More Resort than Casino

I recently had the opportunity to visit the Rocky Gap Casino and Resort and while we tend to stick to Las Vegas and Atlantic City casinos for our Reviews on this website, it seems appropriate (as casinos are spreading throughout the country) to include Reviews of casinos outside of these two cities when possible.

Jun 18, 2016 More Resort than Casino. I recently had the opportunity to visit the Rocky Gap Casino and Resort and while we tend to stick to Las Vegas and Atlantic City casinos for our Reviews on this website, it seems appropriate (as casinos are spreading throughout the country) to include Reviews of casinos outside of these two cities when possible. ROCKY GAP CASINO & RESORT in Flintstone MD at 16701 Lakeview Rd. Check reviews and discounted rates for AAA/AARP members, seniors, groups & military. They have a section that allows smoking. It is in the middle to back of the casino on the right hand wall. You are allowed to vape in casino. 116 reviews of Rocky Gap Casino Resort 'Came here for my boyfriend 50th birthday celebration. We stayed in a suite; nice room. The casino is non- smoking, which is lovely. Overall, I would give the casino a 4.5/5- deduction for 1/2 star because the ladies with the drinks were hard to find. We always had to have Omar call them over for us.

I was booked for a one night stay at the Rocky Gap Casino and Resort and would certainly recommend the property for people who consider themselves, ‘Resortists,’ but not necessarily for people who consider themselves gamblers.

As one approaches the Rocky Gap, they are treated to stunning views of an immaculate golf course as well as a lake with some Yolo Boards, Canoes, Paddle Boats and Kayaks all of which are available for the rental and enjoyment of guests of the property. Combine this with the golf and fishing and there is no question that this Resort offers a wide range of activities (Volleyball is another one) to be enjoyed by visitors. Furthermore, the grounds appeared to be immaculate all around.

I had a standard King Room at this property with a, ‘Resort View,’ that was enjoyable and overlooked the lake. Surprisingly, the room was a bit smaller than one would expect for such a new property, but was equipped with a Microwave-Refrigerator, LCD HDTV that I would put at 32-40 inches (somewhere in there) and a King-Size bed with a pillow-top mattress. The bathroom was a fairly standard size and the shower pressure and temperature were both more than adequate with a shower head that featured several settings.

For those who wish to remain indoors, or who suffer a rainy day, this property also includes a Salon/Spa with several choices for guests to enjoy. This area features the expected Massages, Facials, Salon Services, Waxing and Manicures/Pedicures. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity (or, frankly, the inclination) to avail myself of any of these services, so I cannot make much of a report on them other than to say that they exist.

With respect to other indoor activities, there is a Pool and Whirlpool which features a brilliant skylight and is positively huge and immaculate. In fact, in the event that I return to the property, that is actually where I could envision myself spending most of my time. The property boasts five eateries, but one of them is essentially entirely a bar while another is a sandwich stop. There is also a buffet, as one would expect at a casino, that a few people that I talked to had positive things to say about even though I did not personally have the opportunity to eat there.

The casino floor is nothing short of underwhelming, but again, this property is clearly meant to be primarily a Resort as opposed to a Casino, so much so that I would be inclined to call it Rocky Gap Resort and Casino rather than its current name which is the other way around. There is a Table Games area that, while fenced off, strangely spills into the hotel check-in and bar area a little bit as though it were not originally meant to be there and there did not end up being enough space for it. I don’t know whether or not that’s the case, but it is the impression that one gets. The casino floor is majority non-smoking, although, there is a small smoking room that has a limited number of machines, perhaps fifteen, and none of which are Video Poker.

For those of you expecting a full complement of Video Poker choices, unfortunately, I would have to encourage you to go expect somewhere else. While there is some Spin Poker and Super Times Pay available along with Ultimate X machines, there really is not too much in the way of the newer novelty-type Video Poker variations that can be enjoyed at larger casinos.

When it comes to not having the absolute newest games, Slots are also no exception as the casino which, on its website, boasts, ‘Over 600 slot machines,’ seems to prefer to stick to staple-type games rather than try out new slot machine titles. For example, the website even boasts about their Wheel of Fortune and Red Hot Respin games and I can understand Wheel of Fortune as it is a title that continues to be extremely popular, but Red Hot Respin? Red Hot Respin is a slot game that has probably been around over a decade, is relatively underwhelming compared to some of the more recent games that are out there, and, as far as I can tell, enjoys JUST enough play to remain on the floor of some Locals casinos...which is to say that the banks are almost always empty.

Either way, the casino floor is well-lit and features a self-serve beverage area which is pretty convenient. One downside to the casino floor that I must admit is that, at least compared to other Resort-Type casinos I have visited such as Lady Luck Nemacolin and Valley Forge Casino and Resort, is that the music on the Gaming Floor of the Rocky Gap is EXTREMELY LOUD!!! I have no idea why they would need to have such loud music in such a small casino with so few people in it at the time. There were, perhaps, less than fifty people playing with only the bar area (assuming all of those people were playing) putting it over fifty. In fact, the small smoking area enjoyed the best players/machines ratio.

Equally limited is the Tables Game selection at Rocky Gap which features Blackjack, Craps, Mississippi Stud, Roulette and Three Card Poker.

One really strange aspect of the casino, as I played a very limited number of machines, is that there were several staff members that came through and seemed to stare at me a bit without really saying anything. It almost felt like I was getting a little bit of heat there even though I was doing exactly nothing that should generate any heat. I asked another player if he noticed this and he said, ‘It always seems like that, here,’ the tone of his voice suggested that he played there with some frequency, so I have no idea why they seem to have a tendency to stare down their patrons.

Ultimately, this is a place that I would suggest for Resort-Goers who believe they might enjoy a casino, and the Resort certainly offers a few packages (when available) that may take a little of the sting off of the prices. For example, the, ‘Ultimate,’ package includes a $20 Gift Card that can be used anywhere at the Resort with exception to the casino as well as $60 in Free Play, so that’s not a bad offer. Furthermore, the property once had an off-season offer (that may come back) by which rooms were only $99, but a guest would also receive $99 in Free Play. If the guest plays that right, then the expectation is very close to essentially a Free Stay if one avails oneself only of the amenities (such as the Pool and Whirlpool) that come included with the room.

With all of that said, if you are travelling with the casino aspect of the Resort as your main priority, it is very difficult for me to recommend this property as the casino has very limited offerings. Furthermore, the Video Poker denominations available tend to be quarters or above, so this is also a place where you might want to bring a few hundred dollars if you intend to play for awhile.

For resort-goers for whom a Casino is either secondary or a non-consideration, I must admit that I do not really know what particulars a true resortist might be look

Smoking At Rocky Gap Casino