casino Resort, Gulfport, Mississippi – Gulfport is a short drive west of Biloxi fronting the Gulf of Mexico. This privately owned facility has 565 rooms, a spa, and houses 2,000 slots and 45 table games.  Island View has 7 restaurant food areas including their award-winning Carter Green Steakhouse which features Steak and Gulf Coast Seafood, the Island View Buffet (which is magnificent – try the funnel cakes), and their Beach Boulevard Steamers restaurant directly across the street.  They offer live entertainment their 550 seat View Showroom and their Sunset Bar and Deck. They’re in the process of completing a high-rise across the street that will be on the beach and should open this year.

9.   L’Auberge at Baton Rouge, Louisiana – Owned and operated by Pinnacle Entertainment.  Its incredible architectural structure and river front location makes it another wow factor project.  The facility has 205 hotel rooms, a rooftop pool, 1,500 slots 50+ tables and a 1,500 square foot poker room. Their 5 restaurant and food areas include their signature 18 Steak, Stadium Sports Bar and Grill and a large buffet. They feature live entertainment in their music bar and at “Live,” their 1,400 seat entertainment center. L’Auberge at Baton Rouge opened for business in the second half of 2012 and grabbed 39+% of the Baton Rouge casino revenue market share in 2013 and 2014. While we were here, we particularly enjoyed a magnificent sunset from the rooftop pool, spa and exercise facility.

10.          Gulfstream Park Racetrack and Casino, Hallandale/Fort Lauderdale, Florida – If you want to visit a model racino, this is it. I featured this one in an earlier post, “Pegasus, paddocks and pies”.  The casino area is small in comparison, with 850 slots and no table games. But the thoroughbred racing facility is fabulous and it is woven into an exceptional upper end retail shopping area that offers dozens of world known retail names.  You also have access to 20+ great restaurants and bars including the facilities own bar area and clubhouse restaurant.  The location in the Fort Lauderdale, North Miami Beach area just makes it that much better. The combination makes this a great day of entertainment.   

How Oil and Gas Prices Will Affect Casino/Racino Revenues in 2015

In part 3 of my 2014 Review/2015 Predictions for the Casino and Racino Industry in the Southeast, I’ll discuss the single greatest economic factor for 2015 Casino and Racino Industry in the southeastern states: the Oil Industry. 

A January article in Fortune Magazine starts out: “A decade of strong oil and gas prices [$100/BBL] made Big Oil rich and fat which has led to waste across the industry.  This not only translated into runaway spending at the corporate level – including everything from executive jets to overly-generous pay packages.”…. “Pretty much all the oil and gas companies announced cuts to their 2015 capital plans.”

Bloomberg Business Reports “Oil explorers and contractors that help them drill wells, build offshore platforms, lay pipelines and feed rig crews have been whiplashed by the seven-month rout of oil markets that saw the value of a barrel of crude shrink by 57 percent.  The industry has responded by cutting more than 30,000 jobs, halting exploration projects and deferring investments in everything from gas export terminals to petrochemical plants.”

As you drive from Shreveport/Bossier City south on Highway 171 or I-49, you can smell the crude in the air. Travel from Lafayette, Louisiana to New Orleans on Highway 90 and you’ll be inundated with signs from every name known to the oil industry. 

Louisiana has the largest concentration of crude oil refineries, natural gas processing plants and petrochemical facilities in the Western Hemisphere.  It is America’s third largest producer of petroleum and third leading state in petroleum refining.  Louisiana is the second largest producer of natural gas.  It supplies over 25 percent of the total U.S. production.  

While Texas leads the U.S. in most of the categories of oil and gas production, Texas does not have casinos or racinos – so in the parking lots of casinos and racinos across the Shreveport/Bossier City and Lake Charles regions, you’ll see as many Texas license plates as Louisiana plates. 

The halting of projects, firing of workers and deferring of investments will certainly change the economies in Texas and Louisiana and negatively affect the Casino and Racino business in all four Louisiana regions.

So I’ll start with my predictions for the four Louisiana Regions:

First, Lake Charles: The new Golden Nugget Casino Resort opened for business December 2014. The Golden Nugget should be a good draw to the Region despite the Oil situation.  Its owner is a major force in the casino industry. However, like the other Lake Charles Casinos and Racinos, they all rely heavily on business in the oil and gas areas of Texas and Louisiana.  If cheap oil and gas continue through 2015, I predict an overall 2 to 3 percent decline in gaming revenues for the overall area.  Again, I believe the decline would be much larger if the Golden Nugget had not entered the market.

Shreveport/Bossier City: This region will also be negatively affected.  Again, if the low prices for oil continue through 2015, I predict 4 to 6 percent drop in gaming revenues for this Region and the shuttering of one casino.

 Baton Rouge and New Orleans Regions: Will likely be less affected, so I predict a 2 to 4 percent decline in gaming revenues if low crude prices last through the year.

The economies of the nine Southeastern States vary significantly -- from the oil and gas industry in Louisiana to the huge tourism industry of Florida to the agriculture industry in most of the states. But a ripple effect from fluctuations in the oil and gas industry reaches across all of the states. 

Arkansas’ racinos should be positively affected if If low oil and gas prices continue to leave consumers with more discretionary income, we should see a positive effect on Arkansas’s racinos.  The two racinos have had substantial increases in gaming revenues in the past five years, but I expect that to moderate to a 3 to 5 percent increase in 2015.

Florida’s racinos should have an increase in gaming revenues with the lower oil and gas prices, its significant agriculture industry, and good overall economic growth giving their residents and massive tourism and winter residents’ additional spending money. Plus Hialeah Park Racetrack and Casino will have its first full year. I predict a 5 to 7 percent increase for the Florida Racinos overall.  The Seminole and Miccosukee Casinos will have a solid 2015.

In Mississippi, I expect to see a decline of 2 to 3 percent in gaming revenues and the shuttering of one casino for the River Counties and a 2 to 3 percent increase for the Gulf Region.

Among the remaining southeastern states, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee do not have casinos or racinos, while Alabama and North Carolina have Native American Casinos only.