Pechanga named #1 Casino in the U.S.A. by USA Today (celebration promotion announced)

For a period of time, USA Today held a 10 Best in various categories. After a few months of voting, Pechanga came out in 1st place for the best casino in the USA (including Las Vegas).

http://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-u-s-casino/

To celebrate this feat, there will be a special EasyHeats slot tournament held on Wednesday, July 22 at 2:00pm - 10:00pm. Everyone with a CLUB card is eligible.

This is NOT a traditional slot tournament where you wait in long lines for your turn and mindlessly mash the spin button for a minute.

EasyHeat slot tournament is where you put in your CLUB card into a slot machine, and the gaming screen will be taken over by an interactive screen. The player will push spin 20 times on a random game, and the final score will be recorded. No need to play fast. After it is played, the original game will be restored. Works on video poker as well on Game King machines.

There is a $100,000 prize pool for this. 1st place winner wins $30,000. All cash prize winners will have 24 hours to redeem their prize or else it is forfeited.

What makes Pechanga #1 ?? And with Rincon on the list of top 10 casinos, I have to question what criteria they used? Certainly "gaming" wasn't a top priority.

I like Pechanga, but there had to be some interesting ballot stuffing for this one. It is big and clean and the gaming isn't bad, and the poker room is spectacular. But number one? Maybe number one among Native American places or those endorsed by the American Tobacco Industry.

I saw that to. Considering they still have several Class II slots (at least they did last time I was there several months ago), a confusing casino layout (in my opinion), and a not very good buffet (Harrah's, Pala, Valley View are all superior), I agree with the serious ballot stuffing. Or at least a concerted effort to impel people to vote. We did our monthly San Diego casino run yesterday instead of Sunday, and as always, bypassed Pechanga even though we drove by it twice. Always hit Valley View, Harrah's, and Pala, which an occasional Pauma.

It seems like to me that there were 10 casinos nominated out of the 1500 by the USA Today editors. Then there voting was held to determine the placement of the best among those 10. Foxwoods, Moheagan Sun, and Pechanga are three of the biggest casinos, so they probably have the most weight in terms of ballot stuffing.

If gaming was a strong factor, Red Rock will easily top that list from the reviews I hear from people that go the extra few miles past the Vegas strip to get there. The food I hear is of great quality and value. Pechanga is indeed an above average casino compared to many that I've read about, though most people will favor Barona as the best casino in the state.

Just explain to me how Rincon made the top ten?

I wonder if it ended being a popular vote rather than truly the best casino. A few Vegas casino's are listed as nominees, but if the voters only experience their local casino (as several around here do with Pechanga and Harrah's) they vote for those. I'm surprised at how many people who go to Vegas don't know how easy it is to get comped rooms and end up staying at the least expensive room they can find, so they never experience the Mirage or Bellagio, both I've surprisingly received comps for.

I do not read USA Today, nor do I subscribe to Strictly Slots or Casino Player. I never saw anything about a vote or ballots. I can only think that the pool of voters was limited -- perhaps to subscribers of the magazines. I know that Strictly Slots and Casino Player (both owned by the same company) frequently "poll" their readers and that's what we are looking at here.

Now, how were the nominees selected?

Is Rincon really among the top ten best casinos in the USA and on what basis? Is Pechanga with an independent players club system unrelated to any other casino in the USA also among the best -- and in fact THE best?

Look, we can have our own "vote" here and come up with our own list of the ten best casinos in the USA. I'd vote for Gold Strike in Jean for easy parking. Yeah, that's how ludicrous these votes can be.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Alan Mendelson

Just explain to me how Rincon made the top ten?

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It had to be the lazy river/ pool area.

I actually get Casino Player and Slot Player magazine. Some interesting articles and tips for playing (they have a great "How would you play this hand?" Video Poker tutorial which I find fascinating). They also list the new slot machines coming up along their the percentage payout range.

I've also taken a few a of their surveys on best casino, slot, buffet, etc. Except for favorite machine or table game, they split the winners into regions. We're in the Native Southwest Region. That's why so many casino's can boast "Voted #1 by Casino Player magazine". They actually have a survey now anyone can take at http://www.casinocenter.com/BOS/.

I feel comfortable voting as I've been to every casino in our region except Quechan and Cahuilla so I can truly select a best. Problem is, I never spend the night at any of them, so my review is strictly gaming and food. I'd like to see a break down of each category - gaming, hotel, food, nightlife, concert venue. Maybe throw in Pool and Players Club? I know in Vegas, we don't always play at the hotel we stay at. We've gotten spoiled and love to stay at Bellagio, but hardly play there. I like my $5 tables, and Bellagio doesn't have any. Bally's is actually one of my favorite places to play. Cromwell has also recently earned my business. If I had to pick an overall, it would be Mirage, but it lacks easy grab and go restaurants so even it's not perfect.

I also wonder if those casino's were offered advertising in USA Today? I don't put it past any company to throw in a "Hey - we'll promise you some good coverage if you advertise with us".

Jbatdorf "advertorial" tradeoffs for ad dollars are common for some publications. You won't find it with quality publications such as The New York Times but you will find it with smaller companies.

If you believe any of these polls, I've got swamp land to sell you...