Baldini’s Sports Casino and Restaurant
Of course, we’re not starting this listing with one of the bigger casinos. Baldini’s Sports Casino and Restaurant basically just takes the moniker, “Sports Bar,” and throws the word casino in there instead…and that’s about what’s going on here.
Baldini’s sometimes features live entertainment and has a section dedicated to it on their website, but as of November 2021 there are no events currently scheduled, so we would suggest that (if there’s live entertainment at all) that’s something of a rarity.
The property is home to more than 520 combined video keno games with denominations ranging from pennies to hundreds. According to VPFree2, they have one Double Bonus game that returns more than 99%…so the video poker is probably not great. If they see this and want to make a correction, then they can shoot us a message.
According to Baldini’s website, they are home to Live Keno, but they don’t list the hours on their website, so we would recommend that you call and ask. It’s doubtful that anyone from outside of the Reno area is going to this casino specifically to play Live Keno anyway, if they’re going at all.
The property is also home to a small, but popular with locals, sportsbook. The Over/Under Bar is located near the sportsbook and the casino has one additional bar.
The property has two eating establishments, with the first being Empire Diner, open from 7:00 a.m. to the late evening hours seven days per week and serving up American breakfast, lunch and dinner at reasonable prices. This is a popular spot for locals even if they don’t plan to gamble while they are at the property. I guess the food’s pretty good!
The Brickyard Grill is a great place to grab some quick and casual eats at rock bottom prices! If you’re in the area and are in the mood for a cheap and tasty lunch or dinner and don’t have much time, then this is the place to go.
Ultimately, Baldini’s is basically a locals hangout with a couple of decent restaurants, but is probably worth checking out if you’re in the area. We’ve heard that the atmosphere is a lot of fun and it is something between an overgrown slots parlor and full out casino.
Bourbon Square Casino
Bourbon Square Casino was located at 1040 Victorian Avenue and is a longtime staple in Sparks, having first opened its doors in 1961.
Unfortunately, this casino would close in 2015 and has not been reopened or replaced, but we felt that was recently enough that we should list it in case anyone stopped by here looking for it. Apparently, the building is scheduled to be demolished in the near future.
Gold Ranch Casino & RV Resort
The Gold Ranch Casino and RV Resort is a destination located at 350 Gold Ranch Road in Verdi, Nevada, which is due west of Sparks (and, actually, parts of Reno are closer) which tends to be listed as a Sparks Casino, for some reason. Also notable is the fact that this is the first time I’ve seen the words RV and Resort so close together…what does RV Resort even mean?
Apparently, this RV Resort is at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range and features a hot tub and outdoor (seasonal) swimming pool, so I guess that’s what makes it an RV Resort. The property is also home to a convenience store and a gas station, so I guess there’s that. Apparently, this location is also home to a, “California Lottery Station,” so I guess this might be the place that residents of Reno and Sparks proper go if the jackpots get big enough.
If you’re travelling by RV, then you can find a link to the relevant information here.
The casino side of operations is home to more than 250 combined slots, video poker and video keno machines as well as a William Hill Sportsbook that is open from 8:00a-7:00p. According to VPFree2 (which usually lists machines of 98%+) there is, “Nothing good,” which means that you can expect the Video Poker paytables to be awful, but please shoot us a message if that’s not the case.
The property is home to four different dining establishments, including Jack in the Box, which is a popular Burgers and Fries fast food chain. It’s actually surprising to see a property of this size have four eateries, but there you go.
The property is also home to Port of Subs, which is basically a Subway copy and can be found in the Reno-Sparks area in a few other casino locations, so you might have been to one already.
If you need some caffeine to start the day, then you’ll probably be stopping into the Gold Ranch Coffee Bar, which also has a few grab and go items to eat.
Finally, the Sierra Cafe is your place to go for Casual American breakfast, lunch and dinner at an affordable price.
As of the time of this writing, there are no Table Games at this property and we don’t know if there ever were.
