Thousands of tourists visit Las Vegas each year to try their luck at the slot machines, poker tournaments, roulette wheel and blackjack table. In addition to the casinos found around every corner. In the last decade, entertainment, shopping and fine dining have replaced gambling as the top attraction for visitors to Las Vegas. Many hotels get more than half of their revenue from non-gambling sources.

1. Las Vegas Casino Games Online
2. Las Vegas Gambling Odds
3. Fun In Las Vegas Without Gambling
4. Visit Las Vegas Without Gambling

When I was a kid, Las Vegas was not a place where families would plan their summer vacations. Las Vegas, even ten or twenty years ago, was a hotspot for casino and show-goers as well as a place that men and women both often would enjoy their bachelor parties—it wasn’t exactly family friendly. Thankfully, there are now plenty of Las Vegas hotels without casinos attached that families can spend their time in if they want to enjoy Vegas.

Nowadays, Las Vegas is a place for families with children just as much as it is for partiers and gamblers.

There are more and more exciting events and attractions that parents can take their kids to added on the strip each year. In 2020, you’ll find more family resorts in Las Vegas than ever before. If you are thinking of places to take the family to for your next family vacation, don’t let the idea of heading to Las Vegas slip through the cracks!

When trying to choose the right place for everyone to crash after a busy (yet fun and exciting) day, you might want to look into a few resort or hotel options that don’t include a casino. Here are two of the best Las Vegas hotels without casinos.

1- Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas

Casinos can definitely be a problem for families who are visiting Las Vegas and just want to focus on the kids for the trip. Maybe you are a family that brought young children to Las Vegas. The thought of staying at a hotel or resort that has smoking inside due to the 24-hour, round-the-clock operating casino is probably not the greatest idea.

Thankfully, Las Vegas does have a number of high-quality hotels that don’t have a casino and are perfect for families (or just visitors who are sensitive to cigarette smoke or simply don’t want to inhale secondhand smoke for hours at a time during their trip).

The Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas is an absolutely fantastic friendly friendly resort that keeps the kids away from the casino nightlife and loudness while still being close enough to actual casinos (in case Mom or Dad wants to sneak off after the kiddos fall asleep to play a little poker or blackjack).

You can find the Four Seasons Hotel sitting on top of Mandalay Bay Resort, occupying the top 5 floor floors of the resort. This gives the Four Seasons the feeling of being far away from the craziness and nightlife of Vegas.

The kids will be able to sleep fine without hearing crazy yelling or drama from people who have had too much to drink at the casino, but you’ll still be right in the heart of Vegas and within walking distance of all the casinos that the adults might actually want to visit (and within walking distance of all the attractions of Las Vegas that the kids want to see, not to mention all the great shopping that’s available for people of all ages).

You will be even more thrilled when you hear that the entrance to the Four Seasons Hotel uses doors that are actually totally separate from the entrance to Mandalay Bay. No stumbling into all those partiers that Las Vegas is famous for while carting the kids to and fro across the city!

Being on the top 5 floors, it is obvious I suppose that the entrance and lobby to the Four Seasons is different to that of Mandalay Bay. But even still, it is nice that while staying here, you will have the seclusion of not having to deal with all of the traffic from the guests coming in and out of Mandalay Bay. Even your average patrons who aren’t drunk can be a little overwhelming when there’s thousands of them to deal with.

Mandalay Bay is a 43 story luxurious resort and casino that is extremely famous and popular on the Las Vegas Strip. Mandalay Bay is owned by MGM Resorts International, while the Four Seasons Hotel is independently owned and operated inside Mandalay Bay tower.

Another great benefit that most families will appreciate is that even though you have a more private stay at the Four Seasons, you are not going to have to travel far to find fantastic food or entertainment.

The Four Seasons and Mandalay Bay are just south of (and an easy walking distance from) all of the entertainment and incredible food. The amenities featured at the Four Seasons are on a level that tops what you are going to experience at even one of your nicest local hotels. That is to be expected with any hotel that is 5 star and considered a AAA Diamond hotel.

You can let Mom slip away for the evening and enjoy a relaxing night at the decadent spa featured at the Four Seasons while enjoying marble bathrooms and hotel rooms that are each inspired by the art of a wide variety of famous and successful artists throughout the ages.

Known as the Four Season’s “anticipatory service,” the staff can literally almost anticipate every single need that could be had from any guest. You’ll be headed home from your stay wondering if all of the employees had some kind of psychic power. How exciting is that? I’m not kidding about this. This is a well-known bit of information about this hotel that is going to blow your mind and make you feel like some kid of movie star, the kind of person who has personal servants always attuned to their every need.

