U.S. Gambling - Casino Directory - Illinois

Argosy’s Alton Belle Casino
1 Front Street
Alton, Illinois 62002
(618) 474-7500
Web site: www.argosycasinos.com
(260 miles S.W. of Chicago. 25 miles N. of St. Louis, MO)

Reservation Number: (800) 711-4263
Restaurants: 3
Buffets: L-$8.45  D-$12.45/$16.95 (Fri)
Valet Parking: $5 (Free for club members)
Casino Hours: 9am-5am Daily
Casino Size: 23,000 Square Feet
Other Games: LIR, TCP, PGP
Overnight RV Parking: Free/RV Dump: No
Senior Discount: 10% off buffets if 50+ and member of senior slot club
Special Features: Casino feature both a 1,200-passenger modern yacht and also a barge docked on the Mississippi River.


Argosy’s Empress Casino
2300 Empress Drive
Joliet, Illinois 60436
(815) 744-9400
Web site: www.argosycasinos.com
(43 miles S.W. of Chicago)

Reservation Number: (888) 4-EMPRESS
Rooms:  85  Price Range: $69-$120
Suites: 17  Price Range: Casino Use Only
Admission: $5/$3 (after 3am)
Casino Hours: 10am-4am/6am (Fri/Sat)
Restaurants: 3
Buffets: L-$11.99/$14.99 (Sun)  D-$15.99/$22.99 (Fri)/$17.99 (Sat-Sun)
Valet Parking: Free
Casino Size: 50,000 square feet
Other Games: MB, TCP
Overnight RV Parking: Free/RV Dump: No
Special Features: 2,500-passenger barge docked on the Des Plaines River. Rooms are at on-property Empress Hotel. 80-space RV park.


Casino Queen
200 S. Front Street
E. St. Louis, Illinois 62201
(618) 874-5000
Web site: www.casinoqueen.com
(290 miles S.W. of Chicago)

Reservation Number: (800) 777-0777
Rooms: 150 Price Range: $83-$125
Suites: 7  Price Range: $157
Buffets: B-$6.99  L-$8.99/$10.99 (Sun)  D-$12.99
Valet Parking: $3
Casino Hours: 9am-7am Daily
Casino Size: 27,500 Square Feet
Other Games: MB, TCP, PGP
Senior Discount: Wed. 9am-Mid. if 50 or older   receive 2-for-1 buffet, 35% off in gift shop and free valet parking.
Overnight RV Parking: No
Special Features: 2,500-passenger, old-fashioned, paddlewheeler docked on the Mississippi river. 140-space RV park. Sports Bar. MetroLink light-rail station at doorstep. 10% room discount to AAA members. $1 off buffets for slot club members.


Grand Victoria Casino
250 S. Grove Avenue
Elgin, Illinois 60120
(847) 468-7000
Web site: www.grandvictoria-elgin.com
(41 miles N.W. of Chicago)

Reservation Number: (888) 508-1900
Restaurants: 4
Buffets: L-$6.99/$14.99 (Fri-Sun)  D-$9.99/$14.99 (Fri-Sun)
Valet Parking: $5/Free for Slot Club members during the week (Mon-Thu)
Casino Hours: 8:30am-6:30am Daily
Casino Size: 29,850 Square Feet
Other Games: B, TCP
Overnight RV Parking: No
Senior Discount: 10% off buffet if 65 or older
Special Features: 1,200-passenger paddle wheeler-replica docked on the Fox River. Free continental breakfast 8am-10am Mon-Fri for slot club members.


Harrah’s Joliet
150 N. Joliet Street
Joliet, Illinois 60432
(815) 740-7800
Web site: www.harrahs.com
(43 miles S.W. of Chicago)

Admission: $5/$2 (Platinum members)
   Free (Diamond members and one guest)
Reservation Number: (800) HARRAHS
Rooms: 200  Price Range: $59-$159
Suites: 4  Price Range: Casino Use Only
Restaurants: 3
Buffets: B- $13.99 (Sat-Sun) L-$11.99/$15.99 (Sat-Sun)
   D-$13.99/$19.99 (Fri)
Valet Parking: $5/Free if hotel guest
Casino Hours: 10am-4am (Mon-Thu)/5am (Fri)  9am-4am (Sun)/5am (Sat)
Casino Size: 39,000
Other Games: MB, P, TCP
Overnight RV Parking: No
Special Features: Casino is on a barge docked on the Des Plaines River. Room discount with slot club card.


