- The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa is one of the top Florida casinos outside of Miami.
- The Best Western Hotel in Dania Beach looks pretty ordinary from the outside, but it’s home to one of South Flordias best casinos.
- The Craigleigh Gardens Club in Palm Beach Gardens is one of 16 survivor card clubs in the state.
Florida is known as the Sunshine State, alligator capital of the world, and the site of NASA’s launch pad. What you might not know is that it’s also got some great casinos outside of Miami.
Sure, the beaches are beautiful, and the climate is a definite plus, but if you like a little late night slot spinning or card playing, I recommend hitting some Florida casinos outside of the Magic City.
I’ve found nine fantastic casinos in the state worth visiting. Some of them are Indian gaming casinos, while others offer games like baccarat and blackjack. And two of them are even brought to you by the notorious Seminole tribe.
So, pack your swim shorts (all the casinos have pools — this is Florida, after all), hit the slots, and maybe even catch a concert at one of these top gambling spots.
Palace of Chance Sister Sites Worth Visiting in 20231. Casino Action – Dania Beach
The best casinos in Florida outside the Miami area tend to be pretty subtle about their gaming facilities. That is certainly true with Casino Action, which is housed inside the Best Western Hotel in Dania Beach.
Watching the place, you would never think that within its walls is one of the top Broward County casinos. The exterior looks pretty much like any other motel you might find scattered across the state.
However, if you’re looking for gambling in South Florida, Casino Action offers around 500 of the latest games, including roulette, blackjack, pai gow, 3-card poker, and Texas Hold’em.
There’s also an attached poker room where you can participate in tournaments and cash games. Buy-ins start at $5 for games like Dealer’ Choice, No-Limit Hold’em, and Omaha, so it’s accessible to everyone.
Casino Action is open 24/7, which means you can play whenever the urge takes you. It’s also just a short drive from Fort Lauderdale and Miami, making it easily accessible from most parts of Broward and Dade Counties.
Best of Las Vegas
If you want to travel a bit farther south, you could be forgiven for thinking you had hit the strip when you see the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
This massive establishment is just 20 miles from Fort Lauderdale and Miami airports, making it easily accessible from anywhere in the world.
With nearly 2,000 rooms, this place is huge, and it attracts players from all over Florida, the US, and beyond. As you enter the casino, you’ll be awestruck by the sheer size of the place. More than 1,000 of the latest slot machines line the floor, joined by dozens of table games.
Games like mini-baccarat, single-zero roulette, and multiple variants of blackjack are all available here. There’s also a dedicated high-limit table games lounge where more substantial bets can be placed on three-card poker, blackjack, pai gow, Texas Hold’em, and baccarat.
If you prefer poker, you’ll be delighted to learn that the WSOP Circuit chooses this joint as a stop on its annual tour. The 50-table poker room also plays host to cash games and tourneys that run daily.
One thing that sets this casino apart from others in the state is that it offers etablegaming. That means, if you download the Hard Rock Play @ Home app, you can wager on blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and slots without leaving your home.
i want to play free slotsIt’s a good job this casino is called the Best of Las Vegas, because quite frankly, it’s bloomin’ marvellous.
3. Casino Extreme
I’m staying in South Florida for my next pick of the best casinos near Miami.
Casino Extreme has been online since 2011 and is a fully regulated Realtime Gaming (RTG) property. If you live in Florida or are visiting the region, you can access more than 300 one- and two-dimensional slots, video poker, and table games by clicking “Instant Play” on the home page.
As soon as you’ve registered your account, you’ll be eligible for a 150% welcome bonus up to $9,000 over six deposits.
You don’t have to play at Casino Extreme from home, though. If you visit the Craigleigh Gardens Club in Plantation, north of Miami, the club allows gambling at extreme table games that are connected to the online casino.
Note: You must be a member of both establishments to take part.
When you’ve finished playing roulette, blackjack, or pai gow at the club, you can settle yourself in front of your laptop or smartphone and carry on playing the same game online. How bloody awesome is that?
Now, I don’t want to contradict what you might think, but Casino Extreme is one of the best casinos in Florida without hotels.
4. Hialeah Park Casino • Hialeah, FL
Some people consider the Hialeah Racetrack and Casino to be one of the best casinos near Miami. However, following a $35 million refurbishment, the place has been transformed into one of the leading venues in the state.
For starters, it’s now called the Hialeah Park Casino, and it’s packed full of the very best slots from companies like Bally, Konami, and Scientific Games. Additionally, there are tables offering blackjack, Spanish 21, and electronic roulette.
