Reviewing Reviews

Introduction

Fair Use Defense/Disclaimers:

1. The purpose of this article is to entertain and to critique Google Reviews that have been left for casinos by members of the public.
2. Those who left the reviews were, to my knowledge, not compensated for doing so.
3. While some of the reviews will be quoted in full, they will represent an insignificant percentage of the total reviews for casinos on Google, and generally, an insignificant percentage of the reviews for any particular casino.
4. While I will be quoting from reviews, I will not be disclosing who posted the review as I will be largely making fun of the reviews. It will not be hard to see who posted the review if you really want to, just Google the applicable casino and find it.
5. Furthermore, Google themselves also directly copy over other Reviews from websites that are not Google, so they really shouldn’t be able to complain about this.
6. Finally, while we advertise, this site is free to read. Therefore, nobody is paying anything to read this article.

INTRODUCTION

Recently, my fiance and I were having a good laugh over some ridiculous grocery store reviews that had been left by shoppers. The reviews ranged anywhere from absurdly nitpicky, to objectively wrong to flat out insane. Reviews will also often blame a property/staff for certain happenings that are totally out of their control---such as the actions of other patrons.

I figured that the same thing must be true for casinos, so I’ve decided to highlight some of the more ridiculous (and funny) reviews that I could find on Google, as well as critique some of them. I imagine that I will also be dressing some people down for grammar (or writing so poorly that your statement technically expresses something entirely different than your intent) in the process.

With that, off we go!

THE REVIEWS

Las Vegas Strip:

---Noisy Wynn?

+The room was spacious and very clean.

-We woke up at 3:00am.in the middle of the night Due to the noise and excessive talking from the next room. We had to call the front desk 3 times and they told the security will go up and things wouldnt change. We checked out @5 am

They, “Woke up at 3:00a.m. in the middle of the night?” Is that as opposed to waking up at 3:00a.m. in the middle of the afternoon?

I also think it’s unusual that the front desk told them that, “Security will go up and things wouldn’t change,” you usually don’t have front desk attendants tell the guest the situation will not be fixed.

Despite the positive aspects of the room that were cited, this guest rated the property 1/10...harsh!

---My Key Won’t Work! (Wynn)

I added one day to my previous reservation (2days total) and upon returning with my family tired and anxious to enjoy our room from a walk at 6pm the 2nd day I found that my key no longer worked. I called the front desk and they sent security to my floor to inform me that the front desk needed to speak with me!?!? Embarrassed in front my wife and child I went down to the front desk where I was informed that when you add onto a previous reservation your room key has to be reactivated. I have no problem with the procedure but I do have a very big problem with the process. I should have been informed at check in or sent a reminder via text, email or message. Beautiful facility with questionable management.

This is really just a matter of using one’s brain for two seconds. Does this reviewer believe that hotel room keys are swiped to work indefinitely? THAT would be an actual issue if it were to happen.

Also, what about this interaction is supposed to be embarrassing? Because security was sent up? What a mortifying experience!

“Questionable management,” for not telling the guest, ahead of time, that the room key would need to be reset if the stay is extended. I’d consider management, “Questionable,” if they DID tell me that; they probably tend to assume their guests generally have more than zero common sense.

The score, naturally, was 1/5.

---I’m Not Supposed to Lose! (Wynn)

Never won anything there extremely tight slots. Appeals to the well heeled I suppose.. fancy stores.. Very smoky casino floor. The casino floor is very small. The hotel & food is the only thing that is any good there. Can't believe others have said they actually won on slots there. Will take my business elsewhere in the future. I think they decide who wins or loses on slots its not random.

I expect there to be one of these for virtually every property. In fairness, the slots at the Wynn probably are, ‘Tighter,’ than Downtown, but short-term variance can result in almost anything.

As far as the, “Very small,” casino floor goes, where the hell does this reviewer usually play? WinStar? In what world is nearly 200,000 square feet a, “Very small,” casino floor?

I like, “The hotel & food is the only thing that is any good there,” would that be as opposed to the good things that are bad there?

They also can’t believe that others have said that they have won on the slots. They lost, so the hundreds of thousands of people who have entered Wynn, since 2005, must also have lost. There is no way that anybody, ever, could have walked into that casino and profited on the slots machines, so thoroughly was this reviewer pummeled. This person also seems to believe that Wynn has a personal vendetta against him/her.

On to the next casino---let’s check out the Venetian.

---Straight Rant

+I did not like a damn thing about this dirty axx hotel I ESPECIALLY didnt like the manager hey here is my one star review I told you I was gonna leave on this lame axx place and what was it you wanted me to make sure I added again?

-There wasnt a damn thing to like haven¿t stayed at this dump in 6 years ONLY STAYED BECAUSE MY SISTER WANTED TO this place has been on the bottom of my list

Good lord, what a disaster! This reviewer should find the reviews page for his/her high school and leave the entire Language Arts department a scathing review.

Anyway, I’m sure that the manager is trembling in fear given the business that the Venetian (which, by the way, scores 4.7/5 on 87,539 reviews) is going to lose because of this review.

Also, if The Venetian is a, “Dump,” I want to know what property this person considers, “Not a dump.” You can pretty much rule out every locals place, anything Downtown and probably anything Off-Strip.

---Covid Scare! (Venetian)

+The room.

-Rude and unprofessional people. Staff at Cafe Lux were condescending. ONE person at Sportsbook was rude. Staff at Bell Desk were not mindful of Covid-19 and had no understanding of Social Distancing. Should be fired. I felt my health was vulnerable.

What’s with the all caps on, “ONE person?” Oh my God, not one person! I could understand the all caps thing if this reviewer were saying, “EVERYONE at the sportsbook,” but usually, in leaving a negative review, you don’t make it a point to highlight that it was one person.

“I felt my health was vulnerable,” that’s a real shame given the paragons of cleanliness that casinos are known for being. If you REALLY (an appropriate use of all caps!) felt your, “Health was vulnerable,” then maybe you should have stayed home or went on a camping trip.

This was given a 1/10. Here’s the thing: If you can highlight any positives, then you should not give a place the lowest score possible.