Harrahs Metropolis
100 E. Front Street
Metropolis, Illinois 62960
(618) 524-2628
Web site: www.harrahs.com
(Across from Paducah, KY. Take exit 37 on I-24)

Toll-Free Number: (800) 929-5905
Restaurants: 3
Buffets: B-$11.99 (Sat-Sun) L-$6.99 (Mon-Fri) D-$13.99/$19.99 (Wed)
Hours: 9am-7am Daily
Valet Parking: $5
Other Games: MB, LIR, TCP
Casino Size: 29,760 Square Feet
Overnight RV Parking: Free/RV Dump: No
Special Features: 1,300-passenger sidewheeler-replica docked on the Ohio River. 120-room Amerihost Inn across street from casino (800-434-5800).


Hollywood Casino - Aurora
1 New York Street Bridge
Aurora, Illinois 60506
(630) 801-7000
Web site: www.hollywoodcasinoaurora.com
(41 miles W. of Chicago)

Toll Free Number: (800) 888-7777
Restaurants: 3
Buffets: L-$11.99  D-$15.99/$18.99 (Fri)
Valet Parking: $5  Self-Parking: $5
Admission: $5
Casino Hours: 10am-4am/5am (Fri-Sat)
Casino Size: 41,382 Square Feet
Other Games: TCP
Overnight RV Parking: No
Special Features: Casino is on a barge docked on the Fox River. Marquee Club members get $3 buffet discount. $3 discount on self-parking for Marquee Club members.


Jumer’s Casino Rock Island
1735 First Avenue
Rock Island, Illinois 61201
(309) 793-4200
Web site: www.jumerscri.com
(170 miles W. of Chicago)

Reservation Number: (800) 477-7747
Restaurants: 1 on boat adjacent to casino
Buffets: L-$6.95  D-$9.95
Valet Parking: Free
Casino Hours: 8am-3am Daily
Casino Size: 17,200 Square Feet
Senior Discount: Free buffet (Mon-Thu) if you  play a minimum of $200 on slots or buy-in for at least $50 and play for a minium of 50 minutes on tables if 50 or older.
Overnight RV Parking: Free, but must notify security in advance
RV Dump: No
Special Features: 1,200-passenger old-fashioned paddlewheel boat on the Mississippi River. Restaurant is on the Effie Afton which is another boat docked next to the casino.


Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino
21 Blackjack Boulevard
East Peoria, Illinois 61611
(309) 698-7711
Web site: www.par-a-dice.com
(170 miles S.W. of Chicago)

Toll-Free Number: (800) 332-5634
Room reservations: (800) 547-0711
Rooms: 208  Price Range: $87-$107
Suites  12  Price Range: $98-$250
Restaurants: 4
Buffets: L-$9.99/$12.99 (Sun)  D-$11.99/ $17.99 (Fri/Sat)/$15.99 (Sun)
Valet Parking: $5
Casino Hours: 10:00am-6:00am Daily
Casino Size: 26,116 Square Feet
Other Games: LIR, TCP
Overnight RV Parking: Free/RV Dump: No
Special Features: 1,600-passenger modern boat docked on the Illinois River. Rooms can only be booked through casino on weekends.

History of Gambling - Casinos in Illinois

Illinois was the second state to legalize riverboat casinos. Riverboat casinos began operating there in September 1991 with the launching of the first boat: the Alton Belle.

All Illinois riverboats remain dockside and do not cruise. Unlike Mississippi, however, the casinos are not open 24 hours and state law limits the number of gaming licenses to 10.

As of August 2004, there were nine casinos in operation and the 10th license was awarded to the Isle of Capri which plans to build a casino in Rosemont, near Chicago’s O’Hare international airport. However, the awarding of that license was legally challenged and it may be several years before the issue is resolved.

Admission is free to most Illinois casinos (see NOTE below) and, unless otherwise noted, all casinos offer: slots, video poker, blackjack, craps, roulette and Caribbean stud poker. Some casinos also offer: let it ride (LIR), baccarat (B), mini-baccarat (MB), poker (P), pai gow poker (PGP) and three-card poker (TCP). If you want to order a drink while playing, be aware that Illinois gaming regulations do not allow casinos to provide free alcoholic beverages. The minimum gambling age is 21.

NOTE: In mid-2003 the state legislature raised the taxes on Illinois casinos to the highest in the nation (up to 70%). In response to the increased taxes, some casinos cut their hours and some started charging admission. Other casinos may eventually institute the same changes, so if you are planning a visit to an Illinois casino you may want to contact them first to see if their hours of operation or admission policies have changed.

