Top Ten Casinos and Racinos in the Southeast: Part 2

5. Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, Cherokee, North Carolina

This was our 4^th place pick for 2014.  We still love the magnificent complex with its beautiful architecture and campus-like grounds. It’s a great atmosphere. Plus, the facility is imbued with the rich Cherokee history throughout their amenities on site and in the Cherokee area. The hotel and meeting room areas provide Cherokee art work paintings and sculptures throughout.  The hotel has 1,108 rooms and a top-rated spa. The gaming area houses over 3,300 slots, 100+ table games including an Asian gaming area, and a 20-table poker room. The 10 restaurant and food and bar areas include Ruth Chris Steak House, Brie Restaurant and a Noodle Bar restaurant along with bar and lounge areas adjacent to the gaming floor. The complex includes a retail store area and 3,000 seat event area hosting top-name entertainment. This magnificent complex is all seated on a beautiful campus-style land with a river flowing through. The Cherokee area provides numerous activities including brook trout fishing and white water rafting and offers fun for all ages.

4. Island View Casino Resort, Gulfport, Mississippi

Island View has jumped up to number 4 this year from 8^th place in 2014. The privately owned complex opened their beautiful 18-story beachfront tower hotel with an additional 405 rooms in April 2015.  The new structure includes a new Gulf-front pool area, restaurant and bar. This brings the number of Island View rooms to 976, and 10 food service areas including their award winning Carter Green Steakhouse featuring steaks and Gulf Coast Seafood, Island View Buffet (one of the best of the 74 casinos and racinos we visited), and the new Beach Grill. The casino area has 2,000 slots and 45 table games with extensive choices of games. They provide top area entertainment at their 550 seat “View” showroom and at their “Sunset Bar and Deck.”

3. TIE - Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Florida/Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Tampa, Florida

Hard Rock, Hollywood – up from number 5 in 2014. This impressive casino and hotel complex includes a 4.5 acre water park, 400-room AAA 4-diamond hotel and spa, 130,000 square feet of gaming area.  The gaming space housed 2,200 slots, 135 tables and a 40+ table poker room.  The hotel and casino area is just the beginning. There are numerous restaurants and lounges within the complex. Their entertainment district includes additional food and entertainment areas plus a Hard Rock Live arena which provides top entertainment. The complex is owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida and operated by Hard Rock International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Tampa, Florida – Came in 3^rd on our Top Ten list last year. This complex has the largest gaming area in the southeast with 4,500 slots, over 200 table games and a world-class poker room. Their 214 room hotel and spa has achieved a AAA Four Diamond rating each year for the past 9 years. Eight restaurants include the Seminoles’ signature Council Oaks Restaurant, Hard Rock Café, their award-winning buffet and a large sushi area. This is topped off with five lounges located throughout the gaming areas. Other amenities include live entertainment at the Hard Rock Café, Council Oaks Bar and in the lounge areas. This too is owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida and operated by Hard Rock, International.

2. The Golden Nugget, Lake Charles, Louisiana

When an entity is established that positively and significantly affects markets in the local area, the state and even the region, it has to be considered for one of the top spots. This grand complex features a 740-room hotel including luxury suites with private balconies, coupled with a world-class spa and fitness center, an upper-end retail shopping area, and a large outdoor pool area with a lazy-river. It also includes a 30,000 square foot meeting space and event center entertainment. The grounds surrounding the hotel and casino complex have a 7,000 yard championship golf course, tennis courts and marina.  The Landry restaurants areas include their Saltgrass Steak House, Vic & Anthony’s Steakhouse, Landry’s Seafood, the Grotto Restaurant, Lillie’s Asian Cuisine, Cadillac Bar, the Claim Jumper, the Buffet and the Blur Martini.  The gaming area houses 1,600 slots, 72 table games, a 6-table poker room plus a high-limit area with 13 blackjack tables plus roulette and slots. We featured the Golden Nugget, Lake Charles prior to its opening on our blog in December 2014. The 2015 numbers are impressive with $240 + million in gaming revenues, a 139% jump from 2014 to 2015. What a great 2015 and what a fantastic facility!

1. The MGM Beau Rivage, Biloxi, Mississippi

Our #1 pick the second year in a row is an amazing facility with gorgeous rooms, excellent restaurants, a large casino area with a 16-table poker room hosting significant tournaments, and entertainment facilities and calendar of events among the best in the southeast. Their pool area overlooking the Gulf of Mexico is our favorite in the Southeast. To top it off, they added the new MGM park in mid-2015 – a 5,000 seat facility located directly across the street that hosts the Biloxi Shuckers AA baseball team plus a number of school and university baseball tournaments each year. A great addition for MGM and Biloxi.