That should say a lot about the level of customer service that you’re going to be dealing with at the Four Seasons hotel. One of the greatest features for a family that is out on vacation is that the parents don’t have to typically stress about cooking dinner, unless of course you decided to take everyone out on a camping trip in the middle of the woods.

Not having to cook is a great stress relief, and what better way to enjoy that more than getting to eat at Charlie Palmer Steakhouse, featured inside the Four Seasons. The steakhouse gets fantastic reviews. I know that one of the most exciting meals for a lot of families while on vacation is breakfast—Veranda’s breakfast buffet at Four Seasons will never disappoint. There are many varied and delicious options for everyone, making not having to cook even more of a treat.

2- Palms Place Hotel and Spa

Another popular option for people who are wanting a luxurious experience in Las Vegas that allows their night to end away from a casino is the Palms Place Hotel and Spa. Three towers are present inside the large Palms Casino Resort complex, one of those towers being the Palms Place Hotel and Spa.

If you’re looking to save money while on your trip in Las Vegas, then choosing Palms Place is definitely going to be one of the more affordable options for you. It seems like the closer you are, or if you are staying on the strip, then the more you are going to end up paying per night at whichever hotel you choose.

Part of the reason that Palms Place is more affordable is its off-the-strip location. Don’t let that be a deterrent for you if you were hoping to spend a lot of time on the strip.

Palms Place Hotel and Spa offers a free shuttle that can get you to and from the strip. Be aware that the shuttle will stop operating usually after 9PM. That might be an inconvenience for someone who plans on gambling at one of the many casinos that are featured on the Vegas strip until the wee hours of the night.

Many families that stay at Palms Place love having the distance from the loud and energetic Vegas strip, especially if they brought young children with them. Taking kids to shows and amusement parks and shopping can add up fast when it comes to trying to stick to a budget. Kids definitely are not cheap. Palms Place is an even better idea in this regard due to how much money can be saved from having a hotel a little bit further away from the Vegas strip.

Do you know of other hotels without casinos that are popular in Las Vegas? Let me know in the comments.

• Factoid: Twenty-five years ago 2 states had legalized gambling and 48 did not. Now 48 do and only 2 do not (Hawaii and Utah.)
• Factoid: Nevada gambling revenue was $1 billion in 1975 ...$10 billion in 2004 and is projected to be $15 billion in 2009.

'Las Vegas was built for people who are really bad at math....' ...Penn Jillette (Penn & Teller, now at the Rio!)

'There are two times in a man's life when he should not speculate: when he can't afford it and when he can.' ...Samuel Clemens, also known as 'Mark Twain' (1835-1910)

Las Vegas Casino Games Online

In the last decade, entertainment, shopping and fine dining have replaced gambling as the top attraction for visitors to Las Vegas. Many hotels get more than half of their revenue from non-gambling sources.

Although tourists no longer list gambling as the primary reason for their visit, almost all are willing to risk an average of $500 each trying to hit that elusive jackpot.

Nationwide, casino gambling is a $50 billion business. And 20 percent of that amount comes from just one state ...Nevada. One third of all Nevada general tax revenue comes from state gambling taxes.

The state of Nevada and casinos like to call it “gaming” since ”gambling” has such an negative ring to it. We agree. “Gaming” is a better word for the games of chance legally offered in Las Vegas. Games are played for entertainment. And this is how you should treat the money you risk in Las Vegas in hopes of hitting “The Big One.” Play for fun and the “possibility” that you might win. NEVER take Las Vegas gambling seriously.

Las Vegas gambling was legalized in 1931. The Nevada Gaming Commission and Control Board develops and administers all gaming regulations. Their website can make interesting reading. Casinos with more than 15 slot machines pay an annual tax of $250 on each one. There is also an additional monthly tax of up to 6.75% on gross gaming revenue ...a percentage that is the lowest in the U.S.

Anyone working as a gaming employee must be registered with the state and have a valid gaming work permit. This includes all casino workers except bartenders and cocktail waitresses.

You must be 21 to enter a casino, gamble ...or purchase or consume alcoholic beverages. If you look young carry a state-issued ID with photograph such as a driver’s license. Children are permitted in the casino public walkways but are not allowed to be near slot machines or gaming tables. You are allowed to carry open alcoholic beverage containers on the street, but not in a vehicle.

There are some things you should know if you are lucky enough to win. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires all casinos in certain instances to withhold federal taxes if you win over a certain amount. The percentage withheld ranges between 25 and 30 percent depending on how you won. Here is how it works.