I guess we should find the inevitable review in which a person complains about losing, but first:

---Social Issues (Venetian)

+nice rooms and hotel overall

-all the Thug BLM Gangsters in Vegas made this Trip the Worst Trip of my Entire Life

This reviewer gave Venetian a 1/10. Damn The Venetian for not single-handedly solving the social unrest in Las Vegas!!!

---I Lost!

I played over 3 thousand and didn't hit n I thing at all

There it is. That’s the entire review.

I would actually recommend reading Ventian’s negative reviews if you are thinking about staying there in the future. Poor customer service seems to be a common thread, and having something of a background in hotels, many of these complaints seem pretty legit, to me.

Also, I guess there are little snacks on the dresser in the room for which people are charged handsomely. Most people would assume that those are not free, (I would hope) but the reviews would indicate that staff does not make that clear---maybe they should.

Let’s see what people have to say about Bellagio:

---Oh, the Food Carts!

Not what you think needs an update food carts left in corridors for more than 36 hours terrible we will Not return!!!

I’m confused. What do I not think needs an update? I’ve never stayed there. I don’t know what needs an update and what does not.

The funny thing about the, “Food carts,” complaint is that the reviewer included pictures, but the pictures were clearly different food carts in different places. Some of the pictures were of plastic bags with food boxes by guest room doors that were clearly drop-offs.

Also, how would they know that any food carts had been there for more than 36 hours? Did this person stand in the hallway and monitor them the whole time? Some people eat more than once every 36 hours, I believe, so you may see food carts near a room a good bit of the time.

---The Inevitable Losing Complaint (Bellagio)

Careful of them rigging decks here. No way a casino runs that good. At the cashier, no one is cashing out chips. Everyone is taking a line from their credit card. Suspicious.

This person probably has six different PhD’s, all in math-related fields. It’s incredible that this person was able to gather sufficient data, just in one stay, to absolutely declare that the decks are all rigged. In his entire stay, not one person cashed out chips at the cashier.

---At Least Someone Learned! (Bellagio)

Stay at a Holiday Inn at least you get a coffee maker

Yup. You sure do.

Let’s go ahead and grab a few for Caesars Palace and wrap up the Las Vegas Strip section:

---Awe Full! (Caesars Palace)

+Nothing at all ... this is the worst hotel I have ever stayed in! The staff is rude and their customer service is awe full the room was dirty! Worst hotel I have ever stayed at!

-Everything! This is the worst hotel ever to stay at all the way around the board I can not say one good thing about my stay here period very unhappy!

If Caesars Palace, on the Las Vegas Strip, is the WORST hotel this person has ever stayed at, all I can say is that this person has had a pretty fortunate life.

What is their customer service full of awe about? They were in awe of the room being dirty? That’s odd; generally, they’d want the rooms to be clean.

The last statement ends in an exclamation point, not a period.

---...Because? (Caesars Palace)

+Nothing .

- I stayed at the Caesar palace hotel on 6/27-6/28 and i’m writing to let you know that i did not have a pleasant experience there.

The letter, ‘i’ did not have a pleasant experience in your sentence; it expects to be capitalized from now on. In any case, I guess it’s nice of them to let us all know that they did not have a pleasant experience, unfortunately, this reviewer does not deign to tell us why that might be.

If the reviewer had just left a 1/10 without commentary, I could have inferred that the reviewer did not have a pleasant experience.

---The Losing Complaint (Caesars Palace)

The only thing nice about ceasers is the appearance. The staff is unfriendly at best, machines don't pay, the rooms are very poorly designed. Walk in shower doesn't drain and flows across the bathroom floors. Water takes nearly an hour to get hot. Covid restrictions outside on capacity in pool area but not on the gaming floor?!?!. No money in pools I guess. Stay elsewhere. Lots of hidden costs and everything isn't just tolerable expensive. Its outrageous expensive.

At least the losing aspect is not the entire nature of the complaint this time.

I don’t know why so many people expect slot machines to be, “Bill changing,” machines, but they seem to expect their twenties to be changed into hundreds without fail.

I also like, “The staff is unfriendly at best,” it makes me wonder what they are, at worst.

Additionally, “Walk in shower doesn't drain and flows across the bathroom floors. Water takes nearly an hour to get hot,” do you think maybe the water flows across the bathroom floors because you left it running for an hour? Eventually, the drain simply can’t keep up. More than that, there’s probably no hot water because the reviewer (and others) leave the water running for an hour at a time waiting for hot water to come.

Does it not occur to people that hot water is finite? Do they think there is a Hot Water Fairy that blesses the water and causes it to instantly be hot?

There probably were Covid capacity restrictions on the gambling floor; it’s simply likely that they do not become relevant very often.

Strip Review (Legitimate) Common Threads

The first common thread is that people seem to think that casinos on the Las Vegas Strip often have poor customer service, which is believable, because the casinos are very busy and $ome gue$t$ almo$t certainly get preferential treatment compared to other$.

In my Las Vegas experience, if you put a high priority on both customer service and (reasonably) clean rooms, then I would recommend staying at The D. Ownership and staff both take great pride in the customer service of their properties and my low-rolling ass was treated like an absolute rock star at all times!

Another common thread seems to be that Strip casinos take advantage of the stupid, “The stupid,” being those who can’t figure out that the snacks and beverages that will already be in the room are NOT free at those kinds of hotels. The problem is, most people will already realize that and might feel insulted if staff points this out to them, or alternatively, might feel insulted because they perceive staff as implying they can’t afford the snacks (There was one reviewer who was upset by this specifically.)

With that, let’s turn our attention to some off-strip properties:

Off-Strip Properties

Ellis Island seems like a fine place to start:

---Oh, the Trauma!

So it took me a while to get to a good place mentally to write this. Mostly because this whole situation was stressful and anxiety inducing. My family had booked our stay here. I had called to inform that I was bringing my ESA, and to ask who I could send my therapist's letter to. I was told that I she wouldn't be able to stay with me unless she had a certificate. With legitimate ESA and SA, all you need is a letter from a medical provider. All the certificates come from fake websites where all you need is $50. I was confused as to why they wouldn't take my therapist's letter which had her contact info as well as her license #, but yet was okay with taking a fake certificate someone may have bought online.

I certainly hope that this poor reviewer does not end up with PTSD and ends up requiring therapy. Perhaps this person will attempt to sue Ellis Island for costs associated with additional therapy sessions.