What makes this venue different from many of the other Florida casinos outside of the Miami area is that it’s also a race track. Thoroughbred racing takes place every winter, starting on December 3, 2022, running through the spring.
free no deposit online casinoBut there’s even better news for poker fans. A new poker room will open on November 11, 2022, and feature 12 tables. When it’s in full swing, the room will host daily tournaments and cash games, with buy-ins ranging from $60 for $10,000.
Hialeah Park Casino is also one of the few places in the state where you can make use of a sports betting kiosk. Developed in partnership with Magnum Sports, the self-service units enable you to place single bets and parlays on football, baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer, and more.
With such an extensive range of gambling options, this has to be one of the best casinos in Florida outside of Miami. But what other similar venues are out there?
5. Seminole Casino Hotel Immokalee
To find another similar venue, you’ll need to head almost due west from Miami to the Seminole Casino Hotel Immokalee, which is located between Naples and Ft. Myers.
Like the Hialeah Park Casino, this place is packed full of the latest slots and features a selection of table games, such as blackjack, Spanish 21, and electronic roulette. It’s also got a hard-won A grade from the local Health Department.
Hard-won, you say? Why would a casino gaming floor need to be cleaner than somewhere like the best Buffalo Wild Wings near me?
Well, you do tend to get a buildup of bodily fluids when hundreds of sweaty gamblers squeeze every square inch of a casino floor in the hope of getting lucky. And, being something of a germaphobe, I always look to see what grade the place has been given before parting with my hard-earned dollars.
Anyway, I digress. The Seminole Casino Hotel Immokalee is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and always offers free valet parking and self-parking.
As well as slots starting at 1c, $5, and $25 denominations, this casino offers multi-game and wide-area progressives topping $1 million. Table games include Mini and Mega Baccarat, Blackjack, Pai Gow, Texas Hold’em Bonus, and Electronic Roulette.
High-limit games are separated off in the High Limit Room, which contains plush seating and personal flat-screen TVs.
If you fancy stretching the luck that’s kept that streak of yours alive for the past 30 minutes, why not try beating human dealers at blackjack, mini-baccarat, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, and Caribbean Stud at Seminole Casino Cripple Creek?
With stakes starting at $5 and rising to $1,000, the table games at this joint are perfect for casual players and high rollers alike.
And if that’s not enough, the casino also offers a 50-seat organic café and luscious lounge with a full-service bar and an outdoor smoking patio. Now, there’s a combination I hadn’t thought of before… Organic food, a smoking patio, and casino gaming! What a great way to lower your life expectancy in style.
6. The Casino at Dania Beach • Dania Beach, FL
Continuing my search for the top casinos near Miami, I’m staying in Broward County and heading for the Casino at Dania Beach.
online slots real money ohioThis establishment used to be known as Dania Jai-Alai and Casino, but a name change in January 2019 seems to have shaken off the curse that afflicted the place.
Between 2015 and 2018, four people died and three had heart attacks at this casino. As a result, it gained the macabre title of The Deadliest Casino in America from the New York Times.
Given that thousands upon thousands of nondescript Americans shove coins into nondescript slot machines in nondescript casinos across the country every day, I wouldn’t avoid the Florida casinos outside of Miami just because this place existed. After all, I could sit at home and play penny slots online all day and dramatically reduce my life expectancy.
In fact, I might look like a fool walking around public places with a thumb up my jackside, but at least I won’t be in any imminent danger of popping my clogs. However, back to the story.
Dania Beach was in trouble, so the new management team has focused on improving the gaming experience for customers. They have revitalized the place, adding a fresh coat of paint, creating more open space, and introducing more of the latest games.
Now, it offers more than 800 of the newest slot machines, along with 20 dining options, jai-alai, and a 300-seat poker room. In addition, the Best Western Hotel that sits above the casino has undergone a transformation, with all rooms having been renovated.
So, why not book a room, watch the world-famous Dania Beach jai-alai players hit a ball harder than your ex-wife after 15 tequilas, and see for yourself why some consider The Casino at Dania Beach to be one of the best casinos in Florida outside Miami?
By the way, the place is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
7. Craigleith Gardens Club • Palm Beach Gardens, FL
I guess we should move away from the best casinos in Florida outside of Miami and look at some other great venues. How about we travel up the coast to Palm Beach Gardens and pay a visit to the Craigleith Gardens Club?
You can tell straight away that this is no brand-new, neon-lit, faux Italianate casino by the greenery that engulfs the building. But fear not, Flintstones, because they have 50 of the best slot machines in the business here.
They also have fraternal twins of roulette and blackjack that have been separated from their big cousins despite looking nothing like them. In fact, these games belong to the family that runs and works at the Craigleith Gardens Club.
That’s because the Seminole tribe isn’t the only one that is authorized to offer games like blackjack and poker in Florida. There are 16 card rooms, or clubs, like Craigleith that are legally allowed to offer cash prizes for members who have paid an initiation fee and annual dues.
As of 2022, 14 of those clubs were still operating, including the Floridian Isle Casino and Hotel in Palm Coast, Paradise Gambling CDL in Hallandale Beach, and, of course, Craigleith Gardens Club in Palm Beach Gardens.
If you’re ever in the vicinity, drop by and check out the games. Just remember to bring sunscreen; all that foliage doesn’t provide much cover in the shade department.
8. The Casino at Mohegan Sun • Palm Beach, FL
More like the Seminoles, please.
OK, OK, I hear you. One tribal casino isn’t enough for you. Well, how about The Casino at Mohegan Sun in Palm Beach?
This place may appear to be a replica of the famous Connecticut casino of the same name, but it’s actually run by the Seminole Hard Rock Tribe as a marketing ploy.
Connecticut may have grabbed all the headlines over the last couple of years, but this casino has more than held its own. With 500+ of the best slots and 40 classic game tables, it’s easy to see why this establishment appeals to players from across the state.
As well as traditional games like blackjack, craps, and roulette, you can try exciting variations such as Midnight Roulette, Mini and Mega Baccarat, Casino War, and Crapless Craps.
Add to that 40 oversized screen video poker lounge, and you have everything you need to pass the time. Oh, and did I mention the stunning glass chandelier that hangs more than 20 feet below the ceiling?
The Casino at Mohegan Sun is open 24/7 and is linked to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, so you can enjoy a consistent experience across both venues. Can you ask for much more than that?
Stardust Casino Games to Play Online in NJ - And Where to Find Them9. Gonzalez Y Barbosa Casino • Homestead, FL
Last but not least, I want to point you toward the Gonzalez Y Barbosa Casino in Homestead, Florida.
Why? Well, mainly because it’s the southernmost casino in the continental United States. So, if you’re driving across the country and fancy a quick spin of the slots, this is the place to go.
Moreover, it’s one of the few Florida casinos outside Miami that has live horse racing. The tracks at Hialeah and Calder sometimes steal the limelight, but this joint offers a more intimate experience for gamblers who like to bet on the sport of kings.
Gonzalez Y Barbosa has more than 500 of the best slots from Bally, IGT, and other top developers. You can also sit down at one of 20 table games that include blackjack, Caribbean Stud, Let It Ride, pai gow, and three-card poker.
A restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and there is a lounge that provides light snacks throughout the day.
If you love slots, consider registering for the Gonzo Slotsman Rewards Club. This loyalty scheme rewards players with points based on the amount of money they feed into the one-armed bandits. Once you have accumulated enough points, you can redeem them for free play, food, drinks, and merchandise.
Best of all, though, is the VIP Vault program, which offers players the chance to win up to $10,000 IN CASH every month simply for playing the slots they love.
You read that right. All you need to do is collect Vault Points by playing slots at Gonzales Y Barbosa Casino, and you could win a share of the monthly jackpot.
Even better, the more Vault Points you earn, the higher you climb up the VIP ladder, and the bigger your share of the prize can be. At the top of the tree, you can bag up to $10,000 in cold, hard CASH. Not bad for pulling a few levers and pushing a few buttons, huh?
The Gonzalez Y Barbosa Casino is open 24 hours a day, seven days ay week, and is just a stone’s throw from the Florida Keys.
Enjoy These Great Florida Casinos Outside Miami
I hope you’ve enjoyed the list and found a couple of suggestions for your next gambling trip in the sunshine state. Personally, I can’t wait to get down to the Gonzalez Y Barbosa Casino and try to crack the VIP Vault. Ten grand would come in handy, you know …
Okay, so I’d probably blow it on another couple of months at gambling rehab, but a guy can dream, right?
If you can’t get to Florida any time soon, don’t worry. There are plenty of similar venues closer to home.
The best Ohio catches are just a few clicks away, along with thousands of other slots from around the world.
Footnotes:
- Data on the population density of Florida’s cities is from World Population Review.
- Info on the number of casinos in Florida comes from Statista.
- Details on the Seminole tribe’s agreement with the state of Florida were published by the Orlando Sentinel.
Anthony is a sports writer for GamblingSites.com covering the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and more. He also covers other various topics such as entertainment, general sports betting tips, and more.
His favorite teams are the Chicago Bears, Bulls, Cubs, and Blackhawks. He also will be a temporary fan of any team if it means winning him bets.
