What is the best time of day and the best time of the week to visit the casino? Well, it depends on the primary reason for your trip.
What is the best time of day and the best time of the week to visit the casino? Well, it depends on the primary reason for your trip.
Choosing the best time to go to the casino requires as much strategy as winning once you’ve arrived.
Is your goal to simply get a seat at a table and win money? Or are you looking for high-energy excitement and big crowds? Maybe you’re looking for the best chance at a jackpot payout?
While the ultimate answer depends on your personal schedule and commitments, we walk through a few scenarios and try to determine the best time for your next casino visit.
Let’s clarify up front that this advice doesn’t necessarily apply to those who live in or are visiting Las Vegas. Vegas casinos are busy 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and our opinion is there’s no bad time to visit.
We’re trying to offer advice to people who are visiting their local casino. These establishments tend to be busiest between Thursday – Sunday.
It makes sense… Friday is the unofficial start of the weekend, and lots of people are off work Saturdays and Sundays. Thursdays could be your sweet spot. Enough people at the casino to create some energy, but not quite the packed crowds of the weekend.
If you just want to sit and play and could care less about the crowds around you, daytime hours Monday – Thursday figure to be rather quiet times.
So we’ve established that daytime hours are quieter than nighttime, and earlier in the week it’s less busy than the weekend.
But it’s not that simple. Daytime means bus trips of groups headed to the casino, and businesses know it’s not their busiest time. So some days, it may be difficult to find a seat at a table during the day simply due to fewer tables with dealers and less availability.
In the evening, more tables are open. If you’re a high-stakes poker player, the likelihood of more people playing increases. You should have your choice of games, as the building will be fully stacked with dealers and casino personnel as opposed to the quieter daylight hours.
Here’s another factor for slots players – progressive jackpots. With more and more people pressing the buttons in the evening, those must-pay machines are likely to hit as the jackpot figure moves higher and higher.
Again, this is all subject to availability. There’s no BAD time to go to the casino. But:
Want us to name a perfect time? How about Thursday nights?
People want to get a jump on the weekend, so they head to the casino and create some level of excitement and atmosphere. On the other hand, it’s not REALLY the weekend, so you shouldn’t have much trouble parking or finding a spot at the table of your choice!
In Las Vegas, just about every casino is open 24 hours a day and seven days a week. That’s because Vegas has a few factors working in its favor:
But not every locale is Las Vegas. In general, American casinos are open 24/7, but there are exceptions to every rule.
About ten years ago, there was some controversy in the state of Illinois surrounding the question of casinos remaining open 24 hours a day. To this day, state law only allows Illinois casinos to remain open for 22 hours a day. This means, sometime between 2 a.m. and 9 a.m. (their choice), every Illinois casino closes for two hours.
Here are some other states with some different laws around when and how casinos can operate:
STATE | LAW |
Florida | Casinos can be open 24 hours on weekends and holidays, but only 18 hours per day during the week. |
Illinois | As we mentioned above, all Illinois casinos must close for a minimum of two hours each day. |
Missouri | Only those casinos in the two largest cities – Kansas City and St. Louis – stay open 24 hours. |
Nebraska | When Warhorse Casino in Lincoln opened last year, it became the first Nebraska casino to operate 24/7. |
This isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list; rather some examples of places where regulations prohibit or avoid casinos staying open 24 hours a day.
Some casinos choose to close from time to time even if the law allows them to remain open 24 hours, so it’s always a good idea to do your research.