Anyway, at least this person had the foresight to call ahead. I don’t know why the reviewer couldn’t get one of those fake certificates given how easy it is.

Anyway, my advice is not to have a mental breakdown over it...just stay somewhere that will allow your ESA, that’s all.

---The Mandatory, “I Lost,” Review (Ellis Island):

I live here in las vegas ellis i land has great food

But if u deside to gamble there dont . they have a 8 deck black jack u cant win when other casinos use 6 decks for black jack. I would recommend Tuscany casino right around corner to gamble .

So when it comes to gambling black jack think about the 8 decks ellis iland uses compared to other casinos that use 6 deck to deal

“If you decide to gamble there, don’t.” That’s a tough sentence to unpack because it assumes that the person has already decided to gamble there. “If you are thinking about gambling here, don’t,” would make sense.

Apparently, using eight-decks at Blackjack, as opposed to six decks, increases the House Edge to 100%. Everyone knows you can’t win when there are eight decks.

Of course, you can’t win at Blackjack in Tuscany, either. Though the review was written just five months ago, Tuscany had closed their Table Games (presumably due to Covid) and, as of the time of this writing, the casino is unsure whether or not they will ever be brought back.

---Damn Those Policies! (Ellis Island):

I had paid for a 3 day reservation through booking.com with my debit card but because I didn't have a credit card for a deposit they wouldn't let me check in

Your phone is your friend.

---I Used a Third-Party Website, and It’s YOUR Fault! (Ellis Island):

Just checked in for a 7 day stay. Used VRBO to book the room; never heard of the place before. Paid $386 for 7 days, yet the room was priced at $25/night. Get to the counter and get told about that there is a “resort fee” of $230.09 to be paid. Never mentioned on vrbo’s site!

Resorts have amenities and so we have to disinfect everything and we will provide you with a mask is what i was told.

I say, gamble on this place and ya lose!!!

I HIGHLY suggest looking elsewhere, the double charging isn’t the worst part. about it! FACTS!

Instead of using random third-party websites that you have never heard of to book, which may not inform you of the resort fees, try calling or going to Ellis Island’s site directly next time. Why is Ellis Island at fault because this person booked at a website that even I (a former hotel manager) have never heard of? The reviewer’s just lucky that they are legit enough to successfully get the reservation information to Ellis Island!

The double charging isn’t the worst part about it? If that’s the case, then why are you neglecting to tell us the worst part about it?

That was fun. Let’s see how things are going at Gold Coast:

---I Lost! I’m Not Supposed to Lose!

Zero stars. I won nothing, never even got up. I don't remember seeing/hearing anyone winning. No jackpots going down on the casino floor. I'd go somewhere else for sure. Gold Coast Blows!

I figured we’d go ahead and start with the inevitable this time. This reviewer is very upset that he/she is one of the hundreds, maybe thousands, of visitors to Las Vegas that day to never be ahead. Probably penny slots.

Anyway, the takeaway is that gamblers occasionally lose at Gold Coast, so you should avoid that casino, in particular. Oh, wait…

---They Have Financial Security Procedures! (Gold Coast)

First casino I've ever been in where it was a challenge to get them to take my money. Place needs an upgrade. ATM didn't dispense cash, had to take the receipt to a cashier where they check ID, make phone calls and have you sign - all for $100 cash.

I’m a bit confused: I understand being upset that the ATM (probably owned by a third-party) did not dispense the cash, but this reviewer is angry that the staff confirmed who he/she was before giving him/her the cash? That just sounds like good policy.

---My Booking Agent Sucks; It’s Your Fault! (Gold Coast)

I made reservation one month in advance with the hotel booking agent for a week stay at a Military discounted rate. This was not honored upon my arrival.

The booking agent also said that there was a Concierge service available, not so.

Upon early arrival, my discount was not applied, a new booking transaction was made without consulting with me. The front desk said that my original booking had not gone through and I had to pay an additional $20 per person to check in three hours early at 1:00PM Saturday.

The booking agent arrangements were for a room nearest to the pool. My room now was up on the second floor (above near to the pool) almost twice the distance walking to and from by about 100 rooms, not counting the elevator trip. I was Not happy because I am a combat veteran who is disabled.

My security deposit was promised to be refunded by the booking agent and by the front desk staff upon return of the room keys at the end of my stay. This never happened and my "refund" was directly applied to my first night stay. And at the end of my stay, I was overcharged by $200.00!

After explaining the arrangements made by the booking agent, the staff disregarded what was said and over billed me as they saw fit.

(The above is a partial quote of the review)

It sounds like your booking agent did not do a good job. Maybe stop using those and just call the property directly.

Let’s close this section with Westgate Flamingo Bay...maybe non-casino hotels will do better:

---I’m Uninformed; It’s Your Fault!

The first night fine. Day 2 they informed us the dog we brought with us to this "pet friendly" resort (that their staff interacted/played with Day 1) violated breed restrictions. We were given 6 hours to check out. While Nevada has banned breed restrictions, this company continues the practice.

First of all, the Nevada, “Breed Restriction Ban,” has to do with towns and municipalities outlawing certain breeds and nothing to do with individual property policies.

Secondly, if one visits the property’s website.

The breed restrictions are right there for anyone to see.

As a former hotel manager, this is the sort of reviewer who sometimes makes hotels more inclined to just not allow pets at all. It’s really not worth dealing with the sort of people who don’t know how to read or make a phone call and ask about it. Hell, sometimes the guest does know the policy and is betting on the hotel simply not enforcing it.

Listen, if YOUR dog bites someone, the hotel does not want to be a party to the inevitable lawsuit---it’s really that simple.

---I’m Blind (not literally); It’s YOUR Fault!

By far one of my worst stays. The jacuzzi is in the bedroom, so there is no privacy. Also, you pay all these resort fees when you can’t connect to internet. Never mind calling tech support because they will just end your call and not fix the problem. The previous guests also called in this complaint. I travel excessively for work and internet is a necessity for most people. Very unacceptable

There are literally pictures of all of the guest rooms on the website, several of them. All a person would have to do is look at the pictures and that person can clearly see that the jacuzzi tub is in the bedroom area. This is not difficult.

