Top 10 Gambling Getaways Dont roll the dice when planning your next gambling getaway! Choose from these 10 action-packed gaming vacation destinations where the odds are in your favor for good times both on and off the floor. By ShermansTravel.com Editorial Staff Aruba Aruba offers visitors that rare win-win Caribbean vacation: Days relaxing on Palm Beach morph into nights spent rolling the dice at the island's 10 alluring casinos. Most maintain addresses in glitzy hotels and offer floor action until 3 a.m., but a few, like the elegant Crystal Casino in the Renaissance Aruba Resort , operate 24-7 in bustling downtown Oranjestad. Given the enticements of Arubas casinos, you might be forgiven for missing out on the island's famous near-perfect weather. Atlantic City This aint your daddys Atlantic City. A wave of development has crashed ashore at this long-standing Jersey Shore resort, bringing with it big-money investors who are betting big-time that this East Coast gaming mecca has what it takes to be a little Las Vegas by the sea. The last few years have witnessed serious upgrades at the city's 11 casinos, from celebrity chef restaurants to sprawling spas and New York-style nightclubs, that have made it a high-ante gaming destination that promises plenty of payoff. Goa In a nation renowned for spiritual pilgrimages and yoga retreats, it would seem that the state of Goa is very much the yin to Indias yang. Synonymous with hedonism, this southern state's white-sand beaches, five-star hotels, and all-night-long seaside parties are already legendary; add on the fact that it's the only place in India to allow gambling dens, and you can imagine the activity at its eight hotel-casino resorts. But it's the state's newest gaming offerings that make Goa our wild card entry: Five new floating casinos are in the works to entice gamblers to sail the Mandovi River instead. Las Vegas Lined by dozens of casino resorts varying in theme from ancient Egypt to tropical oases, the fabled Las Vegas Strip buzzes around the clock with Broadway-style shows, world-class eateries, celebrity-owned nightclubs, and ultra-high-end shops. But Vegas isn't all show. Gamblers can get their hands on slot machines, table games, off-track betting, and professional tournaments of every price and style. And with tawdry attractions, rental stretch Hummers, and showgirls around every corner, you'll quickly realize they didn't coin the phrase what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas for nothing. Macau Five years ago, no one would have believed that the small, Chinese peninsula of Macau would ever rival Americas Sin City, but today it's not only surpassed that casino superstar in gambling revenue, but it's gaining on it in reputation to boot. Packed into its 11 square miles (less than half the size of Manhattan island) are 26 casinos, including the $2.4 billion Venetian Macau that became the worlds largest casino when it opened in August 2007. Other hotel bigwigs are upping the ante as well, with billions of dollars worth of expansions in the works to match. Conclusion? Move over Vegas, Macau is on a roll! Mississippi Gulf Coast Theres big change in store for the riverboat frontier along the Mississippi Gulf Coastthe birthplace of gambling in America. The waterfront gambling towns of Biloxi and Gulfport are back on their A-game post-Katrina, with some hundred million dollars of expansions in the works. Most of the old stationary boat casinos, built on offshore barges, were destroyed in the hurricane, but with the bulk of rebuilding focused inland, that sought-after Sin City feel is actually palpable in this Bible Belt state. So, so long Redneck Riviera, say hello to the new Las Vegas of the South. Monte Carlo Nowhere on our list is glitzier than the majestic Monte Carlo Casino, an opulent example of 19th-century belle époque architecture in the heart of Monaco designed by Charles Garnier (the same architect responsible for the ornate Opéra Garnier in Paris). Inside, a marble-paved atrium surrounded by giant onyx columns leads to both an opera venue and a casino floor, where slot machines, roulette, and gaming tables lie between sculptures, frescoes, and paintings. Dress to the nines, and walk in looking like a million dollars. With any luck, you may just leave with a bank account to match. Nassau & Paradise Island Every year, hordes of tourists head to these breezy Atlantic isles to rendezvous with Lady Luck in Nassau and get some beachside sun at the same time. The Crystal Palace Casino on Cable Beach is open for round-the-clock fun, but the main show-stopper is the casino at Atlantis , on neighboring Paradise Island. The largest casino in the Bahamas, Atlantis is lit by skylights and windows that overlook rambling lagoons and gardens; it also boasts a huge indoor aquarium just off the lobby that makes a great distraction from a losing streak. Niagara Falls One of the newer gaming destinations to make this list, with the first casino opening only in the mid-1990s, this ever-popular destination's winning combination of sprawling gaming complexes, bustling tourist promenade, and some of the world's most amazing waterfall views has more than made up for lost time. Casino Niagara, on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, pioneered the gaming movement and when the larger, billion-dollar Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort opened in 2004 with the intention of replacing its predecessor, gambling was deemed sufficiently popular here for both to stick around. Add on the Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel on the American side and you've got three casinos spanning two countrieswith the unique requirement that you bring your passport to experience all of them. Sun City Gaming and game viewing go hand in hand at the Sun City complex, South Africas jungle-themed gambling mecca 90 minutes northwest of Johannesburg on the southern border of Pilanesberg National Park . Take your chances on a big five safari (lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and buffalo) before retreating to the five-star Palace of the Lost City for a high-stakes game of punto banco (baccarat). Novice gamblers whose arms grow weary tugging at the resorts 850 slot machines can enroll in the Sun City School of Gaming to learn the skills and etiquette of table games like roulette, blackjack, craps, and stud poker. Its roaring fun! Correction - Dec. 27, 2007: This article originally referenced Tunica as a Mississippi Gulf Coast gambling destination, but, as readers identified, this city is not located on the Gulf Coast. Tunica, Miss., is located inland near the Mississippi River.
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