That concludes our listing for Gold Ranch Casino and RV Resort which, other than locals and people traveling by RV (or who just need gas) we have to be honest and say that we can’t think of any reason that you would want to stop here if you’re coming from out of town. The gambling offerings seem to be extremely limited and this property isn’t really near much of anything else.
Mint Casino
Mint Casino was located in Sparks, but is no longer open. They were reported (in the late 2000’s) to be moving to a newer and larger location, but that doesn’t seem to have happened. We would guess that the Great Recession likely had something to do with that.
Nugget Casino Resort
Located at 1100 Nugget Avenue in Sparks, Nugget Casino is sometimes included in the Reno listings of other websites, but we don’t want to take Sparks’ largest and best casino away from them, so we’ll put the listing here.
This property is home to 1,600 guest rooms and suites and has 52,000 square feet of gambling real estate, so it’s far from being the biggest casino in the Reno-Sparks area, but it’s something.
This property was originally built and opened by Dick Graves in 1955, but would later go on to be purchased (on loan) by its first General Manager, John Ascuaga, who would continue to run the casino smoothly and profitably for a few decades.
Ascuaga would expand in 1995 by building another hotel tower and his son and daughter would take over running the property in the late 1990’s.
The kids would run the property for nearly two decades before selling it to Golden Gaming CEO, Carlton Geer, with Ascuaga’s kids citing that, while the property was operating profitably and survived the Great Recession, they didn’t have the capital needed to make improvements. With that, they got out and the sale was officially final in December of 2013.
The property did really poorly under Global Gaming and would be sold to Marnell Gaming in May of 2016.
The property is home to a sizable indoor pool, a fitness center that is open to guests during most hours of the day, wireless internet for guests and a small arcade that is open from Thursdays-Sundays as of the time of this writing.
The property is home to three entertainment centers including the Nugget Event Center (outdoor) as well as the Grand Ballroom and Celebrity Showroom, with the former being a large auditorium and the latter being a more intimate venue. Events are scattered around the calendar, so click here if you want to see if anything is going on when you plan to be in the area.
The expansive casino floor is home to more than 900 combined slot, video poker and video keno machines. According to VPFree2, this casino has two games that return more than 99% as well as a handful that returns over 98%.
Rooms are pretty cheap with weekday rates frequently coming in under $50, unfortunately, the Resort Fee is enough to take on another nearly $40/night to your total. Ugh. Either way, there are rarely special events that cause a ton of spillover from Reno proper, so if you’re looking for affordable rooms and don’t mind being outside of Reno proper, then this is a good place to look.
Table Games at the property include Pai Gow Poker. We would recommend calling in advance for the usual days and times of operation as it’s unlikely that all of these games run around the clock.
The property is home to a Live Keno lounge that, as of the time of this writing, is open from 9:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and opens at 9:00 a.m. until one in the morning on weekends. The Bingo Room is open from Friday to Tuesday, with different sessions throughout the day that may change from time to time, so we would recommend checking out their website for more details. Finally, they are home to a small William Hill Sports Book location.
Anthony’s Chophouse is the property’s fine dining steakhouse and is open for dinner service seven evenings per week. They have this to say about themselves:
You won’t find a Reno-Sparks steakhouse offering a dining experience as refined as Anthony’s Chophouse. Enjoy expertly-sourced fresh seafood, prime cut filets, ribeye and New York strip steaks. Have a classic cocktail or one of our 200 different wine selections; and an amazing array of side dishes and appetizers set against a backdrop of old-school steakhouse vibes with a modern lodge feel. Anthony’s was recognized by Congressman Mark Amodei.
If you happen to go there, let us know how it compares to other Reno steakhouses.
The Oyster Bar is open from the late morning until late evening hours seven days per week and basically does what it says on the box, shucking all the fresh oysters you could ever want! If that’s not your thing, don’t worry, they have a wide variety of other seafood dishes.
The next eatery is Rosie’s Cafe, which is open from the early hours of the morning until the late night hours seven days per week and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food is mostly American Casual with the sort of American Diner prices that you would expect, so it’s a reasonably priced and tasty place to load up.