Again, given my experience in hotels, I know it is difficult for some people, but it really shouldn’t be. You just look at the picture of the room. The jacuzzi was always in the bedroom. I promise. It did not get up and walk from the bathroom to the bedroom to irritate you personally.

Why does this person, “Travel excessively,” for work? They should try to only travel as extensively (the word the reviewer was going for) as necessary.

---I’m Early; It’s YOUR Fault! (Westgate):

Just got here at 10am it’s now 1:51 they have been saying that there cleaning our room for about 3 hours now just waiting outside in the hot weather since they won’t even take our bags so we could go anywhere else worst experience I’ve ever had

The poor Westgate just can’t catch a break. The fact that check-in is at 4:00p.m. is plastered all over their website.

I’m guessing this reviewer was rude. Provided you’d sign a liability waiver, there’s only one way that I would refuse to hold your bags for you: You were rude, and therefore, I didn’t want to. Haha!

I’d also say that I’ll, “Try to get your room ready as soon as possible,” then call the housekeepers and say something like, “I want Room 422 finished at EXACTLY 3:59p.m., to the minute!”

Be nice to the hotel agent and something like this will not usually happen. Actually, you don’t even have to be particularly nice, just don’t be a (censored); you’re the one who arrived six hours early.

---Umm...Do You Think a 1 is Good? (Westgate)

The property is beautifully maintained. Its well lit as well.

Two statements, both complimentary. Rating: 1/5. Westgate really can’t catch a break.

Off-Strip Common Threads

The common threads for these properties, as far as seemingly legitimate negative reviews are concerned, are lack of cleanliness and poor WiFi.

Westgate Flamingo Bay Resort also gets a ton of poor reviews related to the maintenance/upkeep of the timeshare units. Hasn’t it been generally known for something like fifteen years that timeshares are usually a terrible idea?

I’d also encourage people not to ignore customer service complaints, but to take them with a grain of salt. That’s especially true when it comes to reviews that are just laundry-listing every possible thing that could ever conceivably be wrong with a property.

I guess the next thing we should do is check out what some people think of Downtown properties.

Downtown Las Vegas

I’m going to start with Four Queens just because I really want to read some negative reviews on cleanliness. I know they have to be out there and some of them MUST be true. Of course, I’m going to continue to focus mostly on reviews that are either unfair, the reviewer’s fault or just objectively ridiculous.

---The Inevitable, “But...I Lost,” Review:

I have to say every time I go down to Fremont I end up at four Queens I don't like their machines I've never been able to hit on them the past 4 times I've been down there and that has been within 3 months nothing the machines are tight don't care for the machines there. It always has a funny smell in there also. Parking garage it's probably one of the cheaper parking garages. I do love the whole Fremont experience , experience. It's just kind of wild down there it's a whole different atmosphere.

I do not care for the machines here.

I never hit on the machines here.

This place smells.

SEE YOU TOMORROW!!!!

But, really, she lost four times. Like, in a row. Can you imagine?

She also gave it a 4/5.

---I Can’t Get Keys to Other Rooms!

+Location was awesome and the Hugo Cellar dinner was amazing and staff was so nice.

-I'm coach for a women's softball team and booked multiple rooms for my girls. It was the worse decision ever at this hotel. I couldn't get room keys without players being there and line was extremely long and staff was so rude and mean. Never again

I want to point out that this reviewer is male. In fact, he is coach for a women is softball team.

Apparently, he is upset that he couldn’t get room keys for rooms that he was not occupying. Can you imagine that? He’s a guy who cannot get room keys for rooms that women will be occupying.

Just...think about this for a second.

Also, he complimented two aspects of the property, so this shouldn’t be a 1/5 overall.

---I’m Being Sarcastic (Four Queens):

+I Enjoyed the moment I checked out. I particularly enjoyed getting to my room (1802) and finding the door unlocked and a staff member in my room right after checking in. ( I'm being sarcastic) . But it did really happen.

-There's a certain staff member  that checked me in which Ihave complained about on a previous visit about her unprofessionalattitude and I was treated in the same manner a my previous visit. Staff member is very rude and ha1802unprofessional.

I’m glad that this reviewer pointed out that he is being sarcastic. For a second, I thought that he enjoys walking into hotel rooms to find strangers there. Also, sarcastic or not, you don’t need to tell me that, “It did really happen,” I kind of assumed you didn’t metaphorically find someone in your room.

What happened in the second paragraph? Should I send help?

---More Obviousness…(Four Queens):

+Nothing

-Rude employees Room not clean 1/2 bottle of shampoo in shower some one used it

You really think someone used the shampoo and that’s why there is half of a bottle left? It might just be hotel policy to empty half of the shampoo out. (I’m being sarcastic)

---Great Response!!! (Four Queens):

We were going to stay for 3 nights and barely ended up staying 1 night. We ended up getting in late around 1130 and we had parked in the parking garage for the hotel. There is no direct connection into the hotel so you have to walk outside parking garage to go into hotel. No sign when you get outside how to get to hotel. On top of that there was a homeless man smoking meth in the parking garage. There were no covid precautions being taken. They do not check for vaccination if you are not wearing a mask. My spouse and I felt very uncomfortable and unsafe. I do not recommend this hotel to anyone.

Hotel Response:

Thank you for your review. We are sorry you did not enjoy your time with us and we wish you the best as you search for your Las Vegas home away from home.

That’s so great! The hotel’s response is basically, “Good, don’t come back.”

This guest actually thinks Four Queens should go around asking for proof of vaccination for EVERY guest not wearing a mask? You’d have to increase your staff, for the entire property, by at least 20% to have any hope of doing that!

Listen, reviewer, if you are THAT worried about Covid, I don’t know, maybe don’t visit casinos?

I’ve also been to Four Queens and there are, indeed, signs directing guests to the hotel front desk area. Typically, you would start by re-entering the building. Did he think that he would have to walk into a different building?

Let’s move on to The D:

---Alphabet Fail

This is an old hotel not anywhere near what you would expect for D hotels. I booked a suite with panoramic view. The windows were very dirty, old dated furniture. The casino was hot due to the ac malfunction and the clerk informed me that there will be a water outage from 4 am to 8 am. I decide not to stay and requested a refund. The clerk went in the back and returned stating that the manager said no. I was literally in the room for less than 5 minutes. Regardless of the poor customer service I left and got a room at Bellagio. I've stayed at the D in Orlando and it was wonderful, but not the one in Vegas. There are a lot of better hotel options.

