Best Casinos in Louisiana

If you are heading to the US for a little gambling fix any time soon, aside from all the typical popular states, you could be missing out on some real good sources of entertainment for you and the family! If you have, or are thinking about choosing Louisiana as your state of choice to carry out such endeavors, you would be getting far more for your buck than just a portion of world famous chicken wings.

Why? Because Louisiana is home to an array of stylish riverboat style casinos and gaming floors drawing in millions of unique visitors each year. Every one of the 54 casinos in this part of the state have been praised for their top-notch games, impeccable accommodation and dining facilities, and endless sources of fun. But which ones offer the best of the best? We decided to go through the most recommended ones to find out!

Louisiana is not only a place renowned for its vibrant atmosphere, food and culture, and music scene – it is also home to an abundance of both river boat and Indian casinos as well as racinos (horse racing tracks), with 1 single land-based casino located at the end of Canal Street. Louisiana was the 4th state in America to legalize gambling (not including online gambling, which is strictly forbidden) and the location draws traction from casino lovers in neighboring states, and from gamblers all over the world.

According to customer visits, reviews and rankings on TripAdvisor – the top 3 casinos in Louisiana are Harrah’s Casino in Louisiana-Downs (the only land-based casino in the state) L’Auberge Casino Lake Resort and the Boomtown Casino & Hotel Bossier in the northern area. All 3 casinos home an unprecedented amount of gaming space complete with slot machines, poker tables, specialty games and some even boast calming spa and wellness centers, luxury hotels, immaculate golf courses, shops, dining areas and so much more. There will always be plenty for you to enjoy regardless of where you decide to invest your hard-earned cash, but if you don’t want to spend hours (or even days) trawling the internet in hope of finding the perfect casino for you – check out our top picks below!

Harrah’s Louisiana-Downs

Harrah’s Casino are situated in Louisiana-Downs, and were the only gambling firm to be granted a license to operate on land, when the legislations and gambling laws took effect in the state all of those years ago. The firm is still dubbed by many as “the official gaming establishment” and is recorded as the largest casino in Louisiana. The casino operates with 115,000 sq. ft. of gaming space, homes 2,100 slot machines, 90 tables and a poker room. It also has multiple dining and entertainment facilities, plus 450 newly renovated guest rooms. Nearby you can find spectacular amusements such as the science museum, super derby racing, and they even have a race just for sausage dogs!

L’Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles

L’Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles is a luxury style casino and spa resort, contained within an enormous glass dome with a beautiful vaulted ceiling and an amazingly sophisticated gaming floor. The casino welcomes nearly 400,000 visitors a month, and has approximately 2,400 employees, 1,000 sleek and modern hotel rooms and includes swimming pools, golf courses, shopping and several food outlets. L’Auberge has been rated within the top 10 on TripAdvisor and hosts an impressive 1,600 slot machines and 80 table games including Blackjack, Craps, Baccarat, Roulette, Live Poker and practically all the classics.

Boomtown Casino & Hotel Bossier City

Boomtown Casino & Hotel Bossier City located across the river from Shreveport in northern Louisiana, and is another gambling establishment praised highly for its impressive 28,000 sq. ft. of gaming space and 200 guest rooms. Considering the casino itself operates from a boat, that’s a decent amount of space to play with! Many have chosen this particular casino as their go-to place for gambling as the environment is said to be a cosy, warm and intimate, and the service has been deemed as exceptional. They offer regular promotions on their casino games, including bonuses, free spins and amazing jackpot prizes. Boomtown Casino & Hotel Bossier also run regular discounts on stays at their hotel and dining facilities! So if you’re planning a stay here – make sure you check out their spectacular deals before you book!

See All Casinos in Louisiana

They don’t call it Little Vegas for nothing! Louisiana is slowly becoming a popular destination for more and more gamblers every year. Despite the fact the state was completely ravaged from Hurricane Katrina back in 2005, they have not allowed such devastating events to dampen their spirit, and quickly rebuilt their homes, businesses and lives following the disaster. 10 years later they were in a position to re-open their doors to visitors and tourists, which contributed heavily towards the thriving economy they now have today.

Although Louisiana are strictly not permitted to operate land-based casinos (bar one exception), they home 15 riverboat casinos, 4 Indian Reservation casinos, and several horse betting tracks which all provide a plethora of slot machines, tables and specialty games, eating and accommodation facilities and several other things for you casino lovers to sink your teeth into!

