If you have the time and little bit of extra money to spare, spending the weekend throwing cards in Vegas is perhaps the best gift any gambler would love to receive. Here’s how to plan a quick weekend journey from any point in Canada down to Las Vegas in 2017 and beyond, without losing your house in the process.
Canadian gamblers are, without a doubt, inherently drawn to the big-city glamour and earnings potential that gambling in Las Vegas emanates. Since Las Vegas is at least 1500 miles to the nearest Canadian border, gamblers from British Columbia, Newfoundland and Northern Alberta tend to only dream about being in Sin City rather than planning a gambling vacation. Here’s the quickest way, that perhaps least expensive route, for individuals to plan their dream weekend in the land of casinos.
Look for packages
We live in a generation where everything is being bundled. Therefore, it only makes sense that Canadian tourists look for package deals when traveling to Las Vegas. With the myriad of travel agencies located in Toronto, Calgary, and even smaller cities around Canada, finding a hotel and casino package which includes chips, entertainment passes and two nights in a hotel including airfare should be relatively easy. Travelocity, Orbitz, and similar world renowned booking websites could be even cheaper; planning in advance tends to save money since airlines have blackout dates.
Air Canada, for one, posts deals which include four days, four nights, hotel and casino passes without meals included for roughly C$600 (from Toronto to Las Vegas), which is a steal. We found that without much effort, so singles or couples wanting to gamble can surely find similar deals.
Planning for losses
Hotels and airfare can be packaged together, but what about incidental expenses? One mistake Canadian tourists make when traveling into the United States is not planning their currency conversion properly. General rule of thumb: never endeavor to use your ATM card inside of the casino. Based off personal experiences, you’re only asking for trouble by having instant access to more money in the city best known for taking money. Therefore, always plan a separate gambling, incident (such as losing your cell phone charger) and meal budget.
With food, call around to several restaurants that interest you. From there, find out the average price for a dinner for two, add 15% for gratuity, then add this money on to a prepaid card. You may want to cushion the balance of your prepaid card by adding $10-$15 to the final balance, just in case. Follow the same steps when planning your incidental losses budget.
When planning your gambling budget, never bring more than you can afford to lose. Any credit cards, expensive jewelry, and anything that can provide instant cash should be left in a safe spot. If you’re new to gambling, casinos have penny and nickel slot machines which will deplete your budget much slower. Remember, drinks are provided for you as long as you are gambling in any Vegas casino; if you plan to visit frequently, sign up for VIP programs which can provide a free hotel room.
Getting more for less
Since many trips to Las Vegas will happen over the weekend, why not plan sightseeing adventures during your downtime from gambling? Looking back to when we discussed packages, Air Canada and similar travel agencies can create ‘mega’ packages which would include activities like helicopter rides to Hoover Dam, kayaking adventures down the Colorado River or simple bus tours of the Las Vegas strip. Depending on how much you planned to gamble, and how many people you bring along, you can have your weekend package created so everyone remains engaged during their weekend in Vegas. Creating these packages is perfect if you cannot afford to make frequent trips into the United States, thereby allowing you to maximize your stay.
Food for thought
You probably already knew going to any Canadian travel agency would render this information, so we leave you with this: with a little due diligence, smart financial planning and a rough idea what you like to accomplish during your Vegas weekend, and you can increase the odds of winning while decreasing the your unnecessary losses by segmenting each daily need into the category, and prepaid debit card, that would allow you to save the most money.
Time Sensitive $1200 Play-Through Bonus Offer @ RoyalVegas.com
Royal Vegas, the leading Canadian gaming brand, are really going out of their way this month and offering a very lucrative offer to prospective players. Details inside.