If you had gambling winnings, the casino is required by the IRS Information Reporting rules to withhold 28% as income tax if you do not provide a documented TIN (Taxpayer Identification Number, that is, your Social Security Number.) We have heard of cases where it is withheld no matter what. The withholding tax is 30% if a foreign gambler. The tax rate is 25 percent if the amount is over $5,000 (except for non-resident aliens.)

Las Vegas Gambling Odds

When your winnings exceed a specified threshold and/or tax is withheld, the casino will give you an IRS Form W-2G showing the amount you won and the amount of tax withheld. Report (and take credit for the tax you paid) on your IRS Form 1040 tax return at the end of the year. (Only use Form 1040 if you had gambling winnings; you cannot use any other form.)

Generally, gambling winnings are reportable to the IRS if the amount paid is (a) $600 or more and (b) at least 300 times the amount of the wager. This requirement primarily applies to lotteries, sweepstakes and other big winnings from small bets. It does not apply to winnings from bingo, keno, and slot machines.

Casinos report gambling winnings for these games to the IRS when a player wins $1,200 or more from a bingo game or slot machine or if the proceeds are $1,500 or more from a keno game. When you exceed these amounts, the casino may withhold taxes and will provide you with IRS Form W-2G. They keep the original and give you two copies of the form. (If state income tax withholding is required on gambling winnings in your state, additional taxes may be withheld.)

The rules are different for table games (such as blackjack, baccarat, craps, roulette or other spinning wheel games.) Since Nevada casinos do not know the amount you started with, they are not able to determine how much you won (...your taxable gain.) As a result, federal law provides that there is no withholding or even reporting of table game wins to the IRS. It therefore follows that table game winners probably do not report their gambling profits to the IRS.

You not only pay taxes on gambling profits, but you can also claim gambling losses as an itemized deduction as well. But you must keep some kind of documentation (such as a diary or tickets) to substantiate the amount and nature of the losses. In any event, you cannot claim gambling losses that exceed your winnings.

Fun In Las Vegas Without Gambling

Greed is the downfall of most players. The odds that you will win if you play long enough is statistically wrong ...as is; having doubled your money, you next try to quadruple the winnings (and end up losing it all.) Both concepts have built a lot of nice hotel-casinos in Las Vegas.

My system for managing gambling money is simple. I budget $100 a day which, according to statistics, is about average for Las Vegas visitors. If I am on a five day vacation, I put $100 in each of five dated envelopes ...a total of $500. I ration the money throughout the day and stop when I lose my hundred and do other things. I might stop when I double my allotment. In any event at the end of the day, I either am ahead or behind. If I am ahead, I put whatever portion of the $100 I have left (hopefully it is more than $100) back in the same dated envelope and place it in the room safe that hotels provide. Tomorrow I play with the money in following day’s envelope. The most you can lose is $100 on any given day ...or $500 for your trip. I am happy if I break even ...and you should be too. Once in a while I go home with “their” money. In recent years I have done better. I will tell you how later.

The bad news: There are no casino games or bets where the house does not have a clear advantage. The odds either favor the house ...or they get a commission. And if you are not familiar with basic information about the games you play or bets you make, you are just about a guaranteed loser. In short, casino owners are in business to make a profit. They did not build all those gorgeous hotels by giving away money.

The good news: The reality is that if you are lucky you can win ...and the drinks are free. But statistically the chances are against winning. So the cardinal rule is, over the long haul, whether playing the slots, table games, betting on sports or risking money on anything; you will probably lose. But some bets are better than others.

We will, however, cover the most popular games and things you should know as a beginner to have fun and minimize your loss ...and maybe make a few bucks.

Blackjack (21) is either dealt by hand with one or two decks. Multiple Deck 21 is dealt from a box called “the shoe.” Everyone in Blackjack plays against the dealer. Roulette consists of a spinning wheel marked with numbers 1 through 36 (18 red, 18 black) and American Roulette has a green 0 and 00 ..a total of 38 possibilities. You win if your number, combination of numbers or color comes up. To play Keno, you select a minimum of 4 but no more than 10 numbers on a ticket between 1 and 80. Twenty of the 80 numbered balls are drawn and you win if all your selected numbers are chosen. Craps is a complicated dice game which we do not recommend for first-timers. There are many other table games (and variations) as well. More and more people are playing poker these days and we will also have a little to say about that later.

By far, however, the most prevalent pastime in Las Vegas is playing the slot machines ...and video poker. We will cover the games of chance and sports betting in this chapter ...which you should play, where you should play and the odds of winning.

Visit Las Vegas Without Gambling

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