The United States is home to more than 1,500 casinos – more than any other country on the planet. From coast to coast, gamblers have a huge range of options for where to place their bets. To help us find the best casinos in the country, we recruited Lisa Robertson-Dziedzic, Editorial Director of Casino Player and Strictly Slots magazines, along with Tony Harrell, a travel agent specializing in casino travel, to nominate their 20 favorites.

1. Nugget Casino Sparks
2. Peppermill Reno Spa
3. Atlantis Resort&spa Casino
4. Peppermill Resort Spa Casino Reno Nevada

• Mohegan Sun
  Uncasville, Conn.

  One of two gambling destination resorts in Connecticut, Mohegan Sun features three casinos: Casino of the Earth, Casino of the Wind and Casino of the Sky. The three gaming floors between them boast a whopping 5,000 slot machines, 275 table games, 42 poker tables, a race book, two smoke-free areas and Sunrise Square, an area fashioned after an Asian market that offers traditional Asian table games like Sic Bo, Pai Gow Poker and Baccarat.
  Photo courtesy of Mohegan Sun

• Caesars Palace Las Vegas
  Las Vegas

  A classic Las Vegas casino, Caesars Palace brings the gaming experience to an ancient Roman setting. Encompassing 85 acres on The Strip, Caesars pairs its unique atmosphere and comprehensive casino offerings with some of the best retail, dining and entertainment in the city.
  Photo courtesy of bwzenith

• Pechanga Resort & Casino
  Temecula, Calif.

  Located in Southern California, Pechanga Resort & Casino houses a 200,000-square-foot casino floor where gamblers will find more than 4,000 slots, 130 table games, 11 restaurants, a 700-seat Bingo hall and coming in December 2017, a $285 million expansion.
  Photo courtesy of Pechanga Resort & Casino

• L'Auberge Casino Resort
  Lake Charles, La.

  L'Auberge Casino Resort in Lake Charles, Louisiana sits only two hours from the Houston metro area, making it a convenient place to enjoy 70,000-square-feet of gaming space equipped with 70 table games and some 1,600 slots. The casino's High Limits Salon offers even more tables and slots with denominations up to $100, while its 2,100-square-foot, 24/7 poker room has six tables plus one semi-private high stakes table.
  Photo courtesy of L'Auberge Casino Resort

• Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
  Atlantic City

  The only nominee in Atlantic City, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa at Renaissance Pointe opened its doors in 2003 as the first new hotel in over a decade. Today, the 2,000-room resort offers gamblers 3,475 slot machines, 250 table games and Atlantic City's largest poker room, all spread out over 161,000-square-feet of casino space. Restaurants by Bobby Flay and Wolfgang Puck headline the culinary lineup, while the 2,400-seat Borgata Event Center plays host to some of the world's biggest names in music.
  Photo courtesy of Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa

• Peppermill Resort Spa Casino
  Reno

  Reno players will find one of the city's top casinos at the Peppermill Resort, where more than 1,500 slot and video poker machines and 48 table games await. The casino also features a keno lounge, luxurious poker room and a sports theater with 61 big-screen HDTVs.
  Photo courtesy of Preferred Hotels & Resorts

• Foxwoods Resort Casino
  Mashantucket, Conn.

  One of two premier gaming resorts in Connecticut, Foxwoods Resort Casino offers 4,500 slot machines – ranging from penny games to $100 minimums – as well as 300 table games, high stakes Bingo at one of the world's largest Bingo halls, a race book with 50-foot digital projection screens and the largest poker room on the East Coast. Four unique hotel properties and over 30 restaurants make it easy to stay and play.
  Photo courtesy of Foxwoods Resort Casino

• The Cromwell
  Las Vegas

  The 40,000-square-foot casino at The Cromwell in Las Vegas includes a selection of 440 slot machines (both classics and the latest and greatest), as well as 66 table games. High rollers can play at three tables in the high limits area or inside The Abbey, an exclusive reserved gaming area with three tables.
  Photo courtesy of The Cromwell Hotel

• Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
  Sioux City, Iowa

  Gamblers at the award-winning Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City can choose from 835 slot and video poker machines (including penny slots and one of Iowa's first 3D machines) or 26 table games. Six restaurants and bars provide plenty of options for refueling between games.
  Photo courtesy of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City

• Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa
  Las Vegas

  Frequented by both locals and tourists, the Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa sits on 70 acres of land near the beautiful Red Rock Mountains in Summerlin, about 10 miles west of the Las Vegas Strip. The resort casino includes 3,000 slot and video poker machines, 60 table games, a race and sports book with a 96-foot video wall, a 20-table smoke-free poker room, 600-seat Bingo hall, a 20-seat Keno lounge and two private rooms for high-stakes gamers.
  Photo courtesy of Red Rock Casino Resort Spa

For the past four weeks, USA TODAY 10Best readers have been voting for their favorites. It was a close finish, but in the end, Mohegan Sun came out on top, dethroning Pechanga Resort & Casino as the best in the U.S.

