Gambling in the Dominican Republic

I finally finished my blog entry on Gambling in the Dominican Republic. Please have a preview. As always, I welcome all comments, questions, and corrections.

Nice article. My wife and I were actually planning to "honeymoon crash" our sister and her then to be husband when they go to DR. I just don't know anymore. I would rather go to St. Maarten.....

Some grammatical issues:

"It was exasperatingly fighting everybody off".......should read, exasperating.

"Take in as many historical buildings as are you are in the mood for".........Take out the pesky extra "are".

Also whenever you place a link into the article, is it possible to have it in bold and underlined? It would just make the link pop more and perhaps give people more inclination to click on it?

Just a thought.

Thanks for making my mind up for me about DR :)

1.) It doesn't say how many BJ tables were in Atlantis World Crown Plaza.

Excellent article! Cover all the Hard Ways!!!

I think the comments about the misprinted felt are a bit verbose.

"above fair odds" is a vague reference.

Thanks for reading it and for the comments. I know I ran on about the fair odds at the Jaragua, but I had to cut through the "to" and "for" terminology to explain it properly.

I know you said that you can't speak for the rest of the country, but Santiago is about 90 miles from Santo Domingo (closer than Punta Cana), and caters mostly to German tourists. This 5 star hotel has a casino attached.

You didn't mention anything about room prices and they are not online, so I can't compare

http://www.hodelpa.com/en/hotels/santiago/hodelpa-gran-almirante-hotel/rooms.html

I think people who might try DR for a vacation would like to know how you travel. For instance did you fly in and out of Las Américas Airport or Punta Cana Airport. Did you take ground transport or fly? If you took ground transport did you take a tourist shuttle? Where did you stay in Punta Cana?

Quote: Tomspur

My wife and I were actually planning to "honeymoon crash" our sister and her then to be husband when they go to DR. I just don't know anymore. I would rather go to St. Maarten.....

Punta Cana and La Romana are pretty expensive. Puerto Plata is a little cheaper as it caters mostly to European & Canadian tourists. If your wife is offended by young topless German girls, then it may not be the best choice.

Flights to Puerto Plata Airport
American Airlines Miami
JetBlue Airways New York-JFK
United Airlines Newark

Air Canada Montréal-Trudeau
Air Canada Rouge Toronto-Pearson
Air Transat Seasonal: Montréal-Trudeau, Québec City, Toronto-Pearson
CanJet Montréal-Trudeau, Toronto-Pearson
WestJet Toronto-Pearson

American tourist frequently come for 3 or 4 day visits and will spend any amount for their comfort. European tourists frequently come for 2-3 weeks, and are more interested in long term value.

Quote: pacomartin

I think people who might try DR for a vacation would like to know how you travel. For instance did you fly in and out of Las Américas Airport or Punta Cana Airport. Did you take ground transport or fly? If you took ground transport did you take a tourist shuttle? Where did you stay in Punta Cana?

Good suggestion. I flew into Santo Domingo, took a bus to Punta Cana, and flew out of Punta Cana.

The Santo Domingo airport is quite far from the city. Despite what other web sites said, I couldn't find any bus or other mass transit to SD, so was forced to take a cab by myself.

Quote: Wizard

The Santo Domingo airport is quite far from the city. Despite what other web sites said, I couldn't find any bus or other mass transit to SD, so was forced to take a cab by myself.

They built it in 1959, probably thinking it would be convenient for tourists. But the La Romana airport (built 2000) only 60 miles away took some of the tourist traffic. The traffic to these Latin airports is very small (roughly average of 4000 taking off and 4000 landing per day to SD) so the taxi drivers want most of the business. I imagine the public transportation for the employees is well hidden.

Quote: Wizard

Good suggestion. I flew into Santo Domingo, took a bus to Punta Cana, and flew out of Punta Cana.

Open Jaw plane tickets are nice. Sometimes they are only a $100 premium, other times they gouge you. They are particularly nice of London-Paris visit, as you only have to take the train once.

Nice report.

Are you still undecided about covering the Caribbean generally at your site? I ask because I was surprised how many casinos there are altogether. Would it mean you personally would have to go to each one, or like Vegas others can pitch in?

I'm an unlikely candidate, in case you thought I was hinting at that

Quote: odiousgambit

Are you still undecided about covering the Caribbean generally at your site?

I have no ambition to cover all of the Caribbean, as that would be a major undertaking. My goal is to try to visit one or two new places around the world per year and write about the casinos there. No particular emphasis on the Caribbean. It has just been a coincidence that I've been to Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and now the DR recently.

