ONLINE GAMBLING AND CASINO GUIDE

I went to Aliante Station this morning, and you’ll never believe what I found.

Red Rock Station!

How in the hell did they move that thing 15 miles?

Seriously, walking into Aliante felt almost identical to walking into Red Rock, except that Aliante was much less crowded, and it was not quite as elaborate and upscale as Red Rock.

The theme of the place was what you might call “Planet Hollywood light”, or even “Red Rock Junior”.

There really is no theme other than “gamble here”.

They have a small-ish hotel building with 200 rooms, but the casino floor itself is ample in size.

It did have that “new casino smell”. Brand new machines, new carpets, and pristine walls always add a level of upscale-ness to any property, but this had much more to do with chronology than design.

They are lacking some things that I’ve come to expect from some of Station’s typical offerings.

For instance, we were looking around for a cafe or coffee shop, but Aliante did not have one. They had the Feast Buffet (identical to Red Rock’s), and they had a food court, however, there was nothing to fill the in-between void in the morning.

Red Rock and GVR both have cafe’s that I enjoy from time to time, so this was a bit of a buzzkill.

To be 100% honest, new casino reviews are getting tougher and tougher to get excited about, because there is just very little innovation left to exploit. Every new casino invariably has slot machines, video poker machines, a poker room, a sports book, and some restaurants.

The only thing that sets them apart anymore is their location.

Convenience to locals is really the entire point of these joints, and the interiors are almost wholly interchangeable.

If you live in Henderson, is there a reason to go to Aliante Station? No.

If you live in Summerlin, is there a reason to go to Aliante Station? No.

The primary reason for its existence is to prevent Aliante residents from having to drive about an hour to another casino. In that respect, the place serves its purpose perfectly.

If you are a tourist, is there any reason to make the trek to Aliante Station? Unless they are having a concert that you want to see … no. Honestly, I have really thought about this question for a couple of hours, but I can’t think of a single compelling thing that would cause a person to go from The Strip to Aliante Station.

The only scenario I can envision is if they have room specials (ie. free rooms) or great comps that you just can’t pass up. If that is the case, it is a fine enough place to lay your head and do some gaming.

Otherwise, There is just nothing here that isn’t everywhere else.

Luckily, this place is not aimed at tourists, so it will unlikely be an issue.

As is usual from remote areas in the Valley, the view of The Strip is a bit unique. North Las Vegas does provide views of The Strip that are kind of cool from a visual standpoint.

One thing did strike me about the place very overtly:

A lack of people.

This was the first weekend the new casino was opened. I had figured it would be packed before leaving home. This was not the case.

Only one place had any real action, and that was the Sportsbook. There were a respectable amount of people placing wagers on horse races and other events.

The rest of the casino was, well, almost deserted. The casino is directly adjacent to the Sun City Aliante community, and I anticipated it being much more full than it actually was.

The poker room was completely empty. Only staff were present in the room. At this time of the day, Red Rock’s room is packed. Aliante had a very large room, but the complete lack of players was unusual. It was also a shame, because the room is actually very nice. They have about 12 tables, and plenty of video screens lining the walls … as well as an electronic list management system. The room looks large and comfortable. I might have played a bit if there had been a table running, but sadly that was not the case.

Maybe it was just the time of day (about 10am), but for some perspective, I had lunch at the Grand Lux in the Venetian at about noon and the poker room there was quite full.

Hopefully some of the Aliante locals will take to the Poker Room, because it is certainly deserving of some action.

If I had to estimate, I would say that maybe 3% of the machines were actively being played. There was also very little pedestrian traffic in the place. Security and staff seemed to outnumber actual casino patrons.

Unfortunately, this had some unwanted side effects.

While Las Vegas casinos have, in general, gotten over much of the pissy “no pictures” admonishments, Station’s Casinos is one of the last companies with a huge stick up their ass over the issue.

Red Rock, Green Valley Ranch, and now Aliante Station are some of the most inhospitable places in Las Vegas for photography. I don’t know what kind of special trade secrets they think they have, but I really think it’s all in their heads.

Now that bluetooth headsets have become ubiquitous, earlier this year casinos realized the futility of banning cellphones in sportsbooks. In time, the point really needs to be underscored that the “no pictures” rule really is a holdover of a bygone era that is patently impractical and unenforceable.

Customer service and common sense goes a long way in the service industry, and with the proliferation of palm-sized cameras, cellphone cameras, and even wristwatch cameras … the “no pictures” rule has been rendered obsolete. It doesn’t compromise security. It doesn’t do anything other than let people advertise your properties for free.

Excessive security and lack of gamblers was also notable because the place is still extremely new and it is much too early for the initial enthusiasm to have already worn off.

In some way, I think it underscores just how bad the economy has gotten in Las Vegas. Locals are more concerned about keeping their jobs and paying their mortgages. I think it is safe to say that many have scaled back on gaming quite a bit. This was actually an inopportune time for a new casino opening in a local neighborhood, but these things are hard to time. If you build it, they usually come. Hopefully this will be the case with the casino at a later date.

Of all of the casino openings and “soon after openings” I have been to in Las Vegas, Aliante Station may be the most underwhelming for me personally.

Green Valley Ranch was a step up from most other Station Casinos, Red Rock was a step up from Green Valley Ranch (in my opinion), so after three years, I expected the third jewel in the Station crown to be a step up from Red Rock. Instead, it was pretty status-quo.

It’s certainly nicer than Texas Station and Palace Station, but it didn’t set any new standards for locals joints. Nonetheless, residents of the far north end of the Valley now have a first-rate property at which to spend some leisure time.

While Aliante Station is a fine property that offers ample gaming and sports betting, from a tourist’s perspective, Red Rock Station is still the off-strip casino to beat.

In short, if you live in Aliante … Aliante Station is great.

If you live anywhere else, it will probably be a place you only visit for special events.

As a Las Vegan, I root for all properties to pack in customers, and I sincerely hope that Aliante Station operates successfully for years to come.

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