You’re really not much of a gambler, let’s say, but you do enjoy a hand of blackjack now and then, and you get a kick out of the clatter of coins dropping from those so-called “loose slots” in Nevada’s casinos.
Trouble is, you don’t have the bankroll for a Vegas vacation right now, and besides, you don’t care for the crowds and carnival feel of all those sprawling, impersonal gambling emporiums that are sprouting on The Strip down there.
Sound familiar? Boy, does Casino Express have a deal for you. For as little as $79 the airline will fly you out of Chicago in a jazzy-looking Boeing 737 and put you up for two or three nights at a deluxe hotel and casino in the remote northeast corner of Nevada.
The place is called Elko, and it’s about as far as you can get from Las Vegas and still be in the Silver State.
Perhaps you’ve seen the newspaper ads promoting these “junkets” to the Red Lion Inn & Casino–sometimes as day trips, other times as overnighters–and possibly you’ve wondered if there’s a catch. After all, that’s not much to pay for a round-trip getaway by jetliner to a fancy resort hotel, even if it does happen to be 225 miles from the nearest metropolitan area (Salt Lake City).
In fact, there is no catch, just a caveat called “flash cash.” Upon boarding the flight to Elko, you do have to show the attendant that you’re carrying at least $350 in U.S. currency, but there’s no requirement that you spend any of it.
Naturally, Casino Express figures that you will leave at least some of it behind, and they must be right. The unique little airline, owned and operated by Red Lion, is going strong into its 10th year, now flying more than 100,000 people to tiny Elko annually from more than 100 cities all over the United States.
The company does it with a pair of 737s–the “King of Diamonds” and the “Queen of Hearts,” each with a playing card painted brightly on the tail. Both aircraft make four to six gambling flights daily, each carrying up to 124 passengers.
One key to it all is the repeat traveler, creatures of habit such as 78-year-old George Hunter of Eugene, Ore.
“I’ve been here about 40 times now, I’d guess,” says Hunter as he plunks nickels one at a time into a noisy Blazing 7s slot machine. “I like the smaller, friendlier places like this.”
Daringly, he follows up with a two-nickel bet. Plunk. Plunk.
“They call it the poor man’s Vegas, but I’m not sure that’s true,” he adds with a chuckle. “I found out you do need money here too.”
Retirees such as Hunter make up about 80 percent of the Casino Express visitors. That helps explain the preponderance of 5-cent slot machines at the Red Lion and neighboring casinos.
“Nickel slots are huge here,” says Lorri Netherton, Red Lion sales manager. “They’re a reflection of our main clientele, the senior citizens who perceive Elko as a much more affordable option for them than Las Vegas or Reno.”
The older crowd helps create a decidedly more relaxed scene than you see in Nevada’s bigger gambling venues.
“I’ll tell you one thing,” says Ray Taunton, 56, a General Motors supervisor making his third visit to Elko. “You go to Las Vegas and everywhere you look there are kids running around. That’s wrong. Kids don’t belong in casinos. That’s one reason I come here.”
Taunton is part of a group from Detroit who call themselves the “Elkoholics.”
“Obviously,” he says, “we like this place.”
Except for big-time glitzy stage shows, the Red Lion offers just about all the basics a gambling junketeer can expect to find at a large Las Vegas hotel–just a lot less of it. The Elko casino runs 24 hours a day with 500 slot machines, 17 blackjack tables, craps, roulette, keno, Caribbean stud, a sports book and a poker room. There’s a cabaret for weekend entertainers, a sports bar, a very dependable coffee shop and buffet, along with Misty’s, a restaurant for fine dining.
Getting to Elko is part of the fun. Champagne, juice, coffee and light snacks are served aboard the planes, and the gambling begins almost as soon as they get off the ground. The flight crews include bubbly entertainment directors who play the role of game show host, running “The Boarding Pass Game” in which passengers can make $5 wagers for $50 pots.
At the Elko Airport, a free shuttle bus awaits you for the five-minute ride to the Red Lion. The hotel is actually part of a complex of resorts, all under the same ownership, including an adjacent Holiday Inn with a small gaming area and a Gold Country Motor Inn with a much larger casino and restaurant, recently expanded in a $1 million renovation.
Those staying two or three nights might want to consider getting away from the casino crowd for a spell by taking advantage of Red Lion’s $6 sightseeing excursions by bus or $8 tours by horse and carriage. The outings provide an interesting glimpse of the Old West look and feel of Elko, nestled in the heart of cattle and mining country in the ruggedly beautiful Ruby Mountains.
Just off its main casino Red Lion runs a round-the-clock hospitality suite where junketeers can have free coffee, sign up for tours, meet their airport shuttle or visit an ATM machine, should their $350 stash be running low.
At the end of your stay in Elko, though, there’s no need to replenish your wallet. Funny thing, but when you board the King of Diamonds for the flight home, the friendly attendants won’t ask you a second time to flash any cash.
DETAILS ON ELKO
Getting there: Casino Express’ round-trip flights from Chicago for the rest of March and April depart on March 12, March 26 and April 23 for two-night stays (all $89 per person, double occupancy; $114 single) and on March 16, April 3, April 6, April 15 and April 27 for three-night stays ($79 per person, double; $114 single except for April 3, which is $20 more). Rates have not been set for May and beyond. Call the Red Lion Inn & Casino at 800-258-8800 (www.redlioncasino.com).
Preboarding tip: Although snacks are served on the flights, there is no meal service so don’t board hungry.
Area attractions: In addition to the $6 bus excursions and $8 horse-and-carriage tours offered by Red Lion, here are some places you can visit or things you can do on your own:
– Northeastern Nevada Museum. This award-winning venue offers a look at the Elko area’s history as a gold mining center and Basque settlement. Free admission.
– Western Folklife Center. Housed in Elko’s historic Pioneer Hotel, this nonprofit institution has a fascinating display of ranch artifacts used by modern-day cowboys as well as by buckaroos of the Old West. Admission is free.
– Gold mine tours. Visitors in late spring and summer can take guided tours of two of the biggest gold mines in North America, just outside Elko.
Information: Contact the Elko Chamber of Commerce (702-738-7135) or the Convention and Visitors Authority (800-248-ELKO).
