Where Do Louisiana Casino Hotels Rank on ‘Best Of’ List?

Whether it's football, po-boys, gumbo, or places to play, Louisiana loves its lists. I guess we all love our lists. As long as that list is not a "to-do" or even worse a "honey-do" list. Those lists we can do without. But if it's a list of things we like, we are all for it just so we can argue with friends and family about just how wrong the list in question really is.

In the world of travel, there are always a lot of lists for those who are on the go to peruse. Many times the lists will focus on foods, amenities, accommodations, special services, or other activities connected to getting there, being there, staying there, and should you come back there.

One of the most recent industries to get the "list" treatment from readers of USA Today, the newspaper, was the casino hotel resort industry. That's an industry that's pretty near and dear to the people of Louisiana. In 2022 it was estimated that Louisiana's casino/gaming industry employed some 41,000 people in our 24 different riverboat or land-based casinos. 

Now, naturally, when you think of casinos you're going to think of Las Vegas. Well, the USA Readers poll didn't think too highly of the Vegas connection in fact only one casino in Las Vegas made the top ten. That was Bellagio who actually came in at number 10 on the list.

This video isn't from Bellagio, it's from The Mirage and I just happened to be standing there when their volcano broke.

The top casino hotel resort was the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville Connecticut. This facility is just a few hours north of New York City and it's huge. The number two casino hotel resort on the list was also in the northeast, that honor went to Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, again a destination that is just a short train trip down the tracks from NYC.

Three casino hotel resorts from south of the Mason-Dixon line made the list, two were in Mississippi and the other was in Florida. So, no. No Louisiana casinos made the list, despite the fact that we have some really great facilities.

As far as the southern casinos on the list are concerned, Beau Rivage in Biloxi was number three. Harrah's Gulf Coast in Biloxi was number seven. The Florida casino that made the list was the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood Florida. 

The IP Casino Resort which was the only Gulf Coast casino to make the list in 2022 did not make the top ten this year. The list was based on responses taken from readers of USA Today.