Peppermill Resort Spa Casino, Reno, NV. Peppermill Resort Spa Casino is Reno's premier destination, where you will be treated to the most luxurious accommodations offered in any Reno. Peppermill offers 1621 guest rooms, including 600 lavishly appointed suites, 10 award-winning restaurants, 15 bars and lounges, two geothermally heated resort pools, the three-story Spa Toscana, and free live entertainment or dancing until the wee hours in Reno's hottest nightclub, EDGE.

The top 10 winners in the category Best U.S. Casino are as follows:

Nugget Casino Sparks

1. Mohegan Sun - Uncasville, Conn.
2. Caesars Palace Las Vegas Hotel & Casino - Las Vegas
3. Pechanga Resort & Casino - Temecula, Calif.
4. L'Auberge Casino Resort - Lake Charles, La.
5. Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa - Atlantic City
6. Peppermill Resort Spa Casino - Reno
7. Foxwoods Resort Casino - Mashantucket, Conn.
8. The Cromwell Hotel - Las Vegas
9. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino - Sioux City, Iowa
10. Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa - Las Vegas

Congratulations to all these winning casinos!

The Experts

Tony Harrell

Tony Harrell, travel consultant and owner of Read More

Tony Harrell, travel consultant and owner of Abundant Travel, plans customized vacations for plus-size clients and customers of any size. He is a certified destination expert for Las Vegas and New Orleans as well as Canada. He feels that while Las Vegas is the obvious American mecca for gambling and other entertainment, there are other destinations across the country that are worth the trip.

Tony Harrell

Tony Harrell, travel consultant and owner of Abundant Travel, plans customized vacations for plus-size clients and customers of any size. He is a certified destination expert for Las Vegas and New Orleans as well as Canada. He feels that while Las Vegas is the obvious American mecca for gambling and other entertainment, there are other destinations across the country that are worth the trip.

Lisa Robertson-Dziedzic

Lisa Robertson-Dziedzic is the Publisher of Casino... Read More

Lisa Robertson-Dziedzic is the Publisher of Casino Player magazine and Strictly Slots magazine. Now in its 32nd year, Casino Player has thrived as America’s most popular gambling magazine. Over the decades, millions of gamblers have enjoyed and benefited from Casino Player’s gaming strategies, as well as its ever-changing lifestyle stories. In 1994, Lisa launched its sister publication, Strictly Slots, the nation’s only magazine written exclusively for slots and video poker players. Lisa is an accomplished director specializing in the gaming industry and has more than 35 years of publishing experience.

Lisa Robertson-Dziedzic

Lisa Robertson-Dziedzic is the Publisher of Casino Player magazine and Strictly Slots magazine. Now in its 32nd year, Casino Player has thrived as America’s most popular gambling magazine. Over the decades, millions of gamblers have enjoyed and benefited from Casino Player’s gaming strategies, as well as its ever-changing lifestyle stories. In 1994, Lisa launched its sister publication, Strictly Slots, the nation’s only magazine written exclusively for slots and video poker players. Lisa is an accomplished director specializing in the gaming industry and has more than 35 years of publishing experience.

When one speaks of the finest hotel casino resorts in the Reno area, the Peppermill rightly comes up in the conversation, and in fact it comes up a lot when you speak of the best place to stay and gamble in the area.

The Peppermill has been around since all the way back in 1971, opening up as the very modest Peppermill Coffee Shop and Lounge. Things have really taken off since then though and this is now a world class casino resort, and has won many awards along the way.

For starters, the Peppermill has earned the AAA four diamond award, given to the best hotels in the country, for 6 years running. They have won a total of 19 first place awards by the Reno News and Review. U.S. News and Report ranked them the #1 Reno hotel and in the top 20 in the state. Expedia went as far as to rank them the number one hotel in North America.

So while there are a lot of hotel casinos in the Reno area, this place really stands out among them at the very least. In addition to their 1,623 rooms, including 785 suites, there are 10 restaurants, 15 bars including the top rated nightclub in Reno, 107,000 square feet of convention space, a 33,000 square foot spa, a 9,500 square foot health club, and a 107,000 square foot casino.

The Peppermill has recently undergone a $400 million renovation, transforming it into a Tuscan themed property, and also turning it into one of the best places to stay and gamble period, where all of your needs are well taken care of, and nothing is neglected.

The Peppermill is owned by Peppermill Casinos Inc., a local company consisting of 5 private investors which also owns several smaller casino properties. While there is certainly something to be said about staying at a casino that is owned by a multi billion dollar company, when a casino is locally owned, you can bet that the people are going to be especially well taken care of, as their sole focus.

