The United States may be the one of the top gambling destinations in the world and the Las Vegas Strip may get all the attention when it comes to casino nightlife, but—perhaps surprisingly for many casual or beginner gamblers—“Sin City” isn’t home to the biggest casinos in the country.
When it comes to gambling, nothing compares to Native American casinos. Generating more income than Atlantic City and Las Vegas combined, not all of the biggest casinos in the United States are factored into the most popular top-10 lists. Because they’re on reservations, many lists exclude them as being not technically part of the U.S. In fact, there are many states that get most of their gaming revenue from Native American reservations, but because they are on reserves, that revenue is not shared publicly on a state-by-state basis. But they’re still there and they offer just as big a chance to win and relax as any other casino and resort.
There are currently 29 states that have American Indian gaming. These states are as follows:1
1. Alabama
2. Alaska
3. Arizona
4. California
5. Colorado
6. Connecticut
7. Florida
8. Idaho
9. Iowa
10. Kansas
11. Louisiana
12. Michigan
13. Minnesota
14. Mississippi
15. Missouri
16. Montana
17. Nebraska
18. Nevada
19. New Mexico
20. New York
21. North Carolina
22. North Dakota
23. Oklahoma
24. Oregon
25. South Dakota
26. Texas
27. Washington
28. Wisconsin
29. Wyoming
Two of the Biggest Native American Casinos to Visit
WinStar World Casino and Resort, Oklahoma
WinStar World Casino and Resort is a sprawling property located on Interstate 35 in Thackerville, Oklahoma, just a stone’s throw from the Texas border. Owned by the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma, WinStar World Casino and Resort is the biggest casino in the United States.2
The 500,000-square-foot gaming floor has eight themed gaming plazas: Paris, Beijing, Rome, London, Vienna, Cairo, and New York City. It also features a poker room, bingo hall, and betting parlour.
The WinStar World Casino has more than 7,400 electronic games, with denominations ranging from $0.01 to $250.00 spread across the eight gaming plazas. If that’s not your style, you can go to the Belvedere High Stakes, Crown High Stakes, or Regal High Stakes areas to play a variety of games with denominations ranging from a dollar to $100.00.
In addition to its vast selection of electronic games, WinStar World Casino has the most table games in Oklahoma. The 99 table games feature blackjack, pai gow, poker, three-card poker, ultimate Texas hold’em, card-based craps and roulette, Mississippi stud, and midi baccarat.
If poker is your game, you can take a seat at any of the 46 poker tables. In the casino’s poker room, you can try your hand at no-limit hold’em, limit hold’em, and Omaha with a high-limit area. The 19,000-square-foot room features its own restaurant, the Red River Grill.
The casino’s 937-seat bingo hall is adjacent to the poker room. Alternatively, you can while away some hours in the keno lounge, located in the New York Gaming Plaza.
After spending a long day relaxing at the resort’s spa, gambling in the casino, golfing, or shopping, you can retreat to one of more than 1,500 hotel rooms at the WinStar World Casino and Resort or The Inn at WinStar. There is also an RV park just a short shuttle ride away from the casino.
Foxwoods Resort Casino, Connecticut
When it comes to some of the biggest casinos in America, tiny Connecticut comes out on top. Foxwoods Resort Casino is located in Mashantucket, Connecticut, on the Mashantucket Pequot Indian Reservation.3
A complex of six casinos, Foxwoods Resort Casino is huge. The resort itself covers 8.6 million square feet, of which the casino takes up 340,000 square feet. If you like slots, Foxwoods has them—4,800 to be exact. Whether you’re happy with penny slots or want to play big with $100.00 machines, Foxwoods Resort Casino has what you’re looking for.
Not surprisingly, the Foxwoods casino also has one of the largest selections of table games. At Foxwoods Casino Resort, you can play 22 different kinds of table games, including baccarat, blackjack, craps, and pai gow on over 250 tables.
If a more relaxed style of gaming is for you, then you might want to head to the Foxwoods bingo hall. With more than 3,600 available seats, it’s one of the biggest bingo halls in the world.
But there’s more to Foxwoods than slots, blackjack, bingo, or roulette. If you’re looking for a little nostalgia, head over to the Foxwoods Tree House Arcade. Spread over two stories, the arcade has the best video games from yesterday and today, including arcade classics and pinball.
After a busy day gambling, you can relax on one of the four hotel properties, each with a coveted “AAA Diamond” rating. After checking into your suite, dine in any of the 34 restaurants that serve a range of cuisine, from gourmet to comfort food. You may also want to spend some time unwinding at the Norwich Spa at Foxwoods or browse through the boutiques, where you’ll find brands like Bulgari, Chopard, and Hugo Boss.
But what if you happen to win big at any of these two casinos? Well, you may want to treat yourself to a spa day and some retail therapy, but it would also be wise to start working on getting back that 30% withholding tax.
Your U.S. Casino Winnings Are Subject to a 30% Withholding Tax: Here’s How to Get Your Money Back
Yes, you read that right—there’s a withholding tax on your casino winnings.
In fact, it would be wise to become familiar with your country’s tax treaty laws before planning your trip to one of the U.S.’s largest casinos and find out how you can get your withheld winnings back if you happen to get lucky.
So here are some tax treaty details in a nutshell:
~ If you live in country that has not signed a U.S. tax treaty, your gaming and parimutuel winnings are subject to a 30% withholding tax. Countries that do not have a U.S. tax treaty include Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Columbia, Costa Rica, India, Indonesia, Israel, Kuwait, Mexico, Malaysia, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates.
~ If you reside in any of these countries and win a substantial amount gambling (typically over $1,200) while visiting the United States, your winnings are subject to a 30% withholding tax by the IRS.
~ If you’ve been to the U.S. and had 30% of your poker winnings held back by the IRS, Refund Management Services (RMS) can help you reclaim a portion or all of your taxable winnings.
RMS: The Easiest, Fastest Way to Get Your Money Back
Founded by a Canadian Chartered Accountant in 1998, RMS is the most reliable and experienced gaming and casino tax refund provider for non-U.S. residents. Only RMS has the One Simple StepTM process. Our customer service agents take care of the rest.
Once you provide us with complete documentation, your claim will be processed and we will submit it to the IRS. Once we receive your refund, we’ll send it right along to you. We’ve never been refused for an eligible refund.
For more information on how to get started on getting your taxed winnings back, contact us today!
Sources:
1. “Gaming Tribe Report,” National Indian Gaming Commission web site; http://www.nigc.gov/Portals/0/NIGC%20Uploads/readingroom/listandlocationoftribalgamingops/state1.pdf, last accessed August 12, 2015.
2. “WinStar World Casino,” WinStar World Casino and Resort web site; http://www.winstarworldcasino.com/, last accessed August 12, 2015.
3. “Foxwoods,” Foxwoods Resort and Casino web site; http://www.foxwoods.com/default.aspx, last accessed August 12, 2015.