# Bay Area casinos **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 15, 2008, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bay-area-casinos/456519 "2008-07-15T00:23:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Neptunian\_Slug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce7236/32.png) [@Neptunian\_Slug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neptunian_Slug)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bay-area-casinos/456519/1 "2008-07-15T00:23:35Z")
I am out in SF next week for business and ended up getting an early flight to SFO. So after doing some of the touristy stuff, I figured I might get out to a casino and blow a couple of bucks. I saw one called San Pablo Lytton which apparently is not too far from the Richmond BART station. Question is whether or not there is a casino closer to the city? And what anyone thinks of the area in the evening. I believe from one of my past lives in real estate that Richmond was not the finest area of town. is it unsafe to walk or take the bus from the train station to the casino? Does nayone know if they have a shuttle bus? ---
**Author:** ![Galena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@Galena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galena)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bay-area-casinos/456519/2 "2008-07-15T04:16:26Z")
NOT walkable from the Richmond BART, and definitely NOT at night! :eek: I would also not take the city bus from it either. If you can get yourself there any other way, that would be preferable. Otherwise, just don’t go. The other casinos in the area are mostly in wine country (i.e., Napa Valley) and have shuttle buses. I would look into one of those. The other possibility would be the [Oaks Card Club](http://www.oakscardclub.com/) in Emeryville. Close enough to a run down part of Oakland to give you the livin’ on the edge thrill you so obviously have in mind 😉 , but not enough that you’re gonna get an actual mugging experience. I’m hard pressed to come up with a casino in SF itself, since most of them are on Native American land. How about a nice [speakeasy](http://www.bourbonandbranch.com/) instead? ---
**Author:** ![Neptunian\_Slug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce7236/32.png) [@Neptunian\_Slug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neptunian_Slug)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bay-area-casinos/456519/3 "2008-07-15T05:52:22Z")
Ugh! Ok thanks for the info. Not sure I was looking to get mugged. I just found something about the casino and it doesn’t even have real slot machines. Some sort of electronic bingo nonsense. Maybe I’ll just go to a strip club. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Antonius\_Block](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bay-area-casinos/456519/4 "2008-07-15T10:52:11Z")
You might want to check out [Artichoke Joe’s](http://www.artichokejoes.com/) in San Bruno; Yelp reviews are [here](http://www.yelp.com/biz/artichoke-joes-casino-san-bruno). IANA gambler, so I’ve never set foot inside, but I’ve seen it from the train hundreds of times and it looks like a nice place – in a good, safe and walkable area only a couple of miles from SFO airport. It’s about one block from the San Bruno [Caltrain](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caltrain) station, and about 0.7 miles from the San Bruno [BART](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_Area_Rapid_Transit) station, so travel to and from San Francisco is simple. There’s apparently a [free shuttle service](http://www.artichokejoes.com/directions.php) between the casino and both of these stations. It’s so close to the airport that I would imagine that a cab is faster (and almost as cheap) as BART if you’re going between the casino and SFO. A couple of miles further from SFO is [Lucky Chances](http://www.lchances.com/) in Colma (Yelp reviews [here](http://www.yelp.com/biz/lucky-chances-casino-colma)), with [free shuttle service from Colma BART Station every half hour](http://www.lchances.com/?action=directions). To reiterate, I’ve never been in either casino, so cannot make a personal recommendation – but it’s always nice when out-of-towners contribute to the local economy! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bay-area-casinos/456519/5 "2008-07-15T15:24:43Z")
[QUOTE=Antonius Block] A couple of miles further from SFO is [Lucky Chances](http://www.lchances.com/) in Colma (Yelp reviews [here](http://www.yelp.com/biz/lucky-chances-casino-colma)), with [free shuttle service from Colma BART Station every half hour](http://www.lchances.com/?action=directions). [/QUOTE] I live in SF, and work in Daly City, and people love this place. Never been there myself, but there you go… Joe ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bay-area-casinos/456519/6 "2008-07-15T23:07:36Z")