The Island Grill is open from 11:00a.m.-10:00p.m. Thursdays-Sundays and has a wide array of quick eats available from burgers to egg rolls. Basically, it’s a little of everything done quickly and reasonably well at a low price.
Game On is a sports bar type of place that is open on weekends, but serves food from the Island Grill menu…so it’s only kind of a separate restaurant. Either way, it’s a fun atmosphere with some pool tables and is great for watching sports.
Finally, Nugget Casino Resort is home to a Starbucks because, why wouldn’t it be?
With that, we have covered the largest casino that’s actually in Sparks and it is a place that we would recommend for a stay if you have family in the area that you’re visiting, or something. It compares pretty well (in of offerings) to some other Reno casinos and has a pretty decent food selection, so you could do worse. Video Poker players can find better elsewhere, though.
Rail City Casino
Located at 2121 Victorian Avenue in Sparks, Rail City Casino is another smallish casino property in the Sparks area. Home to just shy of 24,000 square feet of gambling real estate and originally opened in 1978, this Old West themed casino has been a staple of Sparks locals for quite a few decades now.
This casino was originally called the Plantation Casino and the original owners were forced to sell to United Gaming eleven years later, in 1989. Why were they forced to sell? Well, the President of the casino was caught using counterfeit coins in slot machines…so not exactly a great look.
United Gaming would eventually become Alliance Gaming and would renovate and rebrand as Rail City Casino in 1997. It’s kind of a wonder that they would take so long, you’d think they would want to disassociate themselves from the counterfeit coin thing as quickly as possible!
Sands Regent would go on to purchase this casino in the early 2000’s and would have all of their holdings bought out by Affinity Gaming (still the owners) just a few years later.
The property is currently home to just shy of 900 combined slot, video poker and video keno machines. Overall, they might have the best Video Poker in Sparks, with VPFree2 crediting them with more than a half dozen 99%+ paytables.
This casino did have Table Games before Covid-19, but did not reopen the tables when the casino reopened. At this time, it’s unknown whether or not they plan to bring table games back ever again.
The property is home to a surprisingly nice William Hill Race and Sportsbook that is open Thursdays-Sundays, as of the time of this writing. The low lighting, in particular, is especially pleasant when watching the game of your choice on one of the big screen TV’s.
Finally, the property is home to a Live Keno lounge.
The property is home to two eateries with the first being the Rail City Ale House, which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner six days per week. Of course, this might not be the place for you early risers as breakfast service apparently doesn’t start until 9:00 a.m. This eatery is closed on Tuesdays, as of the time of this writing.
The other eatery is The Cafe at Rail City, but it did not reopen when the casino did and has not been open since the Covid-19 closures. It’s possible that this location will reopen if business ever picks back up, but it might not.
That covers it for this one. It’s basically a locals sportsbook and slotbox with pretty good video poker and a restaurant. It might be worth checking out if you happen to be in the area, but we can’t see any reason to go out of your way to visit.
Sierra Sid’s Casino
It’s a gas station with a casino and a Fuddruckers. Their website doesn’t work.
I called and asked the cashier’s cage how many machines are on property and the answer was, “I have no idea,” at least the guy was honest.
If they don’t see a reason for their employees to know how many machines are there, then we apparently don’t need to know. Besides, it’s a gas station. Do you need gas? If you do, then stop and check it out. If not, keep moving.
Oh, and they don’t have Table Games, the cashier did know that. There’s also a Fuddruckers, so that’s fine.
The Alamo Casino and Travel Center
The Alamo Casino and Travel Center is another gas station, but fortunately, it’s also a bunch of other stuff. The property is home to a 71 room Super 8 Motel and is located at 1950 East Greg Street, in Sparks.
Their website says that the hotel is, “Newly Renovated,” but the copyright on the website is 2015, so take that for what it’s worth. Apparently, the TV’s are at least forty inches, they feature a complimentary continental breakfast, have complimentary internet and a heated outdoor seasonal pool. Additionally, all rooms have a microwave and refrigerator, so that might be helpful to you.
