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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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.

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.

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.

Reno, Nevada does not want RVers staying overnight for free in its casinos' parking lots. For 12 years, a law has been on the books that prohibited such "camping," but it has not been enforced.

Now, after countless RV stays in casino lots and other public parking areas, the city claims that such RVs are health hazards. "I've observed people stepping out of their RV and (urinating) outside the door," city code enforcer Alex Woodley told the Reno Gazette-Journal. "We've had individuals use a Wal-Mart lot and instead of being a good citizen, at 2 a.m. they'll dump their gray water and take off, leaving a hazardous situation."

Already, the city has received about two dozen e-mails from RV owners who wrote of the convenience of overnighting in casino parking lots and patronizing the casino and restaurants as well as other retail establishments. Many said they would boycott the city in the future.

Mayor Bob Cashell acknowledged that only a fraction of the RVers cause problems but added, "There's always that one-half percent that screws it up for everybody."

If you would like to comment, you can write the mayor at bob@bobcashell.com .

Reno's next door neighbor, Sparks, has no such "no parking" laws on its books.

The Mississippi Gaming Commission ordered the 12 casinos located along the Gulf Coast to be closed as of Sunday morning (8/31/08). Employees and local residents joined the many visitors in town for the Labor Day weekend in evacuating to higher ground. All the casinos of Mississippi's Gulf coast had been swept out to sea when Katrina hit three years ago. However, the path of the current hurricane, Gustav, is somewhat west of the Mississippi casinos, so -- while they were evacuated -- casino management, employees and guests were hoping for the best. The casinos in Mississippi had all been totally rebuilt after Katrina.

In Louisiana, all casinos along the coast were also closed today. Harrahs in New Orleans and L'Auberge du Lac and Isle of Capri in Lake Charles are sitting directly in Gustav's expected landfall area.

Coushatta in Kinder, LA (somewhat north of the coast) also closed temporarily. Three years ago, in the aftermath of Katrina, Coushatta's cottages and RV park sites were filled with evcacuees for many months while the cleanup and repairs took place in New Orleans.

Casinos in the East aren't nearly as numerous as casinos in the West. RVers exploring the west coast can literally casino hop in every state all up and down the West Coast. On the East Coast, however -- especially in the southeast -- there are many states that do not have casinos. In North Carolina one casino, Harrah's Cherokee, is surrounded by states (TN, SC, GA, VA, KY) that don't have any gaming at all. The casino is located in the heart of the lovely Great Smoky Mountains in western North Carolina.

Owned by the states's Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the casino is not Vegas-style. There are no live table games, and according to a compact the Cherokees signed with the state back in 1994, all video machines must be games of skill. So, because of the "skill" factor, slots players must spin the reels twice. There are also digital versions of blackjack, craps and baccarat.

An expansion has just begun that will enlarge the hotel and conference facilities and double the size of the casino bt 2012. There is no indication yet of whether the expansion will include an RV Park. The region is a popular summertime destination for campers and RVing casino goers wold certainlylove to see an RV Park at a casino in the Smokies!

Harrah's Cherokee is RV-Friendly with the far west end of the main parking lot designated for RV parking. Overnight is OK. To get to Harrah's Cherokee from Asheville, NC use exit 27 off I-40, follow US-74 west for 3.3 miles to exit 103 then merge onto US-19 west for 23.1 miles then north on Casino Drive. Coming in from the Knoxville area use exit 20 off I-40 and merge onto US-276 south for 5.9 miles then US-19 west for 19.3 miles. Either way, it's a drive into the mountains. RVers don't generally go into the Smokies specifically to play at this casino, but Harrah's Cherokee can be a good stop on the way to a fishing/camping destination.

Missouri voters may get another chance to eliminate the unique "loss limit" that has been in effect since gaming came to the state in 1992. There have been a couple of attempts by the state legislature in recent years to end the "loss limit" rule, but they haven't succeeded.

In case you aren't familiar with Missouri's loss limit, here's how it works. When boarding a Missouri riverboat casino, patrons are required to present an ID to get a Players Club slot card. The card is used to track a person's chip and slots purchases. Individuals are not allowed to play more than $500 in any two-hour period. Casinos have established the two-hour periods as beginning with even numbered hours, i.e., 12-2, 2-4, 4-6, etc. So, for example, if you purchase $500 worth of chips, you can't buy any more until the beginning of the next even-numbered hour. Same rule for slots players -- once you've put $500 into the machines, you can't play any more until the beginning of the next even-numbered hour. The procedure is tightly controlled. Slots players know that the machine won't work until the card in inserted. Ditto for table players, they can't get chips till the card is presented. There is no limit on winnings.