The Amenities at the Peppermill Reno

This is a truly beautiful hotel, on the outside and on the inside, and guests will be first greeted by a gorgeous marble lobby area. While the current theme of the property is at least somewhat Old World, they do mix in a modern touch to it and deliver a nice combination of the old and the new here.

There are three main areas to stay in here, the Tuscany and Peppermill Towers, both four diamond rated, and the three diamond North and West Wings. Even the standard rooms here are quite luxurious, and in order to stay competitive in the Reno market, the rates start at a very reasonable $59 per night in the budget friendly North and West Wings.

So you get a lot for your money here, including mahogany furniture and marble bathrooms. The décor here is very tastefully done, and while the cheapest rooms here are on the small side at 250 square feet, these are nice hotel rooms indeed.

Peppermill Reno Spa

From there, you can select from a large variety of more upscale accommodations, and the hotel here particularly caters to those who demand true luxury, and the Peppermill delivers plenty to that according to how much you wish to spend. You can select all the way up to the Palace Suite, which can accommodate almost 5,000 square feet of living space, with every amenity imaginable.

There are four fine dining options here, including the very exclusive White Orchid Private Dining area offering the finest in gourmet food, wine, and service. The AAA four diamond award winning Bimini Steakhouse with the best in hardwood grilled steaks along with spectacular views.

CHI serves up authentic Asian cuisine in a setting fit for a king or queen. Romanza specializes in Reno’s finest Italian cuisine complete with a skydome and exquisite sculptures that will surely remind you of Italy.

There are also four more casual restaurants and even these will captivate you with their beautiful surroundings and their great food. The collection of restaurants here are among the most luxurious you will find anywhere and dining here is much more than just a great meal.

Oceano delivers the best seafood in Reno. The Island Buffet, Reno’s largest variety buffet, is set in a spectacular rain forest setting. Café Milano is an elegant café which serves up comfort food 24 hours a day. Biscotti’s Café offers a unique menu that spans the globe.

There’s also the Cafe Expresso which will take care of your coffee and pastry cravings, the Sports Deli, offering New York deli favorites, and the Pub, where you can grab some pub food and specialty cocktails.

If you enjoy nightlife, the Peppermill is the place to be, with their assortment of 15 different bars and lounges, including the area’s best and hottest nightclub. Whether you enjoy relaxing over drinks, nightly live entertainment, or dancing the night away to the hottest DJs, they have it all right here.

The Spa Toscana offers 24 treatment rooms with full spa and salon services available. Guests are also welcome to enjoy the Caldarium, combines an indoor pool, a geothermally heated outdoor pool, a sun deck, and a secret garden.

There’s also the Game Lab arcade, a large fitness center, and 3 specialty boutiques to check out.

The Casino at the Peppermill Reno

Players here are treated to a membership in the Peppermill Passport Players Reward club, where they can earn things like free rooms, dining comps, tickets to events, special discounts and more. Bigger players are also treated to Peppermill’s exclusive VIP Service, with a dedicated team that will do everything to ensure your stay with them is as enjoyable as possible.

Atlantis Resort&spa Casino

The casino itself is strikingly beautiful and features huge LED screens around the area to enhance this further. This is a large casino with over 100,000 square feet of gaming space and hold several casino awards for “best in Reno.”

1,500 slot machines await your pleasure here, with everything from classic single pay line slots to the latest in video slots and video poker. There are over 700 video poker and multi game machines on hand here boasting excellent pay tables. They also have a separate VIP high limit slots area complete with its own lounge.

The table games area here features 48 tables, including an opportunity to play the classic casino table games of Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, and Baccarat, in addition to Fortune Pai Gow, Three Card Poker, Four Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Holdem, Let it Ride, and Pai Gow Tiles. Peppermill also holds the award for Reno’s Best Table Games, and they can’t wait to show you why.

Peppermill Resort Spa Casino Reno Nevada

Those who enjoy head to head poker will find a fabulous 19 table poker room on site, named one of the top 25 poker rooms in the country by USA Today. This certainly is one of the most luxurious poker rooms you will find anywhere, and features some great poker action as well, including both cash games and a regular array of tournaments. Free poker lessons are offered here as well.

The Race and Sports Book here also stands out as clearly the best in the area, and you can enjoy the action on either their two 10 foot screens, or on individual monitors, all in the lap of luxury, as is the case everywhere in this resort casino.

Even the Keno room really stands out here, and this may be the most gorgeous and luxurious Keno room in the world in fact. You can play Keno for as little as 10 cents per game, and they also have Keno runners which will take your play from elsewhere on the property to ensure you don’t miss out on this fun as well.

The Peppermill isn’t considered to be the finest casino resort in the Reno area without a lot of reasons, and it wouldn’t be hard to claim that this is one of the finest in the world as well. You don’t have to go to Vegas to get blown away by a resort casino, you just need to come here.

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