Casino Reviews

We recently visited the Finger Lakes Casino & Racetrack while on a shopping trip to the Syracuse area. We had finished shopping at the Waterloo premium outlets. I entered casino into our GPS to find out if any were near and it turns out the Finger Lakes Casino & Racetrack was only 30 miles away. Since we had not been there before we decided to give it a try before heading back to our hotel in Syracuse.

It is easy to get to, just off I90 and there is also a Comfort Inn close by if you decide you want to stay overnight, however I would suggest that you make a reservation, since it look like it is pretty busy on the weekends.

The Finger Lakes Casino & Racetrack was better than most racetrack casinos that we have visited. It has a definite Las Vegas flair to it with high ceilings and lots of machines. Beer prices are reasonable at $3 per glass of draft beer, and there are lots of machines to choose from. There are a few too many penny slot machines for our taste, however penny machines seem to be the trend for many casinos. They also use ticket in and ticket out machines making it easy to move from machine to machine.

I had a hamburger at the deli and found it to be better than many I have had in similar casino deli’s. We did not try the buffet, however pretty much all buffets at these casinos are great. I am sure this one is as well.

Overall we found this to be a nice casino to visit and will definitely go back sometime to visit. Probably combine a shopping trip with a little gambling as well. Note that there are no table games at this casino, however you can also play the horses if you prefer.

Finger Lakes Casino – Slot Machines

Finger Lakes Casino & Racetrack offers nearly 1,200 slot machines for your enjoyment. With a spacious, 30,000 square foot gaming floor there is enough room for you to move around in comfort even during the busiest times. Open from 10am – 4am daily, you can play all of your favorite games, including video poker, progressive jackpots, penny machines, and more!

Customer-friendly features include comfortable seating, touch screen play, cash/ticket in – ticket out machines, and free beverage service while playing.

They also feature seasonal coat check, valet parking, and ample safe and free parking. The Cashier Cage provides personal check cashing and credit card advance services. They also have four ATM machines.

Table Games

There are no table games at the Finger Lakes Casino & Racetrack.

Restaurants

Enjoy the Tuscan atmosphere at their 10,000 square-foot “All You Can Eat” Vineyard Buffet! Mediterranean and Southwest cuisines, All American and regional favorites, fresh carved selections, and tempting salad and dessert bars. The Vineyard Buffet is open daily from 11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. for lunch and 3 p.m. – 10 p.m. for dinner featuring prime rib.

They also offer a variety of dining options to suit your tastes. From fine dining at our buffet, to “grab-n-go” sandwiches and snacks at the Platinum Grille, there is something for everyone! They also have casual dining overlooking the racetrack in the Terrace Dining Room.

What We Liked

• Variety of slot machines
• Drinks are not free while gambling, however at $3.00 for a draft beer they are reasonable
• Buffet
• Easy access from all highways including I90
• Safe environment in the casino and parking areas
• Great stopover point on your way to Buffalo, Rochester or Syracuse or points west

What We Did Not Like

There are no real complaints about the Finger Lakes casino & racetrack

This a typical racetrack style casino with a touch of Vegas . We are not fond of racetrack casinos so would not rate this one very high, however compared to other racetrack casinos, it is near the top of tat sub list.

Slot Player Card

The Finger Lakes casino & racetrack has their own slot card which provides you with cash discounts on meals as well as cash in the form of free slot play.

If you have not taken advantage of slot player cards, there are a number of benefits that many slot players should consider. Free or discounted rooms, email mailing list of promotions, free or discounted meals, access to entertainment, and a tax report outlining your losses and wins for tax claim purposes.

Parking

There is ample parking at the Finger Lakes casino & racetrack  in a large  surface parking area, which is ample for all casino and racetrack patrons.

Directions:

From Rochester:

I-490 East to the end

NYS Thruway (I-90) east to exit 44 (Route 332, Canandaigua)

South on Route 332 approximately 1 mile to Route 96

Left on Route 96 , ½ mile on the right

From the West (Buffalo)

NYS Thruway (I-90) east to exit 44 (Route 332, Canandaigua)

South on Route 332 approximately 1 mile to Route 96

Left on Route 96, ½ mile on the right

Note: They are about 1/2 hour from Rochester International Airport. From the airport, just travel south on 390 to I-90, and you can take I-90 East from there.

