The World's Largest Riverboat Casino. Asking Price: $6,000,000 This vessel is now available to view in all its glory. This 408-foot (125m) permanent. On the Missouri River, you will find these riverboat Iowa casinos in Council Bluffs and Sioux City. The Ameristar II in Council Bluffs is the only AAA Four-Diamond riverboat casino in the entire nation, and the largest Iowa gambling spot in the state. Its 37,000-square-foot casino contains more than 1,500 slot machines and 46 table games.
Kansas City Casinos
Cha-ching! A look at Kansas City’s Casino Scene
It doesn’t take Lady Luck to find a good time among Kansas City’s multiple casino options. All but two of KC’s six gambling establishments are riverboat casinos, hence the locally coined nickname “the boats.” Expect your fair share of Vegas-style embellishments—including fabulous dining and national entertainers—yet with the welcome addition of KC’s good ol’ fashioned Midwest hospitality. Feeling lucky? We’ll meet you at the boats!
Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City
By the Numbers:
- 142,000 square feet of gaming
- 2,900 slot and video poker machines
- 59 table games, including blackjack, craps, roulette, Let It Ride, Mini-Bac, EZ Pai Gow and Fortune Pai Gow Poker
- Betting allowed up to $10,000 on select table games
- 184-room hotel
- Nine restaurants
Originally called Station Casino when it opened in 1997, Ameristar took over in 2000 and has since grown it into one of the country’s largest casinos—and one of Kansas City’s most awarded. It was designated as the 2012 'Best Casino” by Ingram’s Magazine, the 2011 Kansas City Magazine’s “Best of Kansas City” readers’ poll and 2011 Best Casino in Home in the Northland Lifestyle magazine’s readers’ poll. It also was awarded Best Steakhouse, Best Buffet, Best Live Poker and Best Tournaments in the 2012 Casino Player Magazine’s “Best of Gaming” awards. With betting allowed up to $10k on select table games, this is the place to be for all you high rollers.
Argosy Casino Hotel & Spa
By the Numbers:
- 62,000 square feet of gaming
- 1,500 slot and video poker machines
- 32 table games, including craps, roulette and more
- 258-room hotel
- Five restaurants
Located just five minutes from downtown Kansas City, Argosy Casino Hotel & Spa was KC’s first riverboat casino. It opened in June 1994 and actually took guests for two-hour gambling cruises along the Missouri River. From 1996 to 2005, Argosy docked for good, and underwent a number of multimillion-dollar renovations, doubling the size of the gaming floor, adding the 258-room luxury hotel, spa and meeting space—not to mention earning a few architectural accolades along the way.
Harrah’s Casino and Hotel
By the Numbers:
- 63,300 square feet of gaming
- 1,400 slot and video poker machines
- 47 table games, including the only World Series of Poker room in Kansas City
- 392-room hotel with 69 suites
- Four restaurants
- Home of the VooDoo Lounge concert venue and nightclub
Harrah’s holds two big distinctions among Kansas Citians. For starters, it was the second-ever riverboat casino in town. And if that’s not enough to pull you in already, wait till you hit the Voodoo Lounge. From the area’s hottest DJs to national touring rock bands and more, VIP treatment and fun abounds.
Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway
By the Numbers:
- 100,000 square feet of gaming
- 2,000 slot machines
- 52 table games
- Five restaurants
What’s this? The area’s first land-based casino! (And it just so happens to be in Kansas, if you’re paying attention.) Instead of overlooking the beautiful Missouri River, the Hollywood sits next to the Kansas Speedway, with views of every turn. Also located next to the popular Legends shopping center, you’ll find plenty of activities, dining and places to stay to keep you entertained—including Cabela’s and Nebraska Furniture Mart. What better way to spend your winnings?
Isle of Capri Casino
By the Numbers:
- 38,000 square feet of gaming
- 1,260 slot and video poker machines
- 40 of the latest table games, including roulette, craps, blackjack, as well as 8 additional live poker tables
- Four restaurants
- 2,932 square feet of event space
Kansas City’s most “modest” casino—as far as size goes, anyway—is located just a few minutes from the downtown area. Isle of Capri Casino offers all the slots, poker machines and table games you can ask for—including eight live poker tables for you six-card and Texas hold ‘em fanatics.
7th Street Casino
By the Numbers:
Indiana Riverboat Casinos Locations
- 20,000 square feet
- Three levels
- 600 slot machines
- Two restaurants
While far from being the largest casino in KC, this Kansas-side gem is unique in a number of other ways. 7th Street Casino is operated by the Wyandotte Nation—a tribe that once made its home in Wyandotte County, Kansas. Located in the heart of KCK, it occupies a former Shrine building which also happens to be across the street from the historic Huron Cemetery, a Native American burial ground. By virtue of the building’s historic nature, the atmosphere has a way of harkening back to Kansas City’s rowdy early 20th-century reputation.
Casinos in KC
Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City
Phone: (816) 414-7000
Visit WebsiteIowa casinos ensure that you can enjoy gambling in Iowa in several spots around the state. There are only a few Native American casinos in Iowa that are actually on land, and some of these are only race track and sports book facilities. The reason for this lies in the history of the state, that saw all tribes cede their lands and head west by 1851. A small band of the Fox Mesqwaki tribe returned to the state in 1856 and bought back a small parcel of land. Today this group is the only federally-recognized tribe in the state, and they operate one of the Iowa casinos and resorts on land. It is located in Tama County about halfway between Ames and Cedar Rapids. In addition to the casino with slot machines, table games, and bingo, the facility has over 400 deluxe rooms and suites, five restaurants, a spa, and swimming pool.
But, don't despair, there are many places for Iowa gambling on paddle wheel steamer riverboats on the Missouri River, the state's western border, and the Mississippi River, its eastern border. Riverboat gambling in Iowa was legalized in 1991. This was the first state to do so, and one of only six states allowing it. Originally these Iowa gambling establishments had to be on boats that could navigate, and the gambling could occur only when the ship was not docked. These regulations were gradually loosened, and after some severe hurricane seasons in the last few years, regulations were changed to allow rebuilding in permanent sites on land.
On the Missouri River, you will find these riverboat Iowa casinos in Council Bluffs and Sioux City. The Ameristar II in Council Bluffs is the only AAA Four-Diamond riverboat casino in the entire nation, and the largest Iowa gambling spot in the state. Its 37,000-square-foot casino contains more than 1,500 slot machines and 46 table games. The full-service hotel has 160 deluxe rooms and suites.
Iowa Map
There are quite a few riverboat Iowa casinos scattered along the Mississippi River from north of Dubuque and south all the way to the border with the state of Missouri. While most of these casinos in Iowa are permanently docked at a specific location, a few actually pull up the anchor periodically for a little river cruising or relocate a bit further north or south on a seasonal basis.
An atmosphere of New Orleans jazz and Cajun culture flourishes along this stretch of the Mississippi River Valley, and much of the gambling in Iowa done on riverboats here reflects that culture. You'll find this especially on the Rhythm City and the Lady Luck, one of the Isle of Capri casinos in Iowa located on a riverboat. Its amenities include slot machines, table games, a 256-room hotel, and three restaurants. These are located in Bettendorf, a suburb of Davenport. The Rhythm City does sail on the river. Both benefit from the attractions of the region as do the ones further north. Dining venues serve Cajun-style cuisine, and jazz is reflected in the clubs and nightspots. Many of the communities even have full-blown Mardi Gras celebrations.