It did not compare well to, “the D in Orlando.”

The first thing that I should mention is that there is no property in Orlando named, “The D.” There is a property in Orlando named, “The B,” and is owned by B Hotels and Resorts; there is also a property named, “The Delta,” which is owned by Marriott. Both of these properties are near Disney Springs and are not casino properties.

So, we are starting with this guy expecting a Downtown Las Vegas casino-hotel to compare favorably to a Disney Springs resort hotel. Well, no wonder he was disappointed.

The good news for him is that Bellagio is more likely to compare favorably to whichever of the two Disney Springs resort hotels he stays at.

---Anywhere Else! (The D)

Worse experience I've ever had at a Casino before. Zero cocktail service and rude customer service. I've been coming here for a very long time but now they are starting to get sloppy with their cocktail and customer service as well. We tried to complain about the cocktail service and one of the "Managers" pretty much told us to go take a hike instead of apologizing to us about the service. Will definitely NOT be coming here ever again! I suggest you do the same as well and spend your money at all the other Casino's at Fremont except The D Casino. All the other Casino's on Fremont I have personally never had a problem with. But this was ridiculous at The D Casino!

ALL of the other casinos except The D? Does that include Circa and Golden Gate?

---I Don’t Know How to Read; It’s YOUR Fault! (The D)

Really disappointed in my stay. Very noisy, next room had music and a part til midnight. Walls super thin. Paid the resort fees but unable to use the pool, nowhere did it tell us when booking that the pool we could use at another hotel was 21 and over. Yet they still charged me resort fees. Never again will I stay here.

First of all, a party and music going on until midnight? In Las Vegas? You don’t say.

Secondly:

“Be one of the first people to experience the all-new Circa Resort while enjoying your stay at the D. As one of our valued guests, we want you to experience all we have to offer. As part of your daily resort fee, guests 21 and older receive exclusive access to our newest amenity Stadium Swim at Circa Resort. Guests will receive two passes per day, per room, and early access from 8 am to 9 am every day. You’ve never been to a resort pool quite like this! With six pools, a 135-foot screen, over 300 lounge chairs, and 30 daybeds, this is how Vegas was meant to be.”

Yes, it does indeed say that you must be 21, or older, to use the pool at Circa. Please learn how to read. If you booked at a third-party website, then my advice is either:

A.) Stop doing that.

OR:

B.) Go to the property’s actual website (or call) for information that is actually current, then go book at the third-party website...if you must.

---I Also Can’t Read; It’s YOUR Fault! (The D)

Hotel accommodations are just very basic rooms, no refrigerators, coffee makers or anything to make your stay just a bit more comfortable. Towels are old and yellow, AC is loud and noisy and room lighting is very dim.

They tout free wifi and parking for all guests. But its not free, they charge you a hidden resort fee price of $29.95!

Be prepared to spend way too much time waiting for elevators. The system in place just doesn't work. You can wait up 10 minute's waiting for an elevator.

It sure is a shame that The D’s website doesn’t list which rooms have amenities, such as refrigerators, and which ones don’t.

Oh, wait…

That’s a Resort Fee. See The Strip for comparison; they have resort fees AND parking fees.

Also, from The D’s booking page:

Excludes daily Resort Fee of $29.95 and taxes

I mean, it’s RIGHT THERE. If the intent is to hide it, then they’re doing a very poor job. The resort fee is mentioned before you even click to book a particular room. I clicked, “Book Now,” and it appeared again. It appeared on the cost breakdown before I even had to put in credit card information.

I agree that you can wait up 10 minute is waiting for an elevator.

---Of Course, the, “I Lost” (The D):

Tightest slots,25 dollar tables really here???? Holes in the bed....pillows are a joke shower has 1 door water gets everywhere room directly over Freemont st speakers til 2 am and a 7 o'clock tee time...theee worst ever!!!

Where can you go to gamble in Vegas? How can every casino have the tightest slots? How many doors is a shower supposed to have?

Maybe everyone will enjoy their visits to Binion’s:

---No Double Ball Roulette:

Double Ball Roulette

Absolutely disappointed with this Casino.

Will never go again until they get they're double ball roulette.

After realizing they didn't have it anymore. We refuse to give them our business again. Till we see it has returned.

They will not return unless double ball roulette comes back. This is a game that was at fewer than ten casinos in all of history and, as far as I know, does not exist anywhere right now. I guess this person is just going to stop visiting casinos.

I hate it when casinos don’t have an obscure table game that they used to have and wasn’t worth keeping!!!

---Power Outage (Binion’s)

Power went out and they will not pay out on machines...been sitting here over 1hr.

No one has been by. Would not recommend coming here.

The casino paid, but they had to go around and handpay everyone. That takes a little bit of time.

I don’t know why this person would not recommend Binion’s; is there usually a power outage? Does the power go out at hourly intervals!

From my experience in hotels, there’s almost ALWAYS going to be at least one bad review left anytime the power goes out. I remember one occasion during which the entire city lost power; I had to get five or six negative reviews scrubbed as a result.

Why do so many people think that an individual property has control over the entire power grid?

“Yes, Ma’am, I will go down to the power grid and return power to this hotel immediately. After that, I will return so that I can go get you extra pillows, but I might have a few crimes to stop between the power grid and here, so you’ll understand if I’m delayed.”

---I Gambled and Lost! (Binion’s)

Very out dated hotel casino, bad food, bad customer service and they are not cleaning slot machines. Good way to get Covid! Any way slots are not paying anything they are just taking money I guess to make up for lost revenue. They are stealing legally from consumers. Places like this should be shut down.

Binion’s is outdated? You don’t say. In the place known as, “Old Vegas?”

If you are worried about Covid, maybe don’t visit casinos?

All of the slots are not paying anything. You go put in $7,000, in hundreds, and do not win a single spin. Nobody who has visited this casino has won on the slot machines in nine months. Not one person.

“I lost $25 and I’m going to go cry on Google!”

