After writing a five-page essay or studying for a third midterm, students may feel like sleeping until Sunday afternoon. Not your cup of cocoa? Take off those flannel pajamas and grab a road map – it’s time to throw caution to the chilled wind and embark on students’ greatest innovation – the road trip.
Don’t have the time or the cash? The road trip has taken a serious detour. Make a U-turn and head towards the right destination, a short drive down I-71 roughly two hours away. It’s riverboat gambling; an entertaining and exciting way to spend a just a day or an entire weekend
“Grand Victoria offers a variety of gambling, including craps, blackjack, Spanish 21, 21 plus three and slot machines,” said Ynez Taylor, community and public relations manager.
Located along the Ohio River in Rising Sun, Ind. – about 10 minutes southeast of Cincinnati. The Grand Victoria Casino operates on a 322-foot-long Victorian Steamboat. Aboard the boat, you’ll find over 1,465 slot machines and eighty table games for one to choose from, Taylor said.
Similar to the Grand Victoria Casino, Argosy Casino is about 20 minutes away from downtown Cincinnati. According to their Web site, the Argosy Casino boasts over 2,000 of the “loosest slots in Indiana,” and 97 table games.
The casino is aboard a three-level riverboat named Argosy VI. Larger than an entire football field, the ship can accommodate over 4,000 passengers.
Another advantage the casino offers is ticket-in/ticket-out slots. This convenient device allows one to save time energy by paying out paper stubs instead of coins. This means patrons don’t have to carry around loose change in buckets or wait for jackpots to pay out.
One major drawback for any casino in America is a rather obvious one – you have to be 21 years of age to gamble. Most OSU students would be left in their dorms, while the upperclassmen brag of their gambling misadventures. However, if underage students can manage a four-hour drive up U.S. Route 23 to Windsor, Canada – where the gambling and drinking age is 19 – they can join in the fun as well.
“The drive wasn’t too long, it was a straight shot up and the transfer into customs was simple,” said Craig Fields, OSU alumnus.
Visitors must remember to bring a driver’s license and a second form of identification, such as a birth certificate or passport. Matt Prince, an OSU student majoring in economics, found this out the hard way when trying to go through customs.
“My friend got yelled at and the custom official gave us a hard time, simply because my friend didn’t have a birth certificate. It made her cry,” Prince said.
Once there, Casino Windsor offers a large variety of gaming options, including slots, PaiGui poker and Caribbean Stud. In the center of the casino, a cascading waterfall plummets into a small lagoon.
“I was very surprised of the size. I didn’t expect it to be that glamorized,” Fields said.
Another incentive is the currency exchange rate, said Holly Ward, manager of corporate communications. For every American dollar, you receive $1.30 in Canadian currency.
“Besides gambling, there are also other forms of entertainment as well. In our Showtime Lounge, we currently have an Elvis impersonator, keeping with the Vegas theme. We also have a dining options, including the Terrace Caf and Riverside Grill, all reasonably priced,” Ward said.
“The buffet was OK; it looked better than it actually was,” Fields said. “The dessert was the best; I had a coffee cake with chocolate icing. It was reasonably priced for a casino.”
The Grand Victoria and Argosy also have many dining establishments as well. The Grand Theater inside the Grand Victoria offers free entertainment nightly, which also includes an Elvis impersonator.
If Las Vegas seems too expensive and too far, riverboat gambling and the Casino Windsor are reasonable alternatives.
“It’s a hotel similar in experience to those you would find in Vegas,” Ward said.