From the East (Syracuse, Utica, Albany, etc.)

NYS Thruway (I-90) west to exit 43 (Route 21, Manchester)

South on Route 21 a short distance to Route 96

Right on Route 96, 5 miles on the left

OR

NYS Thruway (I-90) west to exit 44 (Route 332, Canandaigua)

South on Route 332 approximately 1 mile to Route 96

Left on Route 96,½ mile on the right

Many governments all over the United States and Canada have started up casinos as a means to raise much needed tax revenue. Also to provide jobs in areas that could use a boost.  Casinos In Ontario are run by the OLG, which is an arm of the provincial government.

We have traveled a great deal across the US and also across Canada and without a doubt we find that the casinos in Ontario provide the worst service, the worst food and although we do not have a scientific study to back us up, we also feel the they have the worst odd’s. The OLG casinos are busy with lots of people going to visit them on the weekends and even through the night when they stay open 24 hours. The reason they are so busy is that they really have no competition. People all over love to gamble, and if you are the only game in town, well that is where they will go.

Casinos In Ontario

Why do I feel that Ontario casinos are the worst in the industry? There are many reasons:

• Variety of Machines – Generally small casinos, no room for more
• Cost of Drinks – full price drinks compared to inexpensive or even free
• Pay Out from the Machines – walking around the casino you quickly see there are not many winners
• Quality of food in the Casino – sandwiches wrapped in saran wrap, limited variety, not even a deli
• Quality of food in the Restaurants – very large quantities of poor quality food seems to satisfy many people
• Intimidation at the entrance – have to pass by uniformed guards at the entrance. All casinos have guards, but most are dressed in civilian clothes. They do not make you feel welcome.
• Location – never in a central area, you generally have to take a long drive to get to the casino
• Employee Attitude – They do not know the meaning of customer service and have their hands out for a tip when you win a jackpot!
• Places to Sit – there is no were to sit and relax away from the tables or slots, not customer friendly
• Entertainment – limited to touring old timer bands that sign off key and play too loudly to mask their mistakes.
• Comp’s – it is almost a joke when we talk comp’s. A few dollars is not going to entice us to keep coming back.

Compare to Other Locations

Admittedly I am comparing the casinos in Ontario with those in Vegas, however even if you go over to the province of Quebec, you quickly see that the Quebec casinos are high class entertainment venues compared to any thing the Ontario government can offer.

We just do not have anything good to say about these casinos. The first marketing mistake they made was to locate the casino with racetracks around the province. The tracks were loosing money and going out of business. Adding a casino made them profitable again although racetracks are no were close to tourist areas or to downtown.

I would rather go to Akwesasne Mohawk Casino than go to the race track in Ottawa, even though it is an hours drive, you have to cross the border and pay tolls.

A beer costs $1 dollar, an excellent buffet is only $10, it is a much larger casino with a comparably larger number of slot machines as well as table games as well. They also offer better comp’s to entice you to come to their casino and the staff are very friendly and treat patrons as customers! What a concept!

If you do not believe what we are saying here, try going to a few of the casinos outside the province and you will quickly see how great they are compared to the OLG casinos.

Well I have done enough griping for now. We would love to hear your comments and also whether you agree with us or not. Maybe the OLG will take note.

The Turning Stone Casino and Resort Hotel is not one of our favorite places to visit. The grounds and the hotel as well as the casino are immaculate, well designed, nicely laid out and on par with even some of the smaller Las Vegas hotels and casinos. There is a hotel, in both a tower format as well as a lodge format along with a professional looking business center. On the surface it really looks great!

The problem for us came down to 3 issues. We went to a really nice bar and ordered a drink with the intent of also grabbing something to eat. We expected bar food, which would have been ok.  However when we ordered we were told it would be similar to what you would get if you ordered food to your room. We thought well this should be ok. Instead it was delivered in a plastic bag and everything was crushed at the bottom of the bag. To make matters worse, the delivery girl plopped it on the bar and walked off. Talk about bad service.

Your Slot Card Works Like a Debit Card

The other issue that bothered us was that you must add money to your slot card, place your slot card in a machine, punch in your pin number and play. No ticket in , ticket out and the only way to get your money is to go to the cashier. We do not favor this concept at all.

