Casinos Near Houston, Texas – Closest Ones, Map & Directions

Visitors and residents to America’s 4th largest city will have to travel a bit if they want to scratch their gambling itch, as the closest casino to Houston is 143 miles away.

And here were talking about real public casinos, with slot machines, table games, sportsbooks, restaurants, entertainment venues and the like. We’re not counting private social clubs. Also, there are a few slot-machine only casinos a little closer, but the Houstonian looking for a traditional full gambling experience will have to travel to Lake Charles, Louisiana, 143 miles from downtown Houston.

Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino Lake Charles
Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino Lake Charles

The drive from Houston to Lake Charles is entirely on Interstate 10. Depending on when you leave, the drive (from downtown Houston) to these closest casinos takes from between 2 and 2 ½ hours.

Lake Charles is a city of around 75,000 people located 20 miles east of the Texas/Louisiana border. While there are numerous small slot-only casinos around town, there are three major, Las Vegas style casinos that capture the vast bulk of the Houston area gambling crowd.

They three major Lake Charles casinos are The Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino, The L’Auberge Lake Charles, and the former Isle of Capri Casino Hotel Lake Charles, which is being transformed into the new Horseshoe Lake Charles (more on that below).

The L’Auberge and Golden Nugget sit next to each other on the Contraband Bayou, and are connect via a boardwalk.

(Here’s a map where “B” represents the drive to Lake Charles. The Yellow pin is the Delta Downs slots-only casino.)

Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino Lake Charles

The newest of the Lake Charles casino trio, the Golden Nugget opened in December of 2014 at a cost of $700 million.

A recent $100 million addition has brought to hotel capacity to 1,090 rooms. There is also a marina, two-acre pool complex (with a bar, lazy river, slides, cabanas and more), concert hall, meeting space, 8 shops, 12 restaurants, 7 bars, and an 18 hole golf course.

In addition to the casino’s 1,600 slot machines and video poker machines, there are 87 table games, including blackjack, craps, (with 20x odds), roulette, Mississippi Stud, baccarat and the like.

The Golden Nugget in Lake Charles is one of the closest casinos to Houston
The Golden Nugget in Lake Charles is one of the closest casinos to Houston

The Golden Nugget also has a 7 table poker room and a new Draft Kings sportsbook.

Golden Nugget Lake Charles Address, Phone & Website

2550 Golden Nugget Blvd.
Lake Charles, LA 70601
(844) 777-4653

Website: GoldenNugget.com/Lake-Charles

L’Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles

Next door to the Golden Nugget, the L’Auberge matches its neighbor in size and amenities.

The hotel consists of just over 1,000 rooms, and – like the Golden Nugget – the resort has its own 18 hole golf course, along with a big concert venue.

L'Auberge Casino Resort in Lake Charles
L’Auberge Casino Resort in Lake Charles

L’Auberge has 8 restaurants, ranging from Favorites Southern Kitchen to Daiquiris & Dogs, Drago’s Seafood Restaurant and more. The property also boasts 4 bars, retail shops, pools, spa, arcade, and even a barber shop.

The 70,000 square foot casino has exactly the same number of slot machines and video poker machines as its neighbor, 1,600, and nearly the same table game count, with 75 tables – including craps, blackjack, roulette, 3-card poker, Pai Gow, and all the usual favorites.

The 2,100 square foot poker room has six tables and several high-hand promotions. The new Sportsbook at L’Auberge (the first sportsbook in Lake Charles) takes bets until midnight.

Golden Nugget Lake Charles Address, Phone & Website

777 Avenue L’Auberge
Lake Charles, LA. 70601
Phone: (337) 395-7777

Website: LLakeCharles.com

Horseshoe Casino Hotel Lake Charles

Formerly the Isle of Capri, Caesars Entertainment has re-branded the resort and is currently in the process of remodeling/updating the entire property, which has been closed since 2020 due to both Covid and damage from Hurricane Laura.

Renderings of the Horseshoe Lake Charles
Renderings of the Horseshoe Lake Charles

A fall 2022 opening date is expected for the Horseshoe. Caesars is replacing the former riverboat with a 60,000 square foot land-based casino that is a full 1/3rd larger than the old Isle of Capri. The new casino will have around 1,000 slot machines, numerous table games, along with a ten table World Series of Poker, poker room and Caesars sportsbook.

The former Inn at the Isle has been demolished, but the existing, remaining tower will feature 253 newly renovated rooms. The property will also have a Brew Brothers taproom.

The property sits right on the shores of Lake Charles, just north of the other two resorts. At 141 miles away it is the closest of the big three casinos to Houston. (But only by two miles).

Closest Casino to Houston

If you want to get technical, the closest casino to Houston is one of the slot-only joints found off of I-10 on the way to Lake Charles. The biggest among them is the Delta Downs Racetrack/Casino Hotel in Vinton, Louisiana.

I only don’t count it as the closest casino because it doesn’t have any table games, and I love to play table games.

Delta Downs has the closest slots to Houston
Delta Downs has the closest slots to Houston

If you’re OK with just slots however, you’ll find this Boyd Gaming casino to be far different that the little slot-only joints that you’ll find along I-10 and in Lake Charles.

First off, it has a spacious 370 room hotel, several dining options, (from the Rosewater Grill & Tavern to the Gator Grill), bars, pool complex, and an events center.

This casino has 15,000 square feet of gaming space, full of around 1,500 slot machines and video poker machines to choose from, along with horse betting of course. Now there’s even a FanDuel Sportsbook.

Delta Downs is 121 miles away from downtown Houston. Google Maps indicated it would take you between 1 hour 40 minutes (during slow traffic times) up to 2 and ½ hours to drive there.

It seems to do a brisk business however, as the racino generates in the $12 million dollars per month range. (For comparison, the Golden Nugget Lake Charles brings in $27 to $30 million monthly.)

Other Casinos Close to Houston

Those of you driving from Houston to the casinos in Lake Charles will find numerous slot-only casinos along the way on I-10 in Vinton and Sulphur. These are all non-descript joints, many attached to a gas station or strip mall.

These include the following, along with their respective distances from Houston:

Other Notes

Distances from Houston suburbs to the closest casino in Lake Charles, LA:

(Related: Closest casino to San Antonio)

(By Steve Beauregard. Photos courtesy of VisitLakeCharles.com, the Golden Nugget Lake Charles, Boyd Gaming, and Carnaval.com Studios via Flickr.)