Casino's KOA will be only RV park next to a horse racetrack

Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs in Claremore, Oklahoma, near Tulsa, has signed an agreement with Kampgrounds of America to designate 250 of the casino's 400 RV sites as a KOA campground. It will be the only KOA in the country adjacent to a horse racing facility. It will also be the largest RV park in the state.

With the agreement, Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs will add several features to make the sites more family-friendly and familiar to KOA campers such as a playground, picnic tables, curbed parking, Wi-Fi Internet access and charcoal grills at each site. Within the year, the casino will also add KOA Kamping Kabins, which are one- or two-room log cabins that provide covered sleeping quarters for campers.

The racing season at Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs runs from February through late May.

Northern California casino changes tune: now welcomes RVers

A year ago, the Thunder Valley Casino didn't want an RV anywhere in its parking lots. In one instance reported by RVtravel.com, a security guard rudely ordered an RVer to leave, even though he was just there with his friends for a short time to gamble.

But now. . . a different tune. The casino now welcomes RVers and eagerly provides up to three days of free overnight stays in its parking lot as long as an RVer registers upon arrival. A shuttle is provided to and from the casino. Regular rules apply -- no dumping of sewage, outdoor fires, trailers disconnected from tow vehicles, ride behavior, etc.

Thunder Valley casino is in Lincoln, Calif., which is near Roseville in the greater Sacramento area. The address is 1200 Athens Ave., Lincoln, CA 95648. Its toll free phone number is 877-468-8777.

Updated for 2009
Casino Camping: Guide to RV-Friendly Casinos
This 2009 directory is the best casino guide for RVers. Learn which casinos have RV parks or offer free overnight stays. Plus get tips and information about other casino benefits for RVers. Learn more or order.

Reno struggling, Indians getting rich

There's a lot of room to breathe in the casinos in Reno. Gamblers are not showing up in anywhere near the numbers of yesteryear -- in the days before Indian casinos began popping up all over northern California, where most of Reno's customers came from.

But head west across the Sierra range and you'll find crowds aplenty at the huge Thunder Valley Casino in Lincoln, a short drive from Sacramento, and about a two-hour drive away from Reno with no need to cross Donner Pass to get there.

Thunder Valley, with 2,600 slots and 98 gaming tables, is owned by the 255-member Auburn United Indian Community tribe, of which only five work at the casino. While the casinos in Reno struggle to make ends meet with far fewer visitors, the members of the once poverty-stricken Auburn tribe are getting rich. Estimates are that each member of the community now receives between $300,00 and $500,000 a year as their share of the casino's profits.

Thunder Valley angered the RV community last year when it banned RVs from its parking lots.

New casino with RV park opens in SW Colorado

The Sky Ute Casino Resort and Conference Center has opened in Ignacio, Colo., at the hub of Southwest Colorado's gas-production fields and the home of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. Nestled in the shadow of the San Juan Mountains, the casino has 540 slot machines, 12 table games, a 180-seat bingo hall, 24-lane AMF bowling center, an 18-hole mini golf course, and 24-site RV park. The RV park features WiFi Internet access, showers, laundry facilities, access to the resort's lazy river and pool and fitness center, and spectacular views of the nearby HD and La Plata mountains.

The multimillion-dollar complex is about 20 miles southeast of Durango, Colo. on state highway 172 near the San Juan National Forest. It's the largest hotel/casino in the Four Corners region, where southwestern Colorado, northwestern New Mexico, northeastern Arizona, and southeastern Utah briefly adjoin.

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U.S. Military Campgrounds Directory on CD
Pack this along with you to get current information about Military Campgrounds across the USA. Updated monthly. No internet access needed for most of the information. Learn more here.

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Mesquite, Nev., casino closes. RV park to remain open

The economic recession has claimed another casualty, this time the Oasis Casino in the town of Mesquite, Nevada, which will close -- at least temporarily -- Friday, December 5. Nearly a quarter of the company's workforce, 500 people, will lose their jobs during the holiday season and possibly beyond. In addition to the casino floor, all restaurants, and the nightclub at Oasis will also close. The attached hotel, RV park, golf course, and gun club will remain open. Customer rewards points will still be redeemable at other Black Gaming properties in Mesquite, the Casablanca and Virgin River Hotel and Casino.

Mesquite is located on the Nevada-Utah border along I-15, northeast of Las Vegas.

More about Reno's ban on overnight RV stays at casinos

We reported last week at RVtravel.com that Reno, Nevada is now enforcing a decades old law that prohibits RVers from staying overnight in their RVs in casino parking lots. So far, we have heard of nobody being arrested or even fined for staying overnight. The Atlantis Casino Resort has been putting notifications on the windshields of RVs in its parking lots, warning that it's illegal to stay overnight there instead of in a designated RV park.

The Grand Sierra Resort in Reno still allows RVs to stay overnight on its property because it has a special permit to allow it. The city of Reno says any casino or business could apply for one.

Reno's next door neighbor Sparks, just east on I-80, has no law prohibiting overnight stays in RVs. The Nugget Casino is reported to once again be allowing RVs to stay there after banning the practice years ago.

Mississippi casino to reopen after Ike damage

The Silver Slipper Casino, Mississippi's first land-built casino and a casualty of Hurricane Ike, reopened on September 6, just two months shy of its second anniversary. "We suffered minimal damage to the exterior and our lower level entrance but our gaming floor is in perfect shape," stated John N. Ferrucci, COO and General Manager of Silver Slipper Casino. "Like so many, we learned a lot from Katrina, so we had a plan in place and prepared for the worst. As soon as it was safe to return, our team immediately assessed the damage and worked tirelessly in an effort to re-open."

All three of the Slipper's restaurants are now open. The Jubilee features a $7.95 lunch buffet, as well as a $9.95 dinner and Sunday brunch buffet special throughout the month of September. Additionally, the Slipper is moving forward with its September promotions including an A. J. Foyt Racing Custom Ford Mustang giveaway, November 9th, a $20,000 Weekend Cash Blast giveaway each weekend in September, free entertainment, big screen football action and much more.

The Slipper's beachfront RV park is temporarily closed. However, management hopes to have it open soon.

Silver Slipper Casino is located on the beach at 5000 South Beach Blvd. in Hancock County, Mississippi.