Lastly the machines are not the popular ones and we did not see a single winner while we were there including ourselves. We got the impression that this casino does not pay well.

We will not be back to the Turning Stone Casino Resort Hotel, however in case you want to go, here is a summary of the hotel etc in our usual format.

Slot Machines

There are over 2,400 Instant Multi-Games machines including Keno. poker slots, and many penny and nickle slots. Enjoy the thrill of competition on today’s most popular Multi-Game machines (similar to slot machines and video poker machines) or at your favorite gaming table.

Table Games

There are   over 80 table games and also buy-in to win tournaments and walk away with a fabulous cash payout!

Restaurants

There are 10 restaurants including Wildflowers; Forest Grill, Peach Blossom; Pino Blanco; Rodizio; Emerald; Season’s Harvest; Delata Cafe; The Corner Market;  and Opals.

What We Liked

• Pool area and spa area
• Grounds very neat and well kept
• Very Clean every
• Hotel rates are very reasonable
• Covered garage parking as well as surface parking
• Easy access from all highways
• Safe environment in the casino, hotel and parking areas
• Starbucks Coffee shop

What We Did Not Like

• No Free drinks while gambling
• Not a good mix of slot machines
• Poor bar service
• No ticket in , ticket out slot service
• Cannot deposit cash or bills into a slot machine

It is probably a 4 star hotel in our estimation and quite adequate for your needs as long as you over look some of the issues we identified

Slot Player Card

The slot card will provide you with benefits, however this is the first time we have encountered this type of slot card and we have been to a lot of casinos across the US and Canada. Basically you must go to the cashier or to a special machine were you insert your slot card, enter your pin and deposit your money into the machine. Your slot card really becomes a debit card at this point and the only way to play a machine is to insert your slot card. Also if you want to move from machine to machine, all you need to do is remove your slot card and re-insert it into the next machine.

If you want to cash in, you must go to the cashier to collect any balance that may be left on the slot card. It seems to us that this is a sure way to lose all of your money!

If you have not taken advantage of slot player cards, there are a number of benefits that many slot players should consider. Free or discounted rooms, email mailing list of promotions, free or discounted meals, access to entertainment, and a tax report outlining your losses and wins for tax claim purposes.

Parking

There is ample parking at the Turning Stone hotel & casino in a large parking garage beside the hotel and casino. There is also lots of surface parking that we observed. You can access the hotel from the garage via an elevator from all levels. The parking garage is also patrolled on a regular basis and it also protects your car from the weather.

Directions:

From Syracuse Hancock International Airport: Take I-90 (NYS Thruway) East to Exit 33 (Verona); through the tollbooth, travel straight to the stoplight. Take a left onto Route 365 and the next left into the Resort.

From Albany, NY and points East: Take I-90 (NYS Thruway) West to Exit 33 (Verona); through the tollbooth, travel straight to the stoplight. Turn left onto Route 365 and the next left into the Resort.

I did not know if I should file this one under the general title of slot cards or whether I should file it under the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino. This post is really about slot cards. However the example I want to use involves the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino. Although it could be any casino in the country. All casinos offer special events and other special activities to attract their customers to their casino.  Some will use free slot play. Others will offer free meals and some will offer special draws. They all offer these specials to their slot club members. So it is really important that you have a slot card from each casino that you play at. If they do not know about you, there is no way they can offer specials to you or give you deals.

Slot Cards – Hot Seat Awards

The following is an example of what I am talking about and it happened to me while playing at the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino a few months ago. We often go to this casino and although it is about an hours drive for us to get to it, we enjoy the atmosphere and the buffet. Let me digress for just a moment. If you have not been there, go just for the buffet. Although the decor is not outstanding, the buffet is excellent quality and priced right. It is definitely worth the trip!

Anyway, I am sitting at one of the slot machines playing the machine. My slot card is inserted into the card reader so the casino is tracking my play and will give me comp’s as usual based on my play. If you are knew to this, check out our post on slot cards to get the full details and learn why you always want to have a slot card. There are many benefits, however in this case I want to describe a special award to emphasize the why you should always have a slot card.

