Vegas VS your local...weighing in all the factors

Kind of a slow day on the forum and I was pondering about where my next casino destination would be when the time comes.

I hate flying to Vegas. Have to get to the airport two hours early and then sit in a cramped seat for another four hours. Six hours wasted.

But, it also takes me 6 hours to drive to Harrahs in Kansas City...even in perfect weather conditions!

Yes but flying to Vegas, RT airfare for two) costs $600.00 and I can drive to KC and back for around a hundred.

Yes, but drinks are not free in KC and always end up costing us more than $100.00 a day! A five day stay in KC would easily cost us more than the $500 we would have saved by driving to KC VS flying to Vegas!

In Vegas I have a dozen casinos in walking distance.

In KC I have um....

In Vegas I have a beautiful View of the strip out my room's window

In KC..well, I can see the parking lot and the interstate highway.

But in KC I have a coffee maker in the room!!

True, but that coffee usually tastes like mud and have you not heard of room service or Starbucks?
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I'm sure there are more pros and cons, but surprisingly for me, Vegas wins this contest and I am not really a Vegas lover like most of you on this forum.

Glad you and yourself got a chance to hash this out GG. I'm not a Vegas person per say either but excited this trip since Kevin hasn't been there in over 20 years and can't wait for him to see it again!

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Gene I don't have quite the same problem. Too many choices for NA casinos in a pattern less than a two hour drive. If I want to go further away by car then I go to Treasure Island or Mystic Lake in Minnesota. My problem is burn out at the same places so I need a change of venue to keep it interesting. Also by plane for JWE MEETS I have gone this year to KC, TAHOE, & Coushatta in 8 weeks.
Variety is the Spice of Life.


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Originally Posted by goldengreeke

Kind of a slow day on the forum and I was pondering about where my next casino destination would be when the time comes.

I hate flying to Vegas. Have to get to the airport two hours early and then sit in a cramped seat for another four hours. Six hours wasted.

But, it also takes me 6 hours to drive to Harrahs in Kansas City...even in perfect weather conditions!

Yes but flying to Vegas, RT airfare for two) costs $600.00 and I can drive to KC and back for around a hundred.

Yes, but drinks are not free in KC and always end up costing us more than $100.00 a day! A five day stay in KC would easily cost us more than the $500 we would have saved by driving to KC VS flying to Vegas!

In Vegas I have a dozen casinos in walking distance.

In KC I have um....

In Vegas I have a beautiful View of the strip out my room's window

In KC..well, I can see the parking lot and the interstate highway.

But in KC I have a coffee maker in the room!!

True, but that coffee usually tastes like mud and have you not heard of room service or Starbucks?
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I'm sure there are more pros and cons, but surprisingly for me, Vegas wins this contest and I am not really a Vegas lover like most of you on this forum.

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Think about this Gene another hour and your in Tahoe and the view there is the best.

No brainer for me, I gave up locals a long time ago. I love Vegas, but I am also willing to spend my bankroll on Laughlin, Tahoe or various other M&G destinations!

Gene, I only have one casino that I can consider my local, but it is a three hour drive from here. While it is a beautiful casino with lots of slots, it is good for a quick one or two night getaway. No free cocktails. Decent food choices. I always have a good time there, but after two days max in that casino I am ready to leave. I do enjoy going there, but the most we go in a year's time is twice.

Now Vegas is a different story. I am busting at the seams for two months before we ever leave. I spend half of that time looking at Vegas related stuff. I am a 52 year old that is truly like a little kid at Christmas I get so excited. It is a 4- 4 1/2 flight, but that beats the hell out of driving anywhere. When I go to Vegas I want to stay six nights (it would be more if I wasn't a responsible adult planning for retirement!). I love having all of the different casinos, all of the free cocks that I can consume, so many restaurants to choose from. The list goes on and on for me. And when it is time to head to the airport to go home I get that little pit in the bottom of my stomach. I do not want to leave.

I have 4 locals within an hours drive but the slot selection and ambience are not the same.

