Like a lot of people, after discovering #vanlife on YouTube I found myself trying to spot camper vans in real life. There were a lot of false positives (I was convinced every FedEx van was a stealth camper), but after a while I started seeing them at local campgrounds, the lake, and surprisingly, my local casino.
Lucky Star Casino, located twenty minutes west of Oklahoma City in El Reno, has ten campsites available for travelers. Each time my wife and I visit the casino I annoyingly ask her to drive by the camping spots so I can look and see if there are any vans hidden in between the RVs that normally park there. Often times there are, which convinced me to that once my van was ready, I would try camping there as well.
My plan for this video was to make the casino pay me for camping there. It’s not a scenario I would bet on (no pun intended), but it worked out in my favor this time.
I arrived at the casino Saturday afternoon. Of the 10 spots, 9 were available. My only neighbor was an RV parked in spot #10; I parked as far away as possible, in spot #1. The gravel camp spots are just off the parking lot and defined by railroad ties. The spots require you to back in (no pull through), but I can’t imagine that being a problem for vanlifers. According to the rules which are posted both on the casino’s website and a large sign next to the campsites, campers are required to register for a Player’s Club Card and check-in with security. At a minimum, that means you’ll step food inside the casino at least once.
The camping spots offer free electricity through dedicated tombstones. I believe I saw both 15A and 30A sockets, but there were also two 110V wall outlets which allowed me to plug my extension cord in and get power that way. The casino also offers free water and (I believe) a free dump station, although I didn’t use either one. There are a few picnic tables available for use, but not much else.
The camping spots are on the opposite side of the parking lot across from the casino; that being said, it’s only a 60-90 second walk to get there. I’ve read that security offers free rides to and from the spots via their golf cart, although I didn’t wait long enough for a ride. (They patrol the parking lot very regularly.) Inside the casino is a restaurant, multiple free drink stations, and most importantly, several restrooms to choose from.
There are also lots and lots of slot machines. Depending on your resolve, that free camping spot might not end up being free. I’m sure that’s the idea.
If there was any downside to camping at the casino, it was the noise. The camping area itself was quiet (I never heard or even saw my neighbors in the RV), but the spots are right off the casino’s parking lot, and there, all bets are off. At least ten times throughout the evening I heard car alarms going off, most of which ran the maximum amount of time (three minutes?) before turning off. The casino is open 24/7 and it was busy up until well after midnight. While I don’t have the data to confirm it, there seemed to be an uncharacteristically high number of trucks with loud mufflers Saturday night, although I’m not sure if that’s because it’s a casino or simply a random sampling of vehicles in Oklahoma. About 200 yards to the north of the casino is the Concho travel center — the only other business around for miles — which offers gasoline, snacks, and more slot machines. It seems a Saturday night pastime involves getting gas at the travel center, revving one’s engine, and peeling out when leaving. Like the casino, travel center traffic lightened up around midnight, and just to reiterate, all of this happened on a Saturday night; I suspect things are more quiet during the week.
The casino itself is very clean and very safe. (It can also be pretty smoky, as smoking is allowed.) The casino has more than 1,200 slot machines including many of my favorites (The Karate Kid, Mask, Zoltar, Press Your Luck, Shark Week, and the ever-addictive “red spin” machines). There are also a dozen or more tables for gaming. Rules on the reservation are slightly different and most table games require a “tribal tax” of 50 cents to be spent every round; to whose who say “that isn’t like Vegas” I’ll remind you that Vegas is 1,200 miles to the west. Also inside the casino is a sit down restaurant (The Rez), a small deli (which has been closed for a while due to construction), and a brewery. There are three free drink stations with soda, water, and coffee, and three large restrooms that I’ve never seen dirty.
On the night I stayed there, every customer who had used their Player’s Card (which campers are required to register for) was elligible for a $15,000 cash giveaway at 11 p.m. (must be present to win). I spent a couple of hours in the evening gambling and eating, went back to my van to rest and chill out for a couple of hours, and went back in to use the restroom and see if I had won the $15,000. I did not.
Then again, I do feel like I hit the jackpot with this spot. The amount of amenities the casino offers for free is impressive, and the parking lot noise wasn’t an issue for me.
One final note — drive past the casino and within half a mile you’ll get a view of the tribe’s pack of buffalo. There are roughly 200 in the pack and you’re likely to find many of them standing right next to the fence. On the other side of the street are hundreds of prairie dogs who will most definitely pop their heads up to see what you’re up to.