[QUOTE=Neptunian Slug] Ugh! Ok thanks for the info. Not sure I was looking to get mugged. I just found something about the casino and it doesn’t even have real slot machines. Some sort of electronic bingo nonsense. Maybe I’ll just go to a strip club. :rolleyes: [/QUOTE] If the definition of casino is “real slot machines” (and that works for me), then the Bay Area proper doesn’t have any casinos, just poker rooms. The nearest casinos would be River Rock, Cache Creek, or Jackson Rancheria – all Indian casinos, 75-100 miles from SF. ---
**Author:** ![Neptunian\_Slug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce7236/32.png) [@Neptunian\_Slug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neptunian_Slug)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bay-area-casinos/456519/7 "2008-07-15T23:59:09Z")
[QUOTE=jsc1953] If the definition of casino is “real slot machines” (and that works for me), then the Bay Area proper doesn’t have any casinos, just poker rooms. The nearest casinos would be River Rock, Cache Creek, or Jackson Rancheria – all Indian casinos, 75-100 miles from SF. [/QUOTE] Are there casino buses from the city? ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2008, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bay-area-casinos/456519/8 "2008-07-16T01:44:57Z")
[QUOTE=Neptunian Slug] Are there casino buses from the city? [/QUOTE] Not to my knowledge. Check their respective web sites, though, and see what you can find. > **[Cache Creek Casino Resort | Northern California Casino & Hotel](https://www.cachecreek.com/)** > > Discover the elegance and excitement of our casino resort near Sacramento and San Francisco. It's the perfect place for the ultimate staycation or an exciting gaming weekend. > **[River Rock Casino Resort](https://greatcanadian.com/destinations/britishcolumbia/riverrock/)** > > Offering a perfect blend of entertainment, gaming, and relaxation. > **[Casino Resort in California | Jackson Rancheria Casino Resort](https://jacksoncasino.com/)** > > Discover gaming, dining, and hotel stays in one destination. Explore everything Jackson Rancheria Casino Resort has to offer. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2008, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bay-area-casinos/456519/9 "2008-07-16T01:53:22Z")
[QUOTE=Neptunian Slug] Maybe I’ll just go to a strip club. :rolleyes: [/QUOTE] I have only been to San Francisco once for a week but I literally walked a loop around it one day that took over 12 hours. San Fran isn’t that big geographically by U.S. standards. At one point, I found myself at the door of the Crazy Horse strip club. I hung out for a while partly because the door girls kept talking to me and they were hot. I didn’t go in and I am still kicking myself for it. It is famous and supposedly a top notch club. If I ever go back to San Fran, I am going to remedy my mistake in a big way. I am passing the torch to you for now. ---
**Author:** ![Neptunian\_Slug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce7236/32.png) [@Neptunian\_Slug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neptunian_Slug)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2008, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bay-area-casinos/456519/10 "2008-07-16T04:30:32Z")
[QUOTE=Shagnasty] I have only been to San Francisco once for a week but I literally walked a loop around it one day that took over 12 hours. San Fran isn’t that big geographically by U.S. standards. At one point, I found myself at the door of the Crazy Horse strip club. I hung out for a while partly because the door girls kept talking to me and they were hot. I didn’t go in and I am still kicking myself for it. It is famous and supposedly a top notch club. If I ever go back to San Fran, I am going to remedy my mistake in a big way. I am passing the torch to you for now. [/QUOTE] I will do my best. ---
**Author:** ![Antonius\_Block](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2008, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bay-area-casinos/456519/11 "2008-07-16T07:24:50Z")
[QUOTE=jsc1953] > **[River Rock Casino Resort](https://greatcanadian.com/destinations/britishcolumbia/riverrock/)** > > Offering a perfect blend of entertainment, gaming, and relaxation. [/QUOTE] The OP should probably note that [Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada)](http://www.riverrock.com/contact_us/area_map/) doesn’t yet have [BART](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_Area_Rapid_Transit) service, and it would be a [fairly expensive cab ride](http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/95000/images/_97438_pile_of_gold_bars_300_(20-05-98).jpg) from the nearest BART station. I think you mean [River Rock Casino in Healdsburg, Sonoma County](http://www.yelp.com/biz/river-rock-casino-healdsburg). 😉 ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2008, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bay-area-casinos/456519/12 "2008-07-16T15:07:01Z")
Well I’ll be damned. Two casinos named River Rock? What are the odds? 🙂