The excitement of Vegas plus the people watching and fantastic dining options keep me pumped about my next trip. I usually play at the local for 1hr at a time because of family /work commitments but in Vegas i have been known to hit the floor for 8-10 hrs stop for a food break and then hit it again, OI have a different gear in Vegas and the whole atmosphere is cleansing and allows me to escape for my time away. i enjoy having a cocktail and a cigar while playing and starting the morning off with 4 baileys and coffees. To me the escape and freedom is the draw...

7 DAYS to go.....

I get free nights each month at my local that is 35 minutes away and we never take the offer. I go for a few hours at a time.. And rarely drink more than a fancy coffee. I prefer Vegas with Biloxi because it is at least three night vacation. I drink more, eat out at nice places, work in a concert or comedy show, ands pens time in the Spa. I have had more hand pays at my local then Vegas.. But that money just funds vacations. Actually have a 4 night Vegas trip planned in October with DH and a (too large) group of friends and just booked a three trip to Biloxi with a girlfriend in November. Looking forward to both.. But Biloxi will be less stressful and more low key.


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KC is your local Gene? Did you give up on the Isle?
Our local (Lakeside) is an hour and 15 minutes and we go there when foamy doesn't have a day off. The food options are terrible there and the freeplay is less but they do give us rooms anytime and a gas card once a month and they supply me with all the Ultra I can drink HHH
I prefer the extra 30 minute drive to Council Bluffs over KC. The concerts there are great and they have free drinks :) You should give it another chance! But Foamy likes the crapless game in KC and they are more generous with the freeplay and food comps than CB.
I really hate flying but still like going to Vegas because of all the great dining and show options. We have direct 3 hour flights there so it is easy to get to. Want to visit Biloxi next year!!
I will keep doing both locals and Vegas :)

Vegas is still my favorite. The travel to get there is not good though. Ten hours or more for me with the driving, waiting at airports, and connecting flights. No direct flights. The price I pay for living in the boonies! Like zeus, my only local option is Harrah's Cherokee, which is a two hour drive for me.

Interesting thread Gene and you do have some good points!
Both of my "locals" are a 90 minute drive, or go another hour to Baltimore and hop on a non-stop Southwest flight to Vegas. It's usually a no brainer. But if I need a fix where a "local" cannot fix, another hour I can be in AC which is a close 2nd to Vegas for me considering the proximity. :)

Washington Is class 2 so it's limited in variety. Vegas wins hands down.

It's sort of funny because I consider AC my "local" even though Resorts World and Empire City probably are the locals. And AC itself is a destination spot. But it's more local than Vegas ...

Given the choice, I'd pick Vegas. More excitement, more food options, more entertainment options, more turnover in food/entertainment/nightlife, and more non-casino stuff that I like to do (like hiking and minor league baseball). I'm also not the biggest beach fan (or amusement park rides) so there are definitely others who love the Atlantic Ocean and boardwalk more than I do.

That said, I like AC too, it scratches the itch for gambling, I've done well there recently, and is a wonderful spot for fun weekends away. Also, Borgata gives me pretty great comps.

I really do want to head to Reno/Tahoe or somewhere in the South where there are a bunch of options (Tunica? Biloxi?) and where a getaway could feel like a vacation :)

My first trip to Vegas was 1996. I've been 57 times.
Nuff said?

I don't really get how so many of you can go to a local, play a few hours and be satisfied by that. I understand when you do that you get to go more often, but it really makes me very sad when I go to one of the locals and have to leave after just a few hours. I guess I'm an all or nothing type of person, but if I don't have plenty of time at a casino it makes me feel so rushed and that just makes me lose. I'm pushing the button faster and not really enjoying the experience nearly as much as when I know I have several days.

This is why I've decided destination gambling is where it's at for me! Not necessarily vegas, because KC was great and Tahoe was wonderful! I will always do most of my playing when I go on a real trip. If I could afford to both I probably would, but I can't so I'd rather wait and have what I really really want rather than settle for something that IMO isn't as good.

