What makes a great casino? In my opinion it's a mixture of a lot of different gaming options, a comfortable or entertaining atmosphere, a friendly staff, a rewarding players' club, and -- most importantly -- generous payoffs. There aren't any casinos in Vegas that score perfect marks in all of these categories, but there are some that do well in enough of them to warrant a spot on our Vegas4Visitors 2003 Top 10 Awards for Best Casino.

1. Paris Las Vegas. It's hard not to be charmed by the casino here. Take a look around at the place, with its turn-of-the-century Paris design (you know, back before you hated the French), complete with cobblestone streets, gas lamps, and a foot of the Eiffel Tower coming in through the faux sky. It's really quite cool. But the bigger reason to put Paris in the top spot is because it's the first major casino on the Strip to switch to the cashless ticket-in, ticket-out technology on slot machines. Purists may sneer, but the convenience of this payout system wins over even the most cynical hearts. Now, if I could just win a little bit more.

2. Bally's. Take a little walk through the mini-shopping arcade at Paris and you'll head into sister hotel Bally's, where the ticket-in, ticket-out slot machines have also taken over the casino floor, but that's about the only similarity. The atmosphere here couldn't be any more different -- darker, more subdued, a little classier, a lot less theme park, and usually less crowded, so you don't have to fight anyone for your favorite machines. It's a great package overall, and I seem to have pretty good luck when I gamble at Bally's, too!

3. The Palms. There's a strange dichotomy going on at the Palms -- it's both a hipster joint -- with the young and beautiful crowding into clubs -- and a locals' casino, with older folks heading to the food court and buffet. But if you can get past the strange bedfellows this causes, the casino really is a lot of fun. High-energy table games, tons of slots and video poker, all with ticket-in, ticket-out technology, and pretty generous payouts.

4. Luxor. Giant Egyptian statues and talking camels -- what else do you need? OK, fine, the casino at the Luxor is about more than just the silly atmospherics (although that's a big part of why it's so high on this list). It also has every casino game you can think of, a really friendly staff, and I've won some big dough in this place, so it's always going to be one of my favorites.

5. Las Vegas Hilton. The casino here is smallish, there aren't a lot of different gaming options, and the atmosphere (whether in the older, traditional casino or the newer and weirder space-theme casino) leaves a lot to be desired. But the points this place gets in the other categories more than makes up for its shortcomings. First, I win a lot here, almost without fail. Second, it has the most generous players' reward club that I have experienced. Third, the staff is usually very friendly. Good enough, in my opinion.

6. Green Valley Ranch. Vegas4Visitors.com gave it the No. 1 spot last year, and everything we said about it then holds true now -- it's a beautiful room, very friendly staff, lots of gaming options, convenient ticket-in, ticket-out technology, and just a generally cool vibe. So why has it fallen to No. 6 this year? Because we can't win anything when we go here! We're used to losing, so we can't get too upset about it, but it's definitely time to loosen up those video poker machines.

7. New York-New York. This is another one where our winning track record has been spotty at best, but it's virtually impossible not to love this casino for its sheer, over-the-top Gotham-theme absurdity. Is that a giant, glittering red Big Apple? Yep. Is that a replica of the New Year's Eve ball at Times Square? You got it. Thee list goes on and on and it's a riot to look at and gamble amongst.

8. Harrah's. I don't spend a lot of time at Harrah's for some reason, which is strange because I usually win when I do. That's the primary reason for its appearance on this list. The place usually just feels way too chaotic for my tastes. But buckets full of coins can't be argued with.

9. Binion's Horseshoe. Forget the hotel and stick to the casino where you'll find perhaps the most classic distillation of the Las Vegas ethos anywhere. It's dark, it's smoky, the cocktail waitresses all have really big hair ... All that and a good mixture of everything from slots to a TV-famous poker room make it a place you have to visit at least once. Put on your best Rat Pack-era suit and hit the tables, baby.

10. MonteLago Village Casino. I won nothing. Let's just get that out of the way right up front. But I really liked everything else at this new casino out at Lake Las Vegas. It's small but very well-stocked with games, the staff was tremendously friendly and helpful, and the hot dogs in the casino lounge were fantastic. Plus, if you get tired of gambling you can always walk outside into the charming Italian-style village and down by the lake for a breather. That alone makes it worthy of a Top 10 spot.

This Week's Trivia

Q: What was the average nightly room rate for all hotel and motel rooms in Las Vegas in 2002? ANSWER

The Weekly Trivia Question is sponsored by the Online Memorabilia Museum at Vegas4Visitors.com

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