History of Gambling in Louisiana

When Louisiana became part of the union in 1803, New Orleans offered more locations to gamble at the time than its larger counterparts i.e. Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore and New York. During this time, the state government were in a constant feud with casinos as to whether to let them continue to operate or not. Despite their criticism, forms of illegal gambling continued throughout the state for almost 200 years.

Horse racing was the first form of gambling to be legalized here in the early 1920s. Prior to this time, they only had the state lottery, which was soon outlawed in here and neighboring states due to the legal battles and political corruption that formed in the years to come. However, after a significant shortfall in budget due to the state’s oil economy, the Louisiana lottery was later reintroduced in 1991, in a bid to claim back some of the revenue that was lost.

Casinos in Louisiana were only permitted to operate their businesses fully in 1991, where consent had been given from the state to promote the use of video machines and table games, as well as offerings for further accommodation facilities and places for people to eat. They were (and still are) restricted to operating 15 riverboat casinos and only one land-based casino. A year later the Indian Reservation Casinos were given the greenlight to offer Class 2 and 3 gaming following a collective upheaval from the tribes

Gambling Laws in Louisiana

What forms of gambling are currently legal in Louisiana? Practically everything providing it’s not online! Online casinos and online gambling is something which is strictly banned throughout the state, and it is a criminal offence to partake in any online casino games (especially video poker). Doing so could lead to jail time for the casino/gaming operator and extremely hefty fines for the players too. Games which are perfectly safe to play in Louisiana are: live poker, bingo, raffle and keno games, lottery bets as well as horse racing bets.

There is a strict gaming regulation and requirement in place by state law, that all video machines in casinos throughout Louisiana are programmed to pay out no less than 80% and no more than 99.9%. For video game machines that aren’t based in a casino, the law requires a minimum return of 80% and maximum 94%. The minimum age to gamble in Louisiana is 21, and 18 years of age in most other states.

All riverboat casinos operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in Louisiana, and provide all the standard games including: blackjack, craps, roulette, slots, and video poker. Some casinos also offer: baccarat, mini baccarat, poker, caribbean stud poker, pai gow poker, let it ride, casino war, three-card poker, big 6 wheel, keno, and bingo.

Louisiana Gambling Facts

No matter what kind of casino you choose to visit in the magical place they call Louisiana, you can be sure there is definitely something for everyone regardless of your taste in games or level of expertise. Get a bit wavey on one of the awesomely relaxing riverboat casinos, explore the magic of the world famous Harrah’s Casino in Louisiana-Downs – the only land-based casino in the entire state; or step into one of the legendary Indian Tribal casinos and bingo halls, such as Choctaw or Coushatta to try your luck on their super-fun and entertaining slot machines, roulette, tables games, live poker rooms and much more.

Truck stop gambling

Louisiana was the 4th state to approve riverboat style casinos in the year 1991. Provision of one single land-based casino was granted by the government a year later. To this day, traditional poker is permitted in all licensed casinos, however; video poker and keno slots are still not allowed unless they are specifically located at a truck stop, tavern or bar in 31 of the state’s 64 counties.

Riverboat casinos

Riverboat casinos make up a huge proportion of the economic growth in Louisiana, which benefits the taxpayers just as much as the government and casinos themselves. River boat casinos in the state alone purchase over 70% of all stock and goods from Louisiana vendors including printing material, computers and flowers. Other local merchants and vendors benefit from the casinos too, as the players visiting from other states and countries means more business for gas stations, restaurants, and stores.

Safer than you think

Despite speculation, crime is at an all-time low! Due to a higher revenue coming into the state each year, crime rates are much less than previous years (decreased by approximately 40% according to Police Chief Danny Dison) due to an overall increase in Police presence. There is no bigger concern than the safety and welfare of the people residing in Louisiana, as well as the people who choose to play and have fun at their casinos.

There are currently 26 Native American casinos throughout the State of Michigan, each owned and operated by the twelve federally recognized native tribes of Michigan. In addition to these, the city of Detroit holds three state-licensed casinos with Greektown, MotorCity and MGM Grand Casinos. These venues offer everything from specialty and card games including poker, blackjack and baccarat, live tournaments to the latest video slot machines. Michigan, and particularly Detroit, is a popular gambling destination offering a wide variety of entertaining casino floor options. Michiganders and visitors alike can enjoy games of skill and chance at all of our listed casinos below: