Five destination casino resorts far from Las Vegas and Macau, from tribal gaming floors in Connecticut and New York to the Atlantic City Boardwalk, the bushveld of South Africa and the beaches of Nassau. Every hotel and every casino floor gets its own independent score.
Las Vegas and Macau dominate the conversation about casino resorts, but some of the most interesting gaming floors in the world are somewhere else entirely. Tribal nations in the northeastern United States built two of the largest casino resorts in North America. Atlantic City has reinvented itself around a new generation of towers. In South Africa, a fantasy palace stands beside a Big Five game reserve, and in The Bahamas the Caribbean’s largest casino looks straight out to sea.
We review these resorts the way a serious traveler would, and we review their casinos the way a serious player would: table games and rules, poker rooms, sportsbooks, bingo halls and keno lounges, high-limit salons, smoking policy, age limits, regulators and self-exclusion. The two scores never mix, and neither is an invitation to gamble.
Each resort carries a resort score for the stay and a separate casino score for the gaming floor.
US tribal gamingMashantucket, Connecticut, USA
The tribal casino that rewrote the map of American gaming
The deepest, most varied casino in our set, with a genuine poker room, a huge bingo hall and a smoke-free floor. The hotel side is solid rather than spectacular.
US tribal gamingVerona, New York, USA
Golf, spa and an 18-plus casino floor in the heart of upstate New York
The best-rounded tribal resort in our set, with real golf, an excellent spa and a well-run 32-table poker room. The partial-smoking floor and rural location cost it points.
Atlantic CityAtlantic City, New Jersey, USA
Atlantic City’s tallest tower, with a sleek floor and a sky-high salon
The most modern hotel product in Atlantic City and a stylish, well-regulated casino with standout high-limit spaces. The lack of a confirmed live poker room holds its casino score back.
AfricaSun City, North West Province, South Africa
A fantasy palace in the bushveld, with South Africa’s original casino resort next door
One of the most spectacular resort hotels in the world, with two championship golf courses and a Big Five game reserve on the doorstep. The Sun City casino is solid and well regulated but modest by international standards.
The CaribbeanCable Beach, Nassau, The Bahamas
Three hotels, one beach and the largest casino in the Caribbean
The best resort in our set: exceptional beach, golf, spa and dining across three distinct hotels. The casino is beautiful and large, but only visitors may play and there is no confirmed live poker room.
Sorted by casino score. Foxwoods leads on sheer range, from its poker room and bingo hall to its race book and sportsbook.
One of the most complete casino floors in North America
A sleek oceanfront floor with Atlantic City’s highest gaming salon
Daylight, sea views and the Caribbean’s largest gaming floor
A tribal casino with an 18-plus floor and a serious poker room
South Africa’s first casino resort, with a 24-hour private salon
Resort scores are weighted across six criteria; casino scores across five, calculated from published sub-scores. Player protection carries a fifth of the casino weight, because a well-run floor is one that makes it easy to stop.
Read the full methodologyPlain-English explainers on tribal gaming law, keno and roulette wheels, with the math left in.
How the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act works, what class II and class III gaming mean, why tribal-state compacts matter and what changes for you as a visitor.
How a keno draw works, what spots and catches mean, why pay tables matter and why keno’s house edge is among the highest in any casino.
European single-zero, American double-zero and the newer triple-zero wheels compared: house edges of 2.70%, 5.26% and 7.69%, and how to tell them apart.
Because a great hotel can sit on top of an ordinary casino, and a superb casino can come with tired rooms. The resort score rates rooms, dining, pools, spa, golf, entertainment, setting and service. The casino score rates the gaming floor itself: game variety, poker and specialty rooms, atmosphere, high-limit areas and player protection.
We never average the two into a single number. Read each on its own terms.
No. The casino score describes the quality of a gaming floor for adults who already choose to gamble. It says nothing about your chances of winning, which are governed by the house edge on every game. We do not encourage anyone to gamble.
It varies. Foxwoods (Connecticut) and Ocean Casino Resort (New Jersey) are 21+ for gaming, although bingo at Foxwoods is 18+. Turning Stone (New York) admits players 18 and over to its gaming floor, though alcohol is 21+. Sun City in South Africa and Baha Mar in The Bahamas are 18+, and in The Bahamas only visitors may gamble; residents are barred by law.
Tribal casinos operate on sovereign tribal land under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and, for slots and table games, a compact with the state. Their day-to-day regulator is usually a tribal gaming commission rather than a state agency, and they can set their own policies on smoking and, in some cases, age. Our tribal casinos guide explains it in detail.
No. Resortreviews by HotelsAgain is purely editorial. We do not take bookings or wagers, we do not link to operators or betting sites, and we do not publish bonuses or promotional offers.
Reviews were last checked in September 2026. Casinos change table counts, poker schedules, smoking rules and opening hours often, so always confirm the details that matter to you directly with the resort before you travel.
Every casino game has a built-in house edge. Set a budget and a time limit before you play, never chase losses, and stop if it stops being fun. Minimum ages depend on the jurisdiction.