niagara falls, the place for gambling and tourism in ontario
gee thanks.
i have been to both casinos in niagara falls, the fallsview and casino niagara. only once each though, well multiple spells in the same trip, but never stayed at one for more than a couple hours.
first and foremost:
parking is free at both casinos once one obtains a comp card. it is easy to apply online for one, and a day or so later it will be ready at the desk for you when you go to pick it up. this is most important because parking is very difficult and costly in niagara falls. having two free choices (both use the same card), the fallsview two minutes from the falls, and c-niagara closer to the more established tourist areas, makes it easy to do other things you want, without having to shuttle it or pay through the nose to park.
fallsview casino:
this is the new casino on the scene. it is built close to the skylon tower and the hilton niagara. it is only a short downhill walk to the brink of the falls. it is very swanky and lavish inside and out. a large fountain adorns the front circle, and another lies just inside the lobby. a covered walkway allows patrons of the hilton and another adjacent hotel to get there without going outside and across the street.
the casino floor is expansive. thousands of slot and vp machines are scattered about, and accept denominations as low as one penny on some machines. of course, one must buy into the machine with paper currency or a ticket issued from previous play. there is a bank of ~8 deal or no deal slots which seemed very popular. other staples like price is right and wheel of fortune can be found as well.
there are ~15 poker tables at one end of the floor, and there are tournaments held periodically. they didn't seem very busy when i was there.
there are many blackjack tables, however all but a couple bear a minimum bet size of $25, and the lower-limit tables were full and crowded with punters waiting to sit down. let it ride, three-card, caribbean and paigow are among other card games dealt in the table area, carrying minimum bets of $10-15. there are also 00 roulette tables, and enough of them that it is not crowded. they also have craps, but usually only one or two tables running.
the casino boasts at least 5 places to eat, from tim horton's down below to a $20 buffet to expensive gourmet specialty restaurants. the buffet includes all cuisines, from "canadian" to middle eastern to asian to italian. the food was quite good, but as in any buffet, some meats were a little underdone and fatty. particularly annoying was that the outstanding view of the falls was not allowed to be photographed, even from within the restaurant. my mom got tapped on the shoulder to stow the camera or lose it.
also inside is a posh shopping centre, including a swarovski crystal store and a fur boutique. they also play host to shows, from orchestras to rock musicians to comedians to performance art. all in all, this is a beautiful casino, but seems to cater to the affluent. a side note: many are pissed that the multi-level parking structure interferes with the falls view from nearby hotel rooms advertising a view of the falls, particularly the hilton. along this vein, it would have been nice to at least adorn the roof of the structure with trees and/or landscaping, so it isn't just a garish chunk of concrete you see out your hotel window. i suppose you still get a "fallsview room", just the view is not of the falls but rather the actual fallsview hotel and casino. i am sure the views from the rooms of the fallsview's hotel are fantastic though, given how close it is.
casino niagara:
i had a much better time here. it doesn't boast a lot of the frills that fallsview has, but it provides a good experience nonetheless. the street entrance looks like a normal office building from outside. decals on the doors advertise that it is indeed a casino. there is also access from the adjacent hotels because they are all connected internally. wheelchair users or those with trouble ascending stairs may have to enter from the parking garage, as the street entrances all have stairs, unless one were already inside one of the hotels. the location is close to clifton hill tourist area, and hard rock cafe is attached like the nearby hotels.
the casino floor spans three levels. this makes the atmosphere less crowded and much quieter than fallsview. the number of tables and machines is roughly equal to fallsview, but table limits are regularly set at $10 and there are far more penny machines than at the fallsview. this is definitely a more blue-collar atmosphere, but in no way cheap or dirty. one of the table areas was under renovation when i was there, but there were still plenty of open spots to play at. some banks of slots are even in small adjoining rooms with booths to sit at, giving a very secluded and comfortable place to play. however, i did not see any deal or no deal.
there is also an adjoining room with ~15 poker tables, and again i noticed little activity here. they do hold poker tournies, and weekly bj tournies as well. i won $50 (ninth place) in a bj tourney for a $10 entry, my ending stack was about 5500 and starting with 2000, max bets 500, ~10 hands of play. also they have something called hot slot fridays, where you get bonus comp points and a chance to win a random prize if you wear their special t-shirt while playing. however to get the t-shirt requires accruing 100 comp points on slot games (not necessarily on a friday i don't think). one thing that c-niagara has that i didn't notice at fallsview is a sports betting lounge, with tv's and comfortable seats. bars were easy to find at both casinos, and serve non-alcoholic draught drinks (coke, water, etc) for free. beers and cocktails were a little steep, around $4-6 each (prices from fallsview, i did not drink while at c-niagara).
there are also at least three places to eat there, including a buffet. i did not partake in any of these however, or check out what the buffet offers. dining is ridiculously expensive everywhere in town, however, so the casino is probably good a place as any to eat. even denny's was around $20 for pretty much anything meal-wise. wendy's or burger king on the clifton hill "strip" was the most affordable thing we could find, $20 fed two people ("frosty"s included), i digress.
verdict:
i definitely recommend casino niagara for actually gambling, but if you want a good view and a truer "casino" atmosphere, and have the roll to afford it, the fallsview is newer and nicer. however c-n is much closer to the bird sanctuary and the "strip" where ripley's and guinness etc are, if you are looking for other forms of entertainment as well. but like i said, you can park at both and walk to the nearby things you want to see. it's a matter of taste, but i would give both a try, since each has its strong points.
niagara falls is a beautiful town, and you can have a blast there. make sure to scour the internet before going, and you can find lots of coupons to get 2-for-1 on the attractions like skylon tower, bird sanctuary (this is amazing), etc, and $x off admissions, plus discounted or free merch at ripley's, guinness, hard rock, ferris wheel (looks kind of like the london eye), maid of the mist boat tour (you get really close to the bottom of the falls and covered with spray so dress consciously), etc.
if visiting ontario, niagara falls is the first priority. the natural splendour and man-made attractions are unforgettable. it is a very popular honeymoon destination as well, top three in north america i think. i promise you won't be disappointed. and if anyone here is planning to come, give me a shout if you want and i'll try and make it up there to meet you and attempt to show you around a bit (about 200 km from my hometown, but well worth the drive).