Missouri is the only state with a loss limit of this type. Colorado casinos have a limt of five dollars on an individual bet. Blackjack players don't especially like that limit because they can't double down. In Washington state, most of the Indian tribes operating casinos have agreed to a maximum bet of five dollars on their slots. To my knowledge, these three states are the only ones that place limits on gamblers' wagering.

Finding a place where I can get connected on my lap top has been a bit of a challenge here in northern Iowa. Not too many hot spots. But today I found a little computer work station set up in the "Top of Iowa" Welcome Center -- I-35 exit 214, just south of the MInnesota state line. And, guess what, there's a casino right next door! So while Jack is over there getting acquainted with the dealers, I'm sending you Happy Tuesday greetings from Iowa, the state with many styles of casinos -- riverboats, land-based traditional casinos, racinos (casinos at race tracks) and even one Indian casino on the west side of the state.

The casino at the "Top of Iowa" is the Diamond Jo, opened just about two years ago. It has a huge selection of slots from pennies to dollars. The variety of video poker is somewhat disappointing and there are no nickel or penny poker machines. Live action at the gaming tables includes varied blackjack and poker plus craps and roulette. The buffet at this casino is unique featuring (in addition to the usual menu items) food freh from the fertile farms of Iowa. There's also a Burger King and Starbuck's inside the casino. The casino is open 8am-3am weekdays and 24 hours on weekends.

A pleasant casino-hopping experience can be found in Colorado's historic towns of Black Hawk and Central City, west of Denver, about 10 miles off Interstate 70.

Black Hawk and Central City are old mining towns in the Rockies that prospered as a result of the gold rush of 1859. After the gold ran out, hard rock and coal mining provided employment into the early 20th century, but the area declined afterward. In 1991, gambling was revived in the old mining towns as a part of historic preservation.

Today, a dozen or so casinos are clustered in the downtown areas of the old towns. It's a fun place for RVers to visit during the summer.

A free parking area for RVs is provided at the Miners Mesa Lot, located at the highest point above Black Hawk. From there you'll have a bird's eye view of the old mining town below and can take in a spectacular 360-degree view of the mountains and even see the continental divide. The Miners Mesa Parking Lot is the ONLY place in Black Hawk/Central City with enough room for RV parking. The free shuttle bus runs to and from the Miners Mesa Lot and to all the casinos, 8am to 2am.

In addition to the larger Isle of Capri and Colorado Central Station Casinos, there are a number of small gaming locations in the charming downtown areas of the two towns.

To get to Black Hawk take exit 244 from I-70 to Highway 6 east for about 3 miles to Highway 119 north for just under 7 miles. When you get into Black Hawk take a left at the first traffic light (Mill St) and continue on Mill St through the intersection of Main St and up the hill to the Miners Mesa Lot. This is the easiest way to get to the RV parking lot. If you come off I-70 at Central City, you will have to drive all the way through the narrow streets of Central City and Black Hawk to get to Mill St.

High Country Touring the Colorado Rockies
A visually beautiful and richly informative guide to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, focusing on national parks, wilderness areas, skyways and byways, peaks, national monuments, and the Continental Divide. Learn more or order.

New name, but the same casino.

The former Caesars Indiana casino has been re-branded. It is now called Horseshoe Southern Indiana Casino. The 5,000-passenger riverboat -- permanently docked on the Ohio River in Elizabeth, IN -- still features more than 2,000 slots and over 100 pit/gaming tables. It is open 24/7.

Horseshoe Southern Indiana remains RV-Friendly. They have a designated lot for RVs and overnight parking is permitted. To get to the casino take I-64 exit 123 (New Albany) and follow Hwy-111 south for 8 miles. Drive past the parking garages and hotel complex and turn right onto Stuckey Road to the RV parking lot. It is walking distance to the casino.

Caesars and Horseshoe are just two of the many casino brands owned and operated by the Harrah's gaming company. In addition to the original Harrah's brand name, other brands in the Harrah's family of casinos include, Grand, Bally's, Harvey's, Paris, Rio, Showboat, Imperial Palace and Flamingo. The Harrah's Total Rewards Players Club is unique in that points earned at any of the Harrah's casinos (anywhere in the country) accumulate in a single account and the points can be redeemed for meals or other comps at any Harrah's-owned casino. Total Rewards accounts are maintained on a national computerized database and that's quite an advantage for RV travelers!