Las Vegas, America’s gambling mecca, is home to some of the world’s biggest and most luxurious hotels and casinos. In fact, according to a recent survey, Las Vegas is home to the most luxurious hotel; the Bellagio was named the number one hotel in the world by the world’s wealthiest individuals. But with daily hotel room rates starting at $350, you don’t need to be ultra-rich to enjoy everything the Bellagio has to offer.1
Bellagio Las Vegas: Best Hotel in the World
No matter what name you refer to it as, be it “Sin City” or “The Strip,” Las Vegas is the undisputed entertainment capital of the world. And it continues to gain popularity, with visitors staying longer and spending more.2
In 2015, the length of a stay in Las Vegas averaged 4.4 days for the record 42.3 million visitors.3 In 2014, 41.1 million people visited Las Vegas, with the average trip lasting 4.2 days.4
While there are a myriad of hotels to choose from when staying in Sin City, when it comes to getting the full Vegas experience, the Bellagio comes out on top, with a survey of more than 800 millionaires from around the world saying it was the overall preferred hotel.5
The Bellagio Las Vegas is known for its fountain and pool, which were inspired by the Lake Como town of Bellagio, Italy. The hotel has 3,950 rooms, including 512 suites. It also boasts high-end restaurants, clubs, entertainment, shopping, a spa, a salon, a fitness center, and, of course, one of the best casinos on the Vegas Strip.
On the 116,000-square-foot casino floor you’ll find over 2,300 reel, video, and video poker games with jackpots and progressives.6 The Bellagio poker room, one of the stops on the World Poker Tour, is a 7,000-square-foot space that features 40 tables and two high-limit areas. The Bellagio also has a large number of table games, including blackjack, craps, roulette, baccarat, three card poker, pai gow poker, and more.
And if you like to watch sports, you’ll have fun in the 5,600-square-foot sports book venue with 99 individual racing monitors, seven large screens for racing, six large screens for sports, and 38 spots bar flat screens.
Three of the Top Casinos in Las Vegas
The Bellagio may be the destination of choice for the world’s millionaires, but there are luxurious hotels that fit every kind of traveller in Las Vegas. Below are just three of the city’s top casinos and hotels.
The Venetian:
Located just down the street from the Bellagio on South Las Vegas Boulevard is the Venetian. The 112,000-square-foot casino has approximately 2,300 slot machines, 139 table games (plus a 20-table high-limit salon), poker room, imperial baccarat, and race and sports book (with 118 personal betting stations).7
Wynn:
Right next door to the Venetian is Wynn. Wynn holds more Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star awards than any other independent hotel company and more Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star awards than any other Las Vegas resort.8 The casino boasts everything you’d expect from a top gambling destination: slots, table games, poker, and a race and sports book.9 Wynn is also the only hotel on the Strip with its own golf course.
Aria Resort and Casino:
The Aria Resort and Casino is home to a 4,004-room hotel, 16 restaurants, 10 nightclubs, 16 restaurants, a spa, and a fitness centre. The 150,000-square-foot casino features 145 table games, a high-limit lounge, 1,940 slot machines, 24 live poker tables, and a race and sports book.9
Non-U.S. Residents Subject to 30% Withholding Tax
If you are a non U.S. resident and won a significant amount of money (typically over $1,200) gambling at a casino while visiting the U.S., you need to understand that your gaming winnings could be subject to a 30% withholding tax by the Internal Revenue Service. For example, if you win $2,000 playing the slots at the Bellagio, the casino will only pay you $1,400, while the IRS keeps the rest. But, if you live in a country like Canada, which has signed a U.S. tax treaty, you may be eligible for a refund.
There are a number of countries that currently do not have a U.S. tax treaty. However, if you reside in any of the following countries, you could still be eligible for a refund: Australia, Bahrain, Barbados, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Israel, Kuwait, Mexico, Malaysia, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates.
To see if you meet the criteria and are eligible to get some or all of your withholding tax back, contact Refund Management Services (RMS).
Get Your Withholding Taxes Back with RMS’s One Simple Step Process
If you visited a casino in Las Vegas or anywhere else in the U.S. and had 30% of your gaming winnings withheld by the IRS, the tax refund experts at RMS can help you recoup a portion or all of your taxable winnings.
RMS was founded by a Canadian Chartered Accountant in 1998 and 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.
Your refund cheque gets mailed out to you as soon as your refund is approved. It’s worth the wait, as Refund Management Services has never been refused an eligible refund!
Contact RMS today by calling our toll-free number at 1-888-272-5559 or by e-mailing us at [email protected].
Sources:
1. “Hotel,” Bellagio Las Vegas web site; https://www.bellagio.com/en/hotel.html, last accessed April 19, 2016.
2. “Las Vegas Visitor Profile Study 2015,” Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority web site, http://www.lvcva.com/includes/content/images/media/docs/2015-Las-Vegas-Visitor-Profile.pdf, last accessed April 19, 2016.
3. “2015 Las Vegas Year-To-Date Executive Summary 2015,” Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority web site; http://www.lvcva.com/includes/content/images/media/docs/ES-YTD-2015.pdf, last accessed April 19, 2016.
4. “2014 Las Vegas Year-To-Date Executive Summary 2014,” Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority web site; http://www.lvcva.com/includes/content/images/media/docs/ES-YTD-2014.pdf, last accessed April 19, 2016.
5. “Top destinations for the super-rich,” New World Wealth web site; http://nebula.wsimg.com/d44f38dcbfc7ed490baa3f7d0dd170e8?AccessKeyId=70E2D0A589B97BD675FB&disposition=0&alloworigin=1, last accessed April 19, 2016.
6. “Casino,” Bellagio Las Vegas web site; https://www.bellagio.com/en/casino.html, last accessed April 19, 2016.
7. “Casino,” Venetian web site; http://www.venetian.com/casino.html, last accessed April 19, 2016.
8. Rooms and Suites, Wynn Las Vegas web site; http://www.wynnlasvegas.com/RoomsSuites., last accessed April 19, 2016.
9. “Casino,” Wynn Las Vegas web site; http://www.wynnlasvegas.com/RoomsSuites, last accessed April 19, 2016.
10. “Aria Resort and Casino Fact Sheet,” Aria Resort and Casino web site; http://newsroom.arialasvegas.com/aria/fact-sheets/aria-resort-casino-fact-sheet.htm, last accessed April 19, 2016.