Skyler I so agree. My locals are NA casinos and I do go there from time to time for a short gamble and lunch.

For me Reno/Tahoe is a destination gamble along with Vegas. Will always choose these for serious gambling getaways.

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Originally Posted by treyster

My first trip to Vegas was 1996. I've been 57 times.
Nuff said?

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treyster has had more appearances in Vegas than Elvis. I think he went as Elvis once!


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dwwright12

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Originally Posted by dwwright12

treyster has had more appearances in Vegas than Elvis. I think he went as Elvis once!


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dwwright12

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Yep, I've been going to Vegas since 1976 when Elvis was still alive, but I think Trey has me beat in number of trips there. I think Sharon and I counted 55 for us, six of which were road trips all the way from Illinois and back!

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Originally Posted by goldengreeke

Yep, I've been going to Vegas since 1976 when Elvis was still alive, but I think Trey has me beat in number of trips there. I think Sharon and I counted 55 for us, six of which were road trips all the way from Illinois and back!

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I've been between 25 and 30 times since 2001. I haven't been in the last 2 1/2 years. I saw Elvis in concert back in '75. Never really a big fan, but I'm glad I went. Put on a really good show.


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dwwright12

Gene, how bout Tahoe vs. Vegas vs. your local?


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Originally Posted by goldengreeke

Yep, I've been going to Vegas since 1976 when Elvis was still alive, but I think Trey has me beat in number of trips there. I think Sharon and I counted 55 for us, six of which were road trips all the way from Illinois and back!

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Trip #60 will be in March to see you!

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Originally Posted by Handpayhopeful

Gene, how bout Tahoe vs. Vegas vs. your local?


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Tahoe wins it all as far as I'm concerned.

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Originally Posted by Handpayhopeful

Gene, how bout Tahoe vs. Vegas vs. your local?


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I would have to go with Tahoe in a heartbeat over ANY destination in the USA!

1) The view of the mountains and lake easily beats the view of the strip

2) The dining options are actually even better than Vegas

3) The crowds are less, plus no beggars, time share salesmen, porn slappers, and I saw no hookers

4) The slots are looser..Hell, I think we had over 30 hand pays there, a record for ANY M&G. Sharon even had two!

5) The drinks are free and the CW service is excellent.

Great thread! our second trip to Vegas is in 12 days and if it was an easier and shorter/cheaper flight, I think we'd go more often and cut back on other casino visits. We favor AC trips over frequent visits to our locals. We live about an hour from Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods which are nice resorts with good restaurants, comp drinks, etc, but we prefer to take the 4 hour drive to Borgata because it feels more like a getaway than our locals (and if Vegas was only a 4 hour flight, we'd do that!)
Our trips to our locals have been mainly for concerts, dinners, or if we really want a gambling fix, probably about 6 visits this year to the local vs about 10 to AC, lol!

Gambling just to gamble has never appealed to me even though I love playing the slots these days. Easy choice for me not to play at locals because I want to meet up with long distance friends in a fun location with shows, spas, glitz, fine dining, and luxurious hotels, so it's almost always going to be Vegas for me, unless it's a cruise ship or someplace like Lake Tahoe that offers another great destination experience with gambling. :)

I've cut way back on my local. I like taking destination gambling vacations Coushatta is next, hopefully Deadwood in early summer next year. Not sure when the next Vegas trip will be, I love Vegas but also want to see AC, Tahoe, KC and Laughlin as I've never been to any of those so will be planning those as $$$ and time allow.

We've cut way back on our locals. I have one 15 to 20 minutes away and one an hour away. The one I really liked was 45 minutes away but has been closed for nearly a year because the tribe was on the "war path" and the feds said get your act together before you can open up. We are fortunate to be only a 1 hour flight from Las Vegas. It is non stop on Allegiant and is only $100 per person RT. I love Las Vegas the variety of casinos, food and shows are top notch. But my heart belongs to Tahoe (and Reno). Nice 4 hour ride, great comped rooms, lots of food choices etc. So easy to hop in the car and just take off.