Slot Cards – Turbo Car race

Each slot machine has a little screen that displays how many points you have, advertising and special events. This is a great way for the casino to advertise restaurants and shows that they have at their casino show rooms. Anyway, the sound of a car race suddenly comes from the speakers on my slot machine. Llittle race cars are running around a track. All of this is show on this little screen I mentioned. Next thing I know the race is over and the race umpire is waving a flag and a message comes on my screen showing that I had won the turbo race.

I had no idea what a turbo race was, nor did I know how I even was entered in the race. Turns out that anyone with their slot card inserted in a slot machine is eligible to be in the race ( remember no card no race, no reward) and by random draw, I won the race. This is a progressive slot jackpot that gradually increases until it reaches $1000. It must be won before it gets to $1000.  I won $647 just for having my slot card inserted into a machine!

The Casino management came over to the machine a few minutes later, check out the machine and said congratulations. Next thing I know I have $647 in my hand.

What a great deal? The moral of the story, always have a slot card. Always have it inserted into the slot machine, just in case there is a mystery draw!

No Longer offered

The Mohawk TURBO is guaranteed to hit before it reaches $1,000. There is a second slot award, The Mohawk NITRO which is guaranteed to hit before it reaches $2,500! They also have the Mohawk SUPER Jackpot guaranteed to go out before it reaches a whopping $100,000!  Always use your slot card when you are playing the slots and get rated if you play on the tables.

If you have experienced something similar, we invite you to post a comment. We would love to hear about your stories and what you won. Spam comments will be deleted.

For more details about slot cards, click here.

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There are often great vacation deals in Las Vegas, however the summer time is one of the best times to snag inexpensive hotel rooms or even get comp’d for your rooms while staying in Las Vegas.  The convention traffic is down in the summer time while everyone is on vacation. Admittedly it is very hot in Vegas so a lot of people stay away and there are lots of other things to do besides going to Las Vegas.

However if you are looking for a little excitement, a bit of gambling, an excellent meal,  excellent entertainment, and great pool weather, then Las Vegas is the place to be. We have slot cards at all of the major hotels. We have talked about the value of slot cards in past posts, so if you have not read this post, it is time you do. They can be invaluable and save you a great deal of money. We often go to Vegas in the spring a few times a year, however our schedule just does not permit a visit during the summertime.

The major casinos must have us on a watch list, because starting about the end of June we receive offers at least once a week during the summer. The offers vary, however they usually include free rooms, maybe some free slot play, or free meals. Sometimes they will even throw in tickets to a show. These are good deals and if you can take advantage of these offers, you can have a pretty reasonable mini-vacation in Las Vegas!

Vacation Deals  – Best Time of the Week to Visit Las Vegas

The best deals of course are during the week , from Sunday through Thursday, although sometimes you can also even get inexpensive deals on the weekend as well. Las Vegas is a very opportunistic place. When there are lots of people in town, the hotels charge top rate for their rooms. When occupancy rates are down, the next best thing is to fill the rooms even if they must do so by providing the rooms on a complimentary basis. They want you in their hotel, enjoying the casino and eating at the restaurants.  This is the basis of all the vacation deals.

Summer time, the few weeks just before Christmas and any time a hotel is not hosting a conference are good times to check and see what vacation deals are available. Even if you are a slot club member and have not received an email or flier in the mail, always call the hotel and ask to speak to the slot host. Depending on how busy the hotel is, your slot play and their general desire to fill the hotel, they may offer you a great deal. Always give them a call before you confirm your reservation through an agent or over the internet. Also check with a number of the hotels. One may be quite busy while another may be in bit of a drought.

Summer Time is Pool Weather

If you go in the summer time, it will be very hot. A great time to be at the pool and a great time to enjoy the air condition environment of the casinos. Always make sure you have a lots of water with you and never allow yourself to become de-hydrated.  It is very easy to do in the hot dry desert air of Las Vegas.

During the first two weeks of January, there are lots of large conferences taking place in Vegas. Hotels will charge as much as $599 for a room during those conferences and the next week they may be down to $79 because the number of visitors are down. Choose your time to visit wisely and pay as little as possible.

We would love to hear about the great vacation deals in Las Vegas. Please leave comments on our blog. Note that spam comments will be deleted.