Winstar World Casino

Winstar Casino, Thackerville, OK

Winstar Casino

Winstar World Casino is located about an hour and a half north of the Dallas/Forth Worth metro area on Interstate
35 just north of the Red River in Oklahoma. Together with Choctaw Casino in Durant, Oklahoma, it is the closet casino to Dallas/Fort Worth. Because of this, it receives a lot of visitors from Dallas. Because I live in a northeastern suburb of Dallas, Choctaw Casino is actually a closer drive for me. However, for a majority of the residents of Dallas/Fort Worth, Winstar Casino is the closer of the two.

Winstar World casino is Huge! It is said that it is the third largest casino in the USA as far as actual casino floor space is concerned. I certainly believe it. I takes forever to walk thru the casino. Here is a link to the website for Winstar World Casino. The casino is divided up into a number of sections with their own themes such as Rome, Paris, London and Madrid. To be honest, these differences are just slight decorating changes and there really is not much to distinguish one area of the casino from another.

What I like about Winstar Casino

Obviously, its’ proximity to Dallas is going to be a plus for someone living here. For me, it takes about an hour and a half to make the drive. So, I can leave the house at 3:30, get there by five and be home by 10:00 that evening. Very convenient. Also, Winstar World Casino is slot heaven. As the casino is in Oklahoma and all games have to be either slots or card games, you are not going to find craps tables or traditional roulette tables. What you are left with is a few baccarat tables, a lot of blackjack tables and a ton of slot machines. You will find a lot slot machines you will not find anywhere else. For example, earlier this year I won $811 on a penny slot named Houdini. Since that time I have visited Choctaw Casino in Durant, Oklahoma and Harrah’s in New Orleans and could not find that slot at either casino. However, in the interest of full disclosure, the wife and I visited Winstar Casino on July 10, 2010 to see a Lyle Lovett concert and I could not find Houdini slots again there either.

Winstar Casino gets big name entertainment. As I mentioned previously, I attended a Lyle Lovett concert there. Hell, for $60 we sat in the VIP section right in front of the stage! Not bad. Winstar manages to pull in a lot of big name acts that you are used to seeing in Las Vegas and Atlantic City casinos. For instance, Dennis Miller and Sinbad are a couple of their upcoming attractions. Not bad for an Indian casino in Oklahoma. They also have a liquor license so you can enjoy a beer or other alcoholic beverage while you gamble.

As Winstar Casino is a Indian Casino in Oklahoma, all of its slot machines are actually class 2 bingo machines. VGT is the king of these machines and they are extremely popular due their red screen re-spin feature. Winstar has a very large selection of these machines. You should have no problem finding a Red Hot Ruby Slots machine, Mr. Money Bag Slots, Star Spangled Sevens Slots, Lucky Leprechaun Slots and all of the rest of your VGT favorites.

What I do not like about Winstar Casino

The place is huge! It takes forever to walk from one end of the gaming floor to the other. This can be a problem for those with hip or knee issues. Winstar World Casino is long and narrow. It is laid out like a giant letter L. It is perhaps 30 yard wide and extremely long. The place just goes on and on. Also, cell phone reception in Winstar is spotty at best. So, if you got with someone else, you want to stay together or you may spend a while getting back in touch with each other.

Due to the layout, Winstar Casino is smoky as hell. If you are a non-smoker such as myself, this can be a big drawback as you will smell like an ash can when you leave and will most likely have to take a shower before you go to bed to get the smoke smell out of your hair. Most of the Indian casinos I have visited have a very smoky environment.

Also, while Winstar is close to Dallas, it is also close to Oklahoma City. Therefore, the place is usually packed on the weekends. In our last trip there, I could hardly find a seat at a blackjack table, for instance. It was also near impossible to find and empty VGT slot machine. Another thing to keep in mind is that because of its location in Oklahoma, you are going to have to ante $.50 for each hand of blackjack or baccarat. This is true of all casinos in Oklahoma.

The restaurants also leave a lot to be desired. Most are nothing more than fast food with different themes. Overall, the dining choices and quality offered pales in comparison to Choctaw Casino. I really cannot say one good thing about the food at Winstar.

Conclusion

Overall, it is the proximity to Dallas and Oklahoma City that makes Winstar World Casino a success. The top name entertainment they bring in also provides and additional attraction. I personally know a lot of people that make the drive from Dallas at least once a month.