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Let’s say you’re an adult at the Miracle City Amusement Park in Panama City Beach. The appeal of carnival rides and games is a tad limited, and you’ve absorbed enough sun in the past few days to fuel a solar-powered 20-room house for the next nine months: In short, you may be hankering for some more adult entertainment like a proper casino.
Unfortunately, there’s a modicum of bad news here. While Florida is home to a good three dozen gaming houses, casinos in Florida are essentially an Eastern thing and the great majority of classic Vegas-style gaming is to be found in the Broward County, Miami and Tampa areas.
Exacerbating this paucity is the graveyard spiral the sport of greyhound racing is experiencing worldwide: Some 40 states have banned greyhound racing altogether, and Florida is as of 2018 just one of five states still operating greyhound tracks, and 12 of America’s 18 such tracks are in the Sunshine State – but that 12 is quite a comedown from the 30 that were open throughout the state in 1990.
In fact, the nearest land based casino and gaming house to the Miracle City Amusement Park in Panama City is located some 80 miles to the northeast: Creek Entertainment Gretna was established in 2012 as a modern alternative to the dilapidated racinos of eastern Florida. And Creek Entertainment is no racino by the traditional definition. There are plenty of slot games for your enjoyment packed with jackpot slots offering impressive winnings for the luckiest ones.
Here, you can find horse racing, simulcast racing, an expansive poker room open from 10am to 4am daily, and three table games: Pai Gow, 3-card poker and something which in Florida casinos is called “1-card poker” but is essentially Casino War.
Notice what’s missing? Yep: All the electronic slots, including the jackpot slots, and most of the table games you’d associate with Vegas (and thus North American) casinos are not in play at Creek Entertainment. Slot machines and video poker are allowed in Broward and Dade counties only; state legislators signed exclusive rights to table gaming everywhere in Florida and electronic gaming outside Broward and Dade to the Seminole Tribe in 2010 for some $300 million plus per year. However, that deal expired in 2015 and has yet to be settled legally. Should the Seminoles eventually drop the case or refuse to re-sign the deal, casinos in Florida such as Creek Entertainment Gretna would certainly rapidly be offering slot games.
Have you ever seen some of those large billboards at the airports of LA, displaying “online slots real money” options? That’s right, who wouldn’t like to make some extra cash in any of the online casinos? Spinning yourself into massive payouts is not only an illusion anymore. These exciting slots games and the various jackpot slots can be an ultimate way to hit some truly life-changing winnings!
After all, back in 2012 upon the grand opening of the Gretna racino, representatives for the majority-owned Poarch Band of Creek Indians announced that future plans called for expansion of the place to include “a full service resort complete with hotels, a full equestrian center, quarter-horse racing and 2,000 slot machines.” This expansion would result in up to 1,000 new jobs – not to mention untold revenue from residents of western Florida, southern Georgia and eastern Alabama who need some real gambling actin in their lives.
Openly loved and distinctively different, Panama is one of those unique nations. The nation has an accomplishment of human engineering that makes an essential shipping course by connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Also, the nation is on the isthmus connecting South and Central of America. In the capital city, tourists find colonial buildings, the rainforest of Natural Metropolitan Park, nightclubs, and — most importantly — casinos ultimately appealing.
History of Casinos in Panama
The earliest account of Panamanian history dates back to about 2500 BC, featuring Paleo-Indians and the Monagrillo culture. However, Panama was part of the New Granada that gained freedom from Spain in 1819. Panama was, at the time, in union with Peru or, more accurately, Central America. It was not until 1821 that Panama declared herself independent of the Central American isthmus. In 1903, Panama declared an ultimate independence of Colombia.
Despite the full account of Panama’s pre-Columbian and Spanish history, Panamanian gambling history is not so recorded. The earliest record of gambling in Panama was in the 20th century. At the time, only the government provided casinos and gambling activities.
In 1997, Panama included gambling as a division of her tourism industry. That was when gambling activities and facilities received full and proper legalization in Panama, allowing businesspeople to invest in the country’s gambling scene. Even so, the law instructs casinos to have their operating spaces in first-rate hotels with at least 300 rooms.
The then-present Panama government passed this rule to help reinforce the country’s main revenue-generating industry: tourism. With the help of the rule, Panama currently features more than 20 first-rate hotels throughout the length and breadth of the country. As of 2017 — just 20 years after the rule was passed, more than 5,000 hotel rooms have been constructed.
Meanwhile, the Panama Tourism Authority and the Panama Chamber of Tourism works with casino operators who are members of ASAJA (the Association of Gambling Administrators) to promote casinos and gambling within and outside the country. It is perfectly safe to say Panama highly prioritise gambling and generate reasonable annual revenues from gambling activities and facilities.
Panamanian natives, residents and tourists enjoy a wide range of gambling activities and facilities in Panama. In fact, all forms of gambling are flawlessly legal, licensed and regulated in this Central American country. The nation is swarmed with facilities that offer its customers a protected and agreeable condition with cutting-edge gaming machines and table games.
Current Gambling Climate
As mentioned earlier, gambling and all of its activities and facilities are legal in Panama. The nation understands the high amount of revenue it is generating from this tourism division, so gambling is a norm in Panama. There is a total of 69 gambling facilities fully operational, offering an array of activities, gaming machines and table games
Panama offers one of the most friendly environments for gambling and tourism. Similar to most Central American countries and Caribbean territories, Panama has a warm, welcoming atmosphere — especially for tourists who like to enjoy a variety of tourism activities (such as gambling).