---Questionable Food Choice? (Binion’s)

If they make hamburgers it shouldn't come to you dry. You can tell by the hot dog in the pic..... That's what it look like when it was brought to me... they call it a Frank n burger.

You should just stick to burgers that are burgers and hot dogs that are hot dogs.

Maybe people are enjoying The Plaza more?:

---The Security is Too Good!

It's a gambling institution, and I don't condone them, but it may not be worth even another star. I'm sure the hotel is well kept clean, but the casino is a tragic mess it seems, and security is tight, as it should be, and I don't want to have stayed at the Plaza hotel if I came to Las Vegas from out town. Even if it was the cheapest option so close to the Strip one could find, I would think twice about staying here. In any case, gambling is the purchase and sale of hope. One sacrifices their money in order for a minor chance of gaining more, without realizing one is buying nothing, and, one does not realize whilst gambling that their funds are only paying for the establishment's natural costs and much more. In fact, the establishment who sells gambling, or who offers gambling, or who gambles with patrons, is receiving profits by selling nothing at all but an experience. I hope this briefly justifies my distaste for such establishments and why I rate them as such I have done. Thanks for reading!

This gentleman does not condone gambling institutions, which is why he goes around visiting them, I guess. I do like, “Gambling is the sale and purchase of hope,” that’s actually pretty creative.

The first reason that the, “Casino is a mess,” apparently, is because, “Security is tight, as it should be.” I’m confused. Wouldn’t good security mean that the casino is less of a tragic mess than it otherwise could be? Are casinos with loose security less of a mess?

---Um...What? (The Plaza)

Actually didn't stay here and this is one reason why!! It's the Ducks Unlimited Host Hotel and we fine the place NOT VERY FRIENDLY OR HOSPITALITY NICE!! We went to the Ducks dinner there last night. Upon arrival I asked the Plaza Lady at the table checking us in if we could possibly get 2 Vegan meals. NOT

How much did you fine the place? Did they pay?

I don’t even know what this means. I assume there is an entity called, “Ducks Unlimited,” who was hosting some sort of event there, but I really can’t be sure.

It appears that is correct.

I shouldn’t have to do a Google Search to figure out what the hell you’re talking about!

Anyway, the organization seems happy enough. They’re holding another event there next year.

---I Have to Sign the W-2G!!?? (The Plaza)

Do not gamble at this property. I got a hand pay on a slot (happy times right?) but the casino refused to take taxes out. I asked why and they refused to tell me why. I told em I wasn’t signing no tax forms and they were going to deny my hand pay. DONT GAMBLE AT THE PLAZA!

That’s correct. If you do not sign the tax form, then you will not be paid. I’m guessing the first part was some sort of misunderstanding, of course, they DEFINITELY won’t take out the taxes if you don’t sign, because they’re not going to pay you at all.

---WHAT!? (The Plaza)

biLLion cash deposit bank doLLar

Clearly.

---Service Dog in Training (The Plaza)

I was denied a room because of my service dog in training

In other words, “I was denied a room because I brought a dog that is not a service dog.”

After scrolling through a few hundred reviews, none seemed to complain about losing, so that’s refreshing.

Let’s check out a few casinos around me:

Casinos Around Mission146

Wheeling Island Hotel, Casino, Racetrack seems like a good enough place to start:

---The Masks, The Masks!:

can't even get through to speak to someone to even ask about staying there. Not only that, sounds like you have to wear a stupid mask all the time in the hotel and casino and the buffet is shut down. I will go somewhere else for the weekend. I am not going to wear a mask on a vacation.

Wait a minute, if he didn’t even go, then why is he giving them a 1/5? Of the casinos in my area, I can absolutely guarantee you could get away with not wearing your mask, “All the time,” here more than a few others. It’s also the only one in the area relatively close to me in which you could smoke.

I don’t know where he went that weekend that didn’t require a mask. Maybe he decided to take a camping trip instead?

---Case in Point: (Wheeling Island)

I waiting for about 10 minutes to go in because of the temperature checks. Once inside I was shocked about the smell of cigarettes and people not wearing masks and it was insanely crowded. I walked out. If you are one that cares about covid, go to the Mountaineer where they seem to do a better job with safety precautions.

See, I told you that you could smoke and aren’t forced to wear your mask, “All the time.” Poor Wheeling Island can’t catch a break on Google Reviews.

I think the two reviewers so far should meet; they’d probably become good friends.

The Mountaineer WOULD HAVE allowed smoking, except Hancock County stopped them. They don’t care anymore than Wheeling Island does.

---The Inevitable (Wheeling Island)

Don’t pay out real tight machines bonuses seems always under $10 dollars need updated slots boring atmosphere

If nothing else, I think they get more in the way of, “New slots,” than one would expect for such a casino. I can almost guarantee that the average game has been on their floor less time than say something like Binion’s in Las Vegas.

If your bonuses are, “Always under $10,” then you might not want to be so married to that $0.20 bet, if high bonus numbers are your priority. You lost; you’re salty; I get it.

---Just Don’t Go!!! (Wheeling Island)

I felt unsafe here, too many people not wearing masks or not wearing it correctly. The cigarette smoke was extremely strong and unbearable. I was hungry and decided to stop at the only place where you can buy food, there were 5 people in line ahead of me grouped together not wearing a mask, laughing and carrying on like covid isn't real. All I could think about was their germs flying all over, if 1 person is a carrier then at least half the people here will become infected. I went back to my room hungry and will have to wait until I leave in the morning. It's totally out of control here, the casino needs to make changes like no smoking or drinking on the gambling floor. And to top it off there was no fridge in my room so I had to throw out the food I brought with me because it needed refrigerate. And the wifi is really bad.

Here’s the obligatory crying about how in fear of his/her life this reviewer was. I don’t know...maybe just don’t go to any physical casinos during a pandemic?

Or, maybe nearby casinos such as Mountaineer, The Rivers, Lady Luck or The Meadows in which various levels of Government declared that smoking wouldn’t be allowed at the time of this person’s stay?

I’d give it to them on the, “Cigarette smoke was extremely strong and unbearable,” if it hadn’t been so easy for the person to simply select a casino in which one could not smoke at the time.

Hell, I’ve even said that the only non-smoking area in that entire casino doesn’t have a separate entrance/exit, or a dedicated bathroom---this reviewer should read my articles more often.