Quote: Tomspur

Nice article. My wife and I were actually planning to "honeymoon crash" our sister and her then to be husband when they go to DR. I just don't know anymore. I would rather go to St. Maarten.....

I just recently returned from my fifth visit to St. Maarten. I didn't do much gambling, but it is still my favorite Caribbean getaway.

Quote: Wizard

My goal is to try to visit one or two new places around the world per year and write about the casinos there.

I think you need to go really upscale with your next trip

Gran Casino Aranjuez

Casino Barcelona

Quote: pacomartin

Gran Casino Aranjuez

I see they are doing Mother's Day events. Is Mother's Day a world wide thing or did it start in the US and trickle down from there?

If we visit our daughter in Chile I'd like to write up the Monticello Grand. She visited it, says they have arcades for the kids to play around in while mom and dad play the adult games.

Casino Monticello Grand

I'm not sure why this thought came up, but I'll ask anyways.

In some of your other reports, you've mentioned the presence or absence of prostitutes in or around the casinos.

There is no mention of it in this report.

I would think, I'm not certain, that in a third world country such as this they would be visible.

Could you comment on this?

Quote: ten2win

In some of your other reports, you've mentioned the presence or absence of prostitutes in or around the casinos.

I wondered if maybe I was giving the wrong impression with such an emphasis on that. I've heard the DR is a hot spot for that business, but I didn't see much of it. There were a few in the lounge at the Jaragua but they were well behaved and just sat there, trying to make eye contact with any men in the area, and I think conveniently finding excuses to walk past such potential customers.

At the Hard Rock I didn't see any. I think you had to be a guest of the hotel to even get it.

Thank you for your observation.

Per the requests above, I added the following.

Transportation

Let me also say a word about transportation. The Santo Domingo airport is located about 20 miles from the center of the city. I read on another web site there was a bus service you could find on the second floor of the airport. However, I looked everywhere and asked several people about taking a bus or shuttle to the center of Santo Domingo and everybody looked at me as if it was the most radical idea they had ever heard. So, I had no choice but to pay about $40 for a cab ride.

To get to Punta Cana from Santo Domingo I took a nice air conditioned bus through a company called Espreso Baváro. They have departures every couple hours. The only downside is that I'm 99.54% I got screwed by the cab driver taking me the short distance from my hotel to the bus station.

By comparison to the run down Santo Domingo airport, the airport in Punta Cana is magnificent. If I lived in the DR I might be jealous that the government build a nice airport for the gringos while most of the locals had to suffer the dilapidated in the capital. There were plenty of hotel shuttles parked just outside of customs. Why hasn't anybody thought to offer this service at the Santo Domingo airport except, evidently, me?


Prostitution

An earlier version of this blog entry didn't address this topic, but a reader noticed the omission, compared to my reports about Panama and Costa Rica. I've heard the Dominican Republic was a hot spot for this occupation, but I didn't notice much of it.

On Avenida George Washington, the avenue that runs along the coast, I saw some young women in skimpy outfits, but wasn't sure if they were advertising themselves, or just liked to dress that way. In the lounge of the Jaragua I definitely noticed a few. They were just sitting at the bar nursing a drink and scanning for customers. Let me warn you that as a gringo once you make eye contact with any of them that they will stare and smile at you the rest of the night. Don't be surprised if they seem to make frequent excuses to walk past you as well. The odds of them brushing their hair or boobs against you on such passes is about 60%. Otherwise, they wait for the man to make the first move.

Quote: pacomartin

Open Jaw plane tickets are nice. Sometimes they are only a $100 premium, other times they gouge you. They are particularly nice of London-Paris visit, as you only have to take the train once.

I sell a lot of open jaws. They are convenient. Most of the time there is no premium.
The way most airlines calculate an open jaw is 1/2 the roundtrip fare to each destination, add both figures and that's your price.
The pictured example, half the Sea to LHR roundtrip fare and half the Sea to CDG round trip fare.
If getting gouged, you are probably not meeting a rule to get the lower fares such as not spending a weekend in Europe or a very short stay or not meeting advance purchase requirements or trying to get on a flight almost sold out ect.

Quote: Wizard

Quote: pacomartin

Gran Casino Aranjuez

I see they are doing Mother's Day events. Is Mother's Day a world wide thing or did it start in the US and trickle down from there?

It began in the U.S., State of West Virginia, as a matter of fact.

