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Pechanga Resort & Casino Wins Best U.S. Casino!

Mohegan Sun, Foxwoods Resort Casino, L'Auberge Casino Resort and Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Biloxi also winners

The United States is home to some 1,500 casinos scattered from coast to coast, more than any other nation on the planet. USA TODAY 10Best teamed up with a panel of casino and gambling experts to find the best in the USA.

  • Pechanga Resort & Casino
    Temecula, Calif.

    Located in Southern California, Pechanga Resort & Casino houses a 200,000-square-foot casino floor where gamblers will find 3,400 slots, 130 table games, a 43-table poker room, 700-seat Bingo hall and dedicated areas for high limits and non-smoking gamers.
    Photo courtesy of Pechanga Resort & Casino

  • Mohegan Sun
    Uncasville, Conn.

    One of two gambling destination resorts in Connecticut, Mohegan Sun features three casinos: Casino of the Earth, Casino of the Wind and Casino of the Sky. The three gaming floors between them boast a whopping 5,000 slot machines, 275 table games, 42 poker tables, a race book, two smoke-free areas and Sunrise Square, an area fashioned after an Asian market that offers traditional Asian table games like Sic Bo, Pai Gow Poker and Baccarat.
    Photo courtesy of Mohegan Sun

  • Foxwoods Resort Casino
    Mashantucket, Conn.

    One of two premier gaming resorts in Connecticut, Foxwoods Resort Casino offers 4,500 slot machines – ranging from penny games to $100 minimums – as well as 300 table games, high stakes Bingo at one of the world's largest Bingo halls, a race book with 50-foot digital projection screens and the largest poker room on the East Coast. Four unique hotel properties and over 30 restaurants make it easy to stay and play.
    Photo courtesy of Foxwoods Resort Casino

  • L'Auberge Casino Resort
    Lake Charles, La.

    L'Auberge Casino Resort in Lake Charles, Louisiana sits only two hours from the Houston metro area, making it a convenient place to enjoy 70,000-square-feet of gaming space equipped with 70 table games and some 1,600 slots. The casino's High Limits Salon offers even more tables and slots with denominations up to $100, while its 2,100-square-foot, 24/7 poker room has six tables plus one semi-private high stakes table.
    Photo courtesy of Pinnacle Entertainment

  • Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Biloxi
    Biloxi, Miss.

    In true Hard Rock style, guests of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Biloxi get a free music download at check-in. The expansive casino boasts 1,300 slots, including 500 video slots, as well as 50 table games and four poker tables.
    Photo courtesy of Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Biloxi

  • Harrah's Resort Southern California
    Valley Center, Calif.

    Bringing the Vegas experience to SoCal, the casino at Harrah's Resort Southern California features 60 table games and 1,700 slot machines, including a wide variety of video poker and Blazing 7s games. Non-smokers enjoy their own area outfitted with 100 popular machines, while a high-stakes slot room sees games with denominations up to $100.
    Photo courtesy of Harrah's Resort Southern California

  • Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
    Atlantic City

    The only nominee in Atlantic City, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa at Renaissance Pointe opened its doors in 2003 as the first new hotel in over a decade. Today, the 2,000-room resort offers gamblers 3,475 slot machines, 250 table games and Atlantic City's largest poker room, all spread out over 161,000-square-feet of casino space. Restaurants by Bobby Flay and Wolfgang Puck headline the culinary lineup, while the 2,400-seat Borgata Event Center plays host to some of the world's biggest names in music.
    Photo courtesy of Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa

  • Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa
    Las Vegas

    Frequented by both locals and tourists, the Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa sits on 70 acres of land near the beautiful Red Rock Mountains in Summerlin, about 10 miles west of the Las Vegas Strip. The resort casino includes 3,000 slot and video poker machines, 60 table games, a race and sports book with a 96-foot video wall, a 20-table smoke-free poker room, 600-seat Bingo hall, a 20-seat Keno lounge and two private rooms for high-stakes gamers.
    Photo courtesy of Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa

  • French Lick Resort
    French Lick, Ind.

    Located in French Lick, Indiana, the French Lick Resort features a 51,000-square-foot Vegas-style casino with 1,000 slots, 37 table games, a high-limit area and a 9,500-square-foot non-smoking gaming room with both table games and slots. Two historic hotels with spas dating back to the 1800s facilitate relaxation.
    Photo courtesy of French Lick Resort

  • Thunder Valley Casino Resort
    Lincoln, Calif.

    The 144,500-square-foot casino at Thunder Valley Resort in Northern California has just about everything a gambler could want in a casino: table games, 2,500 slot machines, a 24-hour poker room, 500-seat smoke-free Bingo hall and high limits salons with their own dedicated dealers, private bars, flat-screen TVs and plenty of tables and slots with bets ranging from $100 to $5,000.
    Photo courtesy of Thunder Valley Casino Resort

After four weeks of reader voting, the polls are closed and we have a winner!

It was an intense battle between the top three finishers, and Pechanga Resort & Casino pulled off a come-from-behind victory to take the top spot and the title of 'Best U.S. Casino.'

The state of Connecticut proved itself as a worthy gambling destination with the second- and third-place casinos: Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort Casino respectively.

Las Vegas, the city most famous for its gambling scene, only had one casino finish in the top 10.

The top 10 winners in the category 'Best U.S. Casino' are as follows:

  1. Pechanga Resort & Casino - Temecula, Calif.
  2. Mohegan Sun - Uncasville, Conn.
  3. Foxwoods Resort Casino - Mashantucket, Conn.
  4. L'Auberge Casino Resort - Lake Charles, La.
  5. Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Biloxi - Biloxi, Miss.
  6. Harrah's Resort Southern California - Valley Center, Calif.
  7. Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa - Atlantic City
  8. Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa - Las Vegas
  9. French Lick Resort - French Lick, Ind.
  10. Thunder Valley Casino Resort - Lincoln, Calif.

A panel of experts picked the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote. Experts Lisa Robertson-Dziedzic (Casino Player and Strictly Slots magazines) and Tony Harrell (Abundant Travel) were chosen based on their extensive knowledge of U.S. casinos.

Additional nominees for 'Best U.S. Casino' included Aria Resort & Casino, Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, Bellagio, Caesars Palace Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Mirage Hotel & Casino, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and Wynn Las Vegas.

10Best and USA TODAY extend their congratulations to all the winners. The contest was promoted on 10Best and USA TODAY.

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AlertThe Experts

Lisa Robertson-Dziedzic

Lisa Robertson-Dziedzic

Lisa Robertson-Dziedzic is the Editorial Director of Casino Player magazine and Strictly Slots magazine. Now in it’s 30th year, Casino Player has thrived as America’s most popular gambling magazine. Over the decades, millions of gamblers have enjoyed and benefited from Casino Player’s gaming strategies, as well as its ever-changing lifestyle stories. In 1994, Lisa launched it’s sister publication, Strictly Slots, the nation’s only magazine written exclusively for slots and video poker players. Lisa is an accomplished director specializing in the gaming industry and has more than 35 years of publishing experience. For more information, visit www.casinocenter.com

Tony Harrell

Tony Harrell

Tony Harrell, travel consultant and owner of Abundant Travel, plans customized vacations for plus-size clients and customers of any size. He is a certified destination expert for Las Vegas and New Orleans as well as Canada. He feels that while Las Vegas is the obvious American mecca for gambling and other entertainment, there are other destinations across the country that are worth the trip.