Casino gaming in the Bahamas has been going on for a very long time, almost nine decades, which gives the Bahamas the distinction of being one of the oldest organized casino cultures in history. .
The Bahamas legalized gambling in 1963 but it had been in existence for many years before that with the amount of buccaneers and pirates that frequented the islands way back in history. In the 60′s it was considered a “swinging casino destination” and brought thousands of tourists to the islands where they could bask in the sun during the day and gamble away the evening and see entertainment and dance to modern bands. The islands were becoming known for the casino culture and this is what was bringing the tourists.
Today the Bahamas have several luxurious casinos that have well known names. They include four Seasons, Emerald Bay, Exuma, the Grand Bahamas, and Crystal Palace. The casinos on Paradise Island are some of the largest in the world. These casinos employ surveillance and check the chance of patron cheating at all times, just as they do anywhere else. The surveillance systems also keep track of the monies coming into the casino and the amount of tax paid on those monies.
The Bahamian casinos employ about 50,000 workers. This makes up over a third of the country. This doesn’t even consider the indirect employment statistics from those that build the casinos or that provide supplies to them. Casino culture is one of the biggest employers on the islands.
The government does receive revenue from the casinos through fees collected for particular permits, other taxes, and the money collected as tax on the winnings. The Bahamas Gaming Board oversees all casino operations in the islands.
The gambling age in the Bahamas is 18 as opposed to 21 in the United States. This tends to keep the Bahamas competitive with the United States because of its proximity to Florida. Interesting enough Florida is seeking to lower gambling age to 18 in order to give the Bahamas a little competition.
Several of the many islands in the Bahamas have casino resorts. Atlantis Casino is probably the largest there and anywhere else. It is on Paradise Island and has the reputation of being the most elegant. This casino has slots, craps, roulette, blackjack and other games. The lounge provides live entertainment and the hotel is beautiful.
Crystal Palace Casino is on Cable Beach in Nassau. This casino most resembles the Las Vegas casino culture and boasts 750 slots, 51 blackjack tables, 9 roulette wheels, 7 crap tables, and a baccarat room.
Our Lucaya is in Freeport on Grand Bahamas Island. This is a smaller casino that has a tropical theme. It has live shows and other entertainment as well as elegant rooms, and great restaurants.
Be sure to check with your travel agent as some of the casinos in the Bahamas do shut down in the off season months for certain amounts of time. Also check because some of the casinos that have been there in the past have closed because of hurricane damage in 2004.
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