EMPHASIZE THAT THE WIZARD WAS IN DOWNTOWN SANTO DOMINGO AND PUNTA CANA (primary resort for tourists). He did not visit Boca Chica.

Prostitution is legal, although there are some prohibitions against sex with minors, and it is illegal for a third party to derive financial gain from prostitution. However, the government usually did not enforce prostitution laws. Sex tourism existed throughout the country, particularly in Las Terrenas, Cabarete, Sosua, and Boca Chica. Reference State Department Study

Deanna Kerrigan stresses that outside resorts such as Boca Chica, tourists are not the main clients. “There is a very large local sex-work industry,” says Kerrigan. Sex is sold everywhere, from brothels and rendezvous homes called casas de citas to discos and car washes. HIV prevalence in the country's estimated 100,000 female sex workers ranges from 2.5% to 12.4%, depending on the locale. Science 28 July 2006: Vol. 313 no. 5786 p. 474 DOI: 10.1126/science.313.5786.474

Boca Chica is a much more affordable resort area (compared to Punta Cana or La Romana) near the Santo Domingo airport.

Rooms for $60
Nicer Hotel in Boca Chica

FYI, the Renaissance Santo Domingo Jaragura Hotel is indeed a Marriott property. Renaissance is one of Marriott's many brands, just like Ritz-Carlton, Courtyard, Fairfield, Residence, etc.

I've never heard of a craps table with no house edge on the hardways. Wow. Did you get the sense that this was a mistake or intentional? If I was a marketing director at this place, I would advertise this endlessly: "Our Craps Table Hardways Are the Most Generous in the World!" It always amuses me that the best casino bargains tend to be top secret. And the stuff they brag about is usually pretty lame (see: Hooters "$200 free play" offer that totally sucked.)

Quote: reno

FYI, the Renaissance Santo Domingo Jaragura Hotel is indeed a Marriott property. Renaissance is one of Marriott's many brands, just like Ritz-Carlton, Courtyard, Fairfield, Residence, etc.

I'm surprised that property is branded Marriott in any way. If I went there expecting something comparable to a Marriott in the US I would be sorely disappointed. My room looked nothing like the one on the web site. I think a Motel 6 would have turned down the furniture in it. The mattress was about a decade past the point of being replaced. Still, the staff was nice and the common areas looked respectable enough.

Quote:

I've never heard of a craps table with no house edge on the hardways. Wow. Did you get the sense that this was a mistake or intentional? If I was a marketing director at this place, I would advertise this endlessly: "Our Craps Table Hardways Are the Most Generous in the World!" It always amuses me that the best casino bargains tend to be top secret. And the stuff they brag about is usually pretty lame (see: Hooters "$200 free play" offer that totally sucked.)

I'm quite sure it was accidental. As I tried to explain, I think something got lost in translation between the "to" and "for" terminology.

Quote: Wizard

Prostitution

An earlier version of this blog entry didn't address this topic, but a reader noticed the omission, compared to my reports about Panama and Costa Rica. I've heard the Dominican Republic was a hot spot for this occupation, but I didn't notice much of it.

When I was working down there for a while, some of my co-workers explained there are entire bars in and around downtown where the only reason you go is to meet prostitutes. Apparently you 'buy them a drink', which costs way too much but covers their fee, and off you go to one of the cabana motels.

Quote: dwheatley

When I was working down there for a while, some of my co-workers explained there are entire bars in and around downtown where the only reason you go is to meet prostitutes. Apparently you 'buy them a drink', which costs way too much but covers their fee, and off you go to one of the cabana motels.

I'm not saying that isn't true, but I didn't see that. As I tried to convey in my report, I was fearful to leave my hotel, especially at night, because beggars would run across busy streets to stand in my way and harass me for money.

The thing about buying a drink is also how it worked on "the block" in Baltimore, except there all you got was a little fondling over the clothing. Maybe if you bought a more expensive drink you got more -- I don't know.

Quote: Wizard

I think a Motel 6 would have turned down the furniture in it.

Ha! These days, even a few Motel 6 locations now have HDTV. C'mon Marriott, stop being stingy. Notice how the room photo on Marriott's own website carefully obscures the Jaragua Hotel's 1990s era cathode ray tube TV:

" The thing about buying a drink is also how it worked on "the block" in Baltimore, except there all you got was a little fondling over the clothing. Maybe if you bought a more expensive drink you got more -- I don't know. "

Ah, the good old days. When the girls on "THE BLOCK " were actually girls.

Good report. thank you. have reservations at Hard Rock end of June. Comped. TR to follow. Unfriendly bast#*&@.