Casinos in Panama by Area
Most casinos in Panama are located in Panama City. There are more than 30 gambling facilities, 179+ table games, and 6,804+ gaming machines. The city is apparently the gambling jurisdiction of Panama.
The biggest casino in Panama City is Veneto Wyndham Grand Hotel & Casino, with six poker tables, 40 table games, and 600 gaming machines. The second in line is the Panama Princess Casino, with almost 500 options. In addition to Panama City, there are 10 more cities with gambling facilities. Other cities with a noticeable amount of gambling activities are Colón, David, La Chorrera, Albrook, Santiago de Veraguas, and Tocumen.
Types of Casinos in Panama
As discussed earlier, all forms of gambling activities and facilities are legal. Panama has 68 casinos and a horse racing racino — Hipódromo Presidente Remón — located in Panama City, Panama. The racino provides racing and sports wagers on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and slots 24/7.
Furthermore, most of the casinos in Panama are more slot parlours than casinos, despite them being a part of big hotels. Most of them just offer a massive number of slot machines without a single table game or games like blackjack, roulette, craps, baccarat, Canal 21, and Casino Hold ’em. However, other gambling activities such as pari-mutual betting, bingo, poker, sports betting, horse racing, lottery and online gambling are readily available in Panama.
Lottery in Panama has been monopolised by the government. The Loteria Nacional de Beneficiencia (LNB) is a national lottery fully operated by the government. Sports betting, meanwhile, is openly legal because getting sports betting service licensed and regulated in Panama is simple and straightforward.
Finally, online gambling is legal in Panama. Panamanians, residents and tourists can participate in local online gambling activities as well as foreign activities.
List of Casinos in Panama
Below is a list of all casinos currently operating in the regions of Panama.
Bingo 90 Casino
Caribe Hotel & Fantastic Casino Caribe
Casino Bolerama
Casino Coclé
Casino Rio Abajo
Casino Marvil
Continental Hotel & Casino Panama
Central Park Hotel and Golden Lion Casino
Crown Casino Colon 2000
Crown Casino Continental
Crown Casino Granada
Crown Casino Plaza Mirage
Crown Casino Sheraton
Fantastic Casino – 12 De Octubre
Fantastic Casino – 2000 Colon
Fantastic Casino – 5 de Mayo
Fantastic Casino – Aguadulce
Fantastic Casino – Albrook
Fantastic Casino – Alfaro
Fantastic Casino – Casa Miller
Fantastic Casino – Chitre
Fantastic Casino – Chorrera
Fantastic Casino – Chorrera Plaza Italia
Fantastic Casino – Colon Calle 13
Fantastic Casino – David Plaza Otiema
Fantastic Casino – Dorado
Fantastic Casino – El Dorado
Fantastic Casino – El Rey
Fantastic Casino – David Centro
Fantastic Casino – Gran Estacion
Fantastic Casino – La Dona
Fantastic Casino – La Cabima
Fantastic Casino – Los Andes
Fantastic Casino – Los Andes Mall
Fantastic Casino – Los Pueblos
Fantastic Casino – Obaldia
Fantastic Casino – Penonome
Fantastic Casino – Plaza Tocumen
Fantastic Casino – Santiago
Fantastic Casino – Terminal de Albrook
Fantastic Casino – Transistmica
Fantastic Casino – Tocumen
Fantastic Casino – Vista Alegre
Fiesta Casino – Hotel Washington Colon
Fiesta Casino Decameron
Four Points by Sheraton Hotel and Winland Casino
Golden Lion Marbella
Gran Hotel Nacional and Fiesta Casino
Gran Hotel Soloy & Fiesta Casino
Hilton Panama Hotel and Casino
Hipódromo Presidente Remón
Hotel Internacional & Fantastic Casino Internacional
Hotel La Hacienda and Thunderbird Casino
Hotel City House Soloy & Casino
Hotel Washington Colon & Crown Casino
Hotel El Panama Convention Center & Fiesta Casino
Los Guayacanes Hotel & Casino Chitre
Magic Casino Dorado
Majestic Casino Multicentro
Ocean Sun Casino
Ocean Club Casino at Trump International Hotel & Tower Panama
Royal Casino at the Marriott
Veneto Wyndham Grand Hotel and Casino
Panama Princess Casino
Radisson Colon 2,000 Hotel & Casino
Royal Decameron Resort & Casino
Sheraton Grand Panama Casino
Sortis Hotel Spa & Casino
Princess Casino
Casino Near Me Panama City Beach Rentals
Facts About Casinos in Panama
– The legal gambling age in Panama is 18 years, similar to other countries.
– The casino must be located in a hotel with 300 or more rooms, and 24-hour guest service. These are the two requirements for any casino, according to the ASAJA.
– In 2017, revenue from gambling dropped from $6.6 million to $6.2 million when compared to 2016. These figures are contributions from January to August of both years.
– In Panama, gambling “should always be seen as a form of fun that allows people to distract themselves in a healthy way.”
– According to Newsroom Panama, Panama profited a whopping $1.6 billion from 2001 to 2011.
– The Association of Gambling Administrators is a department of the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
– Although not yet live, the Loteria Nacional de Beneficiencia partnered with Scientific Games in 2014 to launch the first online lottery provider in Panama.
– Canal 21 is a variant of blackjack while Casino Hold ’em is a variant of Texas Hold ’em. Meanwhile, most other casinos except the Crown casinos call Canal 21 the name of their casino followed by 21. For example, Fantastic Casino calls it Fantastic 21.