Rooms tend to be a little south of $100 on weekdays and a little north of $100 on weekends, but that said, they don’t have a Resort Fee, so it ends up being six of one and a half dozen of the other compared to the Nugget. Super 8’s are generally somewhat consistent and the rooms appear to be more modern than some.
The property is home to about 145 combined slot, video poker and video keno machines. They don’t seem to have any listed on VPFree2, but that could be just that nobody has actually checked and reported to them. They have three Table Games including Blackjack, Deuces Wild Hold ‘Em Fold ‘Em and one Live Texas Hold ‘Em table (Live Poker). The property is also home to a small William Hill Sportsbook and a betting kiosk for when that is closed.
The Iron Skillet Restaurant is open from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. seven days per week and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner all at a reasonable price. It’s casual American food and is basically comparable to most other restaurants of that ilk.
It seems like a pretty cool place to hang out, to be honest. I might have to stop in one day and see if the Video Poker is any good.
Western Village
Western Village is located at 815 Nichols Boulevard, in Sparks and first opened in 1983. This Tuscany themed property is home to 147 guest rooms and suites and houses 26,452 square feet of gambling space. It is owned and operated by Peppermill Casinos.
Check out their online booking system if you want to see a true antique!
Weekday rates tend to be about $50 for their lowest priced rooms with weekday rates only rarely going north of $100, and apparently, there’s no Resort Fee, so this might be a good place to stay if you primarily want to save money. The rooms are in the range of high-end economy to low end limited service…clean and basic.
The property is home to more than 800 total slot, video poker and video keno games with more than 700 of these being in the penny denomination. According to VPFree2, there are about four different paytables on Video Poker with returns north of 99%.
The property is also home to a surprisingly sizable sportsbook that exists within the Peppermill family of sportsbooks.
The property has four eating establishments of which one is a steak house called, well, The Steak House. It has this to say:
A casual, yet elegant restaurant, The Steak House is a local’s favorite. Enjoy a martini from our world-class martini list or a bottle of wine from our extensive wine list. Indulge in an appetizer, or a salad prepared at your table, followed by a tender steak that is always fresh.
Unforgettable table side desserts including Bananas Foster, Cherries Jubilee and Coffee Diablo. Each prepared for 2 or more guests.
It’s no wonder that this place would be a favorite amongst locals—the prices are pretty outstanding and compare to low-priced national chain steakhouses, but certainly have much better offerings and a nicer ambiance. The lighting is low and the restaurant could best be described as, “90’s elegant,” but as long as the food hits a home run, then the value is great!
Open for dinner service (like The Steak House) seven evenings per week, Pancho and Willie’s specializes in Mexican-style Steak and Seafood dishes. It’s actually quite a surprise to find not one excellent restaurant, but two, in such a small property.
Primo is an ultra-casual quick stop for desserts, coffee drinks and some fast eats. They have this to say:
Enjoy some of your favorite foods in a casual atmosphere at Primo Pizza. In the morning hours, come sip on coffee and enjoy pastries, breakfast burritos, and light breakfast foods.
Our lunch and dinner menu features freshly-made pizzas sold by the slice or whole. Treat yourself to our housemade gelato which comes in an assortment of flavors.
Anyway, if you’re at Western Village and want something quick and cheap, then that’s the place to go. It’s open from the late morning to late evening hours seven days per week.
Finally, Cafe Bellini is not as elegant as it sounds, so don’t worry. This 24 hour American Casual restaurant has traditional selections at very modest prices. If you’ve had a few too many and need to get something on your stomach before you hit the hay, don’t worry, the breakfast menu is available all night and day.
That covers it for Western Village, which mainly surprised us with its food options given that the casino’s hotel is a Super 8. If you’re staying in the area and are just looking for a cheap room and don’t mind the lack of Table Games, this casino is fine and the Video Poker seems to be decent.
