For most of us, a trip to the casino for gambling, food, drinks, and fun is a luxury vacation. There are numerous beautiful and stylish resorts all over the country that will make a casino holiday unforgettable. Vegas is the original Sin City, of course.
Get Weird
Despite being in the United States, not all casinos are created equal. Some of these unusual locales have put themselves on the map for their oddball occurrences or spooky happenings.
The U.S. isn’t the only one with weird gaming going on either. Canada is not far behind when it comes to strange places for casinos. In fact, there are some very unique and exciting casinos all over the world that are just begging to be explored.
True casino enthusiasts, however, sometimes they need a bit more. For these connoisseurs, a unique casino experience is in order. Luckily, there are some truly bizarre casinos around the United States just waiting to be explored. From strange locations, haunted sites, to unlikely venues — these destinations should be on every casino bucket list.
Bally’s Las Vegas Hotel and Casino in Paradise, Nevada
Gather around the campfire and keep your flashlight handy because this casino is a real-life ghost story.
The present-day Bally’s Casino in Paradise, Nevada was actually once the MGM Grand Hotel. Back in November of 1980, however, there was a terrible fire that killed 85 people, mostly from smoke inhalation, and destroyed the majority of the building.
The new structure, Bally’s Casino, actually incorporated the old tower from the MGM where the fire happened and unexplained stories abound. Over the decades, many people claim to have seen ghosts, spirits, or inexplicable movements of objects around the establishment and it remains a site of spooky happenings to this day.
The disaster remains one of the deadliest in Nevada’s history and many believe the new casino on the same location is haunted by those that perished in the fire. The location has gained a widespread reputation for creepy disturbances and urban legends only feed the flames.
If you care to test fate, maybe try a trip to the haunted casino. It could be a gamble…
Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, Illinois
Rivers Casino wins the award for best loophole casino in the country. The law in Illinois is that every gambling establishment within the state must operate on water. Most casino owners took that to mean they should run their businesses on the local riverboats… but not Rivers.
Operating since 2011, Rivers Casino is the only casino in the United States that is built on a puddle. It may not be the greatest marketing strategy in the world to draw in the crowds but surprisingly, that’s exactly what it does.
The entire building was constructed on a body of very shallow water in order to skirt the law. Now they’re legal and have a silly story to boot. Despite the marshy foundation, their location is actually pretty great. Located minutes from downtown Chicago and O’Hare Airport, Rivers Casino boasts 50 classic gaming tables and over 1,000 slot machines.
Hopefully, the floors are well-constructed so you don’t get your feet wet.
Talk about a technicality…
X-Train in Las Vegas, Nevada
A casino on rails? What will they think of next?
If you don’t want to waste your time while traveling to Sin City, you can always try your luck on the way! The first of its kind, the X-Train offers tons of gaming tables, slots, and a sports bar all to keep you entertained on the 5.5-hour journey.
X-Train to Becoming a Casino Millionaire
The X-Train launched in 2011 and operates between Los Angeles and Las Vegas and offering gaming tables for those who can’t wait to get to Vegas or for those who are returning and are attempting to recover their losses.
Despite the cramped space, the train-turned-casino is surprisingly well-equipped with a classic casino ambiance that gets you in the mood on the way to the real thing. This is the perfect trip for a true casino enthusiast.
Imperial Hotel in Cripple Creek, Colorado
Another haunted hotel makes the list with the creepy casino of Cripple Creek, Colorado, a town itself that’s said to be the most haunted city in Colorado.
The Imperial Hotel might actually be spookier to the casino’s owners rather than the players since the urban tales tell of possessed slot machines, coming alive during the night and spilling out their coins while unattended! Truly, there is no scarier occurrence to the proprietor of a casino.
But animated slot machines aren’t the only horror story here. Many patrons claim the establishment is haunted by its former owner, sparking stories of the ghost wandering the halls every night.
With a dark forest locale, slot machines coming to life, and frequent ghost sightings, gambling at the Imperial Hotel is not for the faint-hearted.
Where to Next?
Only time will tell if more crazy casinos start popping up all around too. So gaming aficionados, get out there! Bizarre experiences await.