This person is also clearly unaware of this great new concept called, “Pizza Delivery;” they bring it right to you and everything.

I don’t think there is a casino, to my knowledge, that banned the drinking of everything on the gambling floor, but perhaps this reviewer just meant alcohol should be banned.

There is not a fridge in the vast majority of their hotel rooms. Never have been. I think you can rent a fridge at an extra cost and a few of their suites have them. This is a simple matter of calling and asking before you book the room, so the reviewer is simply in the wrong here for not being well-informed ahead of time.

Maybe the Pennsylvania casinos near me are faring better on Google:

Let’s start with Rivers Pittsburgh:

---Starting With Salty Losing Gambler:

Worst place to gamble for sure. I promise you that you will lose 90% of the time. No fun at all just a bunch of dealers pulling 20 in blackjack all the time. Please do not go here it is a scamming rip off trust me.

Might as well get that one out of the way.

---Minus Zero! (Rivers):

Was there yesterday and if I could give them a minus zero for keeping machines clean I would. They charge u 2 bucks for a hot dog to buy a beer and can't keep the machines clean. They show on commercials we r being safe. LIARS. Like how they only respond to 5 star ratings. Such class. So fake. This place and management is fake. Low class management.

Wouldn’t a, “Minus Zero,” just be a zero in this context? What would the difference be between a minus zero and a zero? Is he saying that he’s taking off zero points? Doesn’t that just mean that the score would remain the same?

You had to buy a hot dog in order to buy a beer (at the time) in order for the casino to keep up with the Pennsylvania Health Mandate (Covid) that you could not consume alcohol inside of an establishment in which you were not also dining. Sure, if you go to, “Jimmy’s Dive Bar,” or whatever, you might be able to just get your beer...but the casinos were probably being watched fairly closely for a violation of the mandate.

They probably only respond to 5* ratings because responding to reviews such as this one would be a complete waste of their time.

And, the reviewer will probably return next time he is in the area anyway.

Oh, wait:

Hi John, thank you for writing your review. We can assure you that our Rivers Clean team are making sure all areas are clean. Please visit our website RiversCasino.com to see the measures that we are taking. We hope you will give us another try.

They did respond to him. Snarky!

---Math Genius: (Rivers)

I usually play the video machines but decided to try my luck at BlackJack. I am telling you now it's a bad idea. 8 hands in a row the dealer drew an ace or a face card. 2 hands in a row the dealer pulled ace jack. It's a rigged shuffling system. I won 1 hand out of 8 and I even played passive rather than aggressive. Gonna start going to the Meadows, better casino anyway.

Okay, so this guy who usually plays machines decided to play some Blackjack. Apparently, despite the fact that he rarely plays Blackjack, he is mathematically qualified to determine that the shuffling system is rigged---wait for it---based on a sample size of eight hands.

I agree with him that I prefer Meadows to Rivers, overall, but that’s just an opinion.

---MIsplaced? (Rivers)

Reading customers reviews on this business 90 % are bad I spoke to a guy about buying a covette for 36k he never mention that it had a salvage title and in the - ad there's nothing mention about salvage title. Review save me from buy a 🍋🍋🍋 lemon. Thanks guys for the heads up 👌

I am pretty sure they do not sell cars there.

Let’s close out this section with The Meadows:

---Players Card Bias?

They still pick the winners by there cards. When I use my card I don't win a dime . But when I don't use my card I win sometimes . The machines are very very tight . There trying to recover there money they lost when they was closed for covid-19

By what cards? Where? Oh, you meant, “Their cards.” Where are they trying to recover the money at and in what location is the money? Oh, you meant, “They’re trying to recover their money,” got it.

The best kind of nonsense is poorly-worded nonsense.

---Inevitable Losing Rant: (Meadows)

Slots are very tight could not win no matter what amount played and to many out of date slot machines but the food was great thats about it I will not be back I will go to Rivers instead when I come to PA

Be careful. I have it on good authority that you can’t win at Rivers, either. It seems like you could just refrain from playing the, “Out of date,” ones.

---What!? (Meadows)

Sorry I'm not one of your paid reviewers. Most of these reviews are fake because the casino pays for high ratings. I'm here on a Friday night and this place is dead. Very few people are hitting anything. I see most $1.50 bets only getting back $100.00 on the bonus. This use to be a great place to play with loose slots. Since the addition was built to the establishment the slots are tight.

Are the reviews above also, “Fake?” I wrote a very long (mostly favorable) review on The Meadows and nobody has ever offered to pay me. Where’s my money?

If the place had been hopping, the reviewer would have probably complained that it was, “Too packed full of people,” and that he was terrified of getting Covid.

Also, he’s routinely getting $100 bonuses on $1.50 bets and he thinks that’s supposed to be awful? I WISH I’d average $100 bonuses on the $1.50 bet levels on the machines I vulture...I’d be cleaning up.

---One out of Five? (Meadows)

Stopped by for some fun but was very disappointed with everything this time aeound. Depressing what the PA State Government has forced this experience to be. Hi open they can survive and be able to return to normal.

Why are you giving them a poor score if you acknowledge that it’s the Government’s fault?

COMMON REASONS FOR (UNDESERVED) BAD REVIEWS

Unfortunately, bad reviews for reasons that I consider illegitimate pull down the overall scores for places, and in the case of franchised hotels, can sometimes have an actual negative financial impact on the business.

Worse than that, they clog up review sections, pull down average scores and distract from legitimate (and objective) reviews that might highlight actual frequent issues that a potential visitor to the property might want to know about.

Here are some common types of (in my opinion) illegitimate reasons for poor scores:

1.) I Lost Money! (Exclusive to Casino Reviews)

-Look, it’s a casino. Don’t you know what gambling is? You’re simply not going to win everytime, and sometimes, you’re going to lose in spectacular fashion.

The one thing that the reviewers get right is that almost every game in the casino is, “Rigged,” which is to say that almost all of them have a house edge working against the player.

The fact that you went down in flames on one visit, or even a few visits in short succession, does not prove that the casino is cheating. It’s not even a sufficient start to begin to speculate that. The only, “Rigging,” that the casino needs is to offer games that have a house edge.