For more information on visiting Illinois contact the state’s Bureau of Tourism at (800) 226-6632 or www.enjoyillinois.com


 

 

 

 


 

 

U.S. Casino and Gambling - Facts and Fancies

  • Some Microgaming online casino operators restrict certain US states because of very specific local laws that prohibit online gambling. The restricted states are: Michigan, Illinois, Louisiana, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin, Indiana, Nevada, South Dakota, New Jersey and New York.

  • Prehistoric Southern Nevada was a virtual marsh of abundant water and vegetation. As eons passed, the marsh receded. Rivers disappeared beneath the surface. The once teeming wetlands evolved into a parched, arid landscape that supported only the hardiest of plants and animals. Water trapped underground in the complicated geologic formations of the Las Vegas Valley sporadically surfaced to nourish luxuriant plants, creating an oasis in the desert as the life- giving water flowed to the Colorado River.

  • A Casino is a physical establishment in which various games of chance are conducted. Many casinos are also resort hotels, such as those in Monte Carlo, Las Vegas, and Atlantic City. Due to gaming regulations in some states, casinos are sometimes built as riverboats on bodies of water (most of these casinos are actually stationary barges in artificial lakes that are connected to rivers). In 1998, U.S. casinos had $24.3 billion in revenue. Since the late 1980s casinos have been built on many Indian reservations. The world's largest casino is the Foxwoods Resort Casino (Ledyard, Conn.), owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Nation. Opened in 1998, the casino has 6,000 slot machines and 350 gaming tables, plus hotels, restaurants, and retail shops. Other reservation casinos include the Shakopee Mdewakanton Dakota's Mystic Lake Casino (Prior Lake, Minn.), the Mohegan Sun casino (Uncasville, Conn.), the Oneida Nation's Turning Stone (Verona, N.Y.), and the many Pueblo-run casinos in New Mexico. Revenues from Indian-run casinos represented two fifths of all U.S. casino revenues by 2004.

  • The fact is that just about every one of the fifty states in the U.S. now have legal gambling and/or legalized gambling facilities in some way, shape or form. (note how ironic it is that the current U.S. laws have made online gambling more difficult than ever) But all that aside, there are literally thousands of places in north america you can go gamble at.

    These places include casinos in Las Vegas, Atlantic City as well as other popular casino gambling destinations including native american - indian casinos, poker and card rooms and bingo halls.

  • Most casinos do not have clocks.

  • The Flamingo Hotel and Casino officially opened on 26 December 1946. A huge party was organized, with many of the film stars of the day in attendance. The hotel was not finished, so the guests had nowhere to sleep. They partied for two days and then went home.

  • 7 of 10 U.S. adults placed some sort of wager in the last year.

  • The online gambling industry generated $12 billion in revenue in 2005.

  • Over 20 gambling companies are listed on non-U.S. stock exchanges. The biggest poker company has a market value of almost $9 billion. The biggest sports betting company has a market value of almost $3 billion.
  • The MGM-Mirage has publicly lobbied to allow U.S. companies to take part in online gambling.

  • Gambling is entering mainstream corporate America: Liberty Media (owner of the QVC and Encore TV networks) is finalizing the purchase of Fun Technologies, which owns a majority interest in the Don Best sports information company.

  • Slot machines, though some of the most popular casino games, have always been the topic of various urban legends and stories of how they work, whether they are fair and who, in fact, controls them.

  • Slot machines though, are strictly regulated by state gambling commissions and subjected to batteries of technical tests for fairness, security, and consistency of acceptable pay out.

  • State run lotteries have flourished in the last few decades all with the veneer of supporting public education, among other ailing infrastructures. Billions of dollars are reaped in revenues annually and millions, in turn, spent on advertising the biggest lottery games with the poorest odds.

  • Add together all the numbers on a roulette wheel (1 to 36). The total is the mystical number 666, often associated with the Devil.

  • The casino game with some of the best odds, blackjack can also have terrible odds. The skillful practice of card counting and shuffle tracking is only mastered by a few experienced players.

  • The fact is that card sharks and shady dice rollers still exist. As long as there are gambling games, there will be those who think they can control the outcome to their advantage and through deceitful means. Loaded dice, a popular tool of cheats, have been a part of the gambling landscape since the era of the ancient Romans.

  • New Orleans was the first major gambling center in the USA. In 1817, taverns and coffee houses provided rooms and tables for private gambling. It legalized in 1823 and charged $5000 for a gambling license.

  • Traditional Indian games have been a part of tribal cultures for thousands of years. In the last few decades, impoverished tribes have fought to be allowed to run casinos on tribal lands as a means of generating much needed income and boosting employment opportunities in a culture whose unemployment rate is exponentially higher than anywhere else in America. Consequently, one of the biggest casinos in the world is tribal owned and operated.