2.) Policies/Procedures

-Hotels (and other establishments) have policies and procedures for doing things. If such a policy is in place and you, as the guest, did not make sure that you were aware of the policy in advance, (provided it is made known on the website) then that is your fault.

For example, the hotel I managed charged $15/night for pets. We did not have any breed restrictions, but you could not have a pet with you in excess of forty pounds. Not only was that on the website, but if you had called and asked our pet policies, we would have told you.

Therefore, if you brought a dog that weighed clearly more than forty pounds and we cancelled your reservation, then that’s your fault. We didn’t deserve a bad review for that.

If you had a service animal, or, “Service Animal,” you were paying the pet fee if you didn’t have the paperwork. We offered to take it off the bill and do a partial refund if you could E-Mail us the paperwork within seven days. Your, “Service animal,” is not a service animal just because you say it is---paperwork or pay the pet fee. It’s our policy and we don’t deserve a bad review for that.

Properties usually have policies and procedures because they intend to enforce them. If you roll the dice that the property is putting policies and procedures in place without the intent to actually enforce them, then that’s on you.

3.) Ill-Informed Guests

-We saw a few examples of these above. One guy was mad because the hot tub was in the main bedroom as opposed to the bathroom. All he had to do was look at the pictures of the room that were available right on the hotel’s website, or he could have called them and asked.

“I did not make an effort to gather information about the place that I was staying, one out of five!”

One guy in the Wheeling Island reviews cited that they don’t have refrigerators. Okay. Many hotels do not have refrigerators in every room. Did you consider calling and asking them, or were you just blindly hoping that there would be one?

4.) Covid Complaints

Any poor review that has, “Covid,” “Covid-19,” or, “Coronavirus,” in it should immediately be scrubbed from all review sites.

If you think a property is, “Doing too much,” then you should have called and asked what their policies are. Often, they are doing what state/local health departments are demanding of them.

If you think a property is, “Letting too much stuff go,” or, “Isn’t doing enough,” then you should have called in advance and asked what they were doing. Don’t get upset because the casinos that were allowed to continue allowing patrons to smoke and drink chose to do so.

And, for the love of God, if you were REALLY as worried about Covid as you were about crying online, then you probably wouldn’t have been visiting physical casinos to begin with.

5.) Incidences that Are Clearly NOT the Property’s Fault

-Don’t leave a poor review because there was a power outage; the property does not control the power.

Don’t leave a poor review because the area surrounding the property had certain things going on that you don’t like; that’s also out of the property’s control.

That doesn’t mean that poor reviews are always unwarranted, or that they cannot be useful:

MISSION’S TIPS FOR WRITING A USEFUL (POOR) REVIEW

1.) Be Objective, Score Objectively:

-My first tip for writing a review that might be of benefit to others is to be objective and score the property objectively.

The most common reviews score a property 1/5 or 5/5, and those reviews also tend to be the least useful. A review score of 5/5 just tells me that you had a good time overall and a review score of 1/5 tells me that you probably aren’t being objective.

A good review will usually list things that you liked about your experience and things that you did not like about your experience. Generally, you’ll also want to make at least a short comment about as many aspects of operations as possible, which some reviewers above did. Not, “The slots sucked; I lost, 1/5.”

In reading enough balanced reviews, people can determine common threads. For example, I can determine that the customer service at a particular location is pretty good, but generally, the rooms are not cleaned very well. Similarly, I can determine that a restaurant has great food, but long wait times and your server might not check on your beverages frequently enough.

Anyway, reviews such as those will help a person make a decision based on their priorities. Perhaps a spotless room is their #1 concern and they don’t care much about customer service.

2.) Be Semi-Literate (At a Minimum):

-You don’t have to be a certified wordsmith to write a review, but you do want to come off as functionally intelligent, especially if you’re putting your actual name on something. I didn’t use any names for the reviews quoted above because I’m not trying to embarrass anyone---they’re doing a good enough job of that themselves.

Anyway, just run your review through a very basic spelling and grammar checker, especially if it is a short review. If you have one paragraph with ten grammatical errors, seven typos and two non-words, then nobody is going to take that review seriously.

3.) Ask Yourself: “Is This the Property’s Fault?”

-If something happened that screwed up your trip, but was out of the property’s control, then don’t leave them a bad review.

If you’re leaving a casino review, then keep in mind that your one losing experience doesn’t automatically mean that the casinos are cheating. It just means that your expectations of doing nothing but winning are unrealistic.

4.) Ask Yourself: “Was I Informed?”

-If a room is supposed to have a refrigerator and does not, then you have a valid complaint. Don’t complain because a room that is not supposed to have a refrigerator doesn’t have one---you should have known that already.

If a property allows smoking, don’t complain that smoking is happening in your review. Find a non-smoking property. If smoking is allowed in rooms, then don’t complain that the hallway smells like cigarettes or weed---stay at a non-smoking hotel.

Basically, your failing to get more information about the property (that was available) ahead of time is not the property’s fault.

5.) Make Sure You Are Making Fair Comparisons:

I stayed at Motel 6 and it sucks, not at all like the Ritz-Carltons I usually stay at.

We saw that with the one review of The D above. The guy was comparing it to some Disney Springs resort that is not only NOT owned by the same entity, it’s not even called, “The D.”

The resort is likely the one called, “The B,” so the guy expected a similar experience based on, what? That the places both use a letter of the alphabet for a name?

6.) Make Sure You Are Reviewing the RIGHT PLACE!

-Seriously, this happens more often than you think.

One of the hotel properties I managed was NOT a Days Inn. We had no fewer than three different people go to our website (different franchise), get the corporate phone number (wrong franchise) and then call corporate and complain about Days Inn (or E-Mail a complaint) that we had to deal with because they named the wrong property.

The same thing happens with reviews! I had to ask for no fewer than twenty reviews (across various websites) to be scrubbed because they were leaving a poor review for the WRONG HOTEL!!!

CONCLUSION

The conclusion is that it’s all a matter of sample size, so you can’t make your decisions based on a few reviews. I hope that everyone found some of the reviews above as funny as I found them, but as you can see, there’s also a point to be made that some poor reviews discredit themselves without the property needing to do anything.

Also, don’t believe everything you read. If all of these people are right, then no player in any casino has ever won.