When most people picture hotel/casino resorts, they picture the Las Vegas strip – skyscrapers, bright lights, sprawling properties. While Reno is generally lacking in truly huge properties, the Atlantis is one of the exceptions. It’s about a ten minute drive from the downtown area, but depending on what you’re looking for, it may be worth the trip.

Of all the casinos in Reno, I’d have to say that the Atlantis is the one that most reminds me of a Vegas resort – the sheer size of gaming floor, the number of convention rooms, the inclusion of a full-service spa, and the variety of restaurants are all factors that contribute to this.

Currently, the property is hosting a Beatle’s tribute called “Because” that looks to last for some time. For those interested, they also do casino-wide showings of big fights.

Valet parking is available, but it also tends to be quite busy. If you park in their giant lot across the street, you’ll go up an escalator to get to a walking bridge that will take you to the main building. But this isn’t just any walking bridge – it’s the Sky Terrace, complete with a sushi bar, oyster bar, and slots lining the walls. The walls are essentially giant windows, allowing you to see pretty good views of central Reno while you’re there.

Once you leave the Sky Terrace, things get confusing. There are two floors containing the majority of the Atlantis’ attractions. The second floor has a business center for guests, a well-reviewed and fairly ritzy steakhouse (I’d recommend reservations), and a slew of convention rooms that the downtown venues simply don’t have room for. This floor is very relaxing; it doesn’t feel compressed or have the claustrophobia-inducing closeness often associated with casinos. You have room to breathe there, and there are even a few lounging areas with couches and cushy chairs specifically for relaxing.

Reno Atlantis Casino Lounge

To any travelers with kids: half of the second floor is an arcade, and I will tell you that this arcade is huge. It takes up half the second floor, has dozens upon dozens of games, and even features its own prize counter and movie-theatre style concession stand. If your children are old enough to leave to their own devices for an hour at a time, it’s the perfect place to leave them with $20 each – after all, it’s connected directly to the casino floor, so you’d never need to be more than a few hundred feet away in the case of an emergency.

Speaking of the casino floor, it takes up the whole of the first level, aside from a few restaurants spread throughout. This is quite probably the largest casino floor I have ever seen outside of Vegas; you can walk for at least five minutes in the same direction before reaching the other end. It even has a bar lowered like an orchestra pit, with a full-band setup just above it. All that being said, the area with table games is relatively small – only about as big as the ones downtown.

Reno Atlantis Casino Outside Photo

Considering the fact that the gambling floor itself is 3-5 times the size, it’s kind of disappointing. They have craps, roulette, blackjack, and the standard poker games, like Hold ‘Em and Pai Gow, and even a Baccarat table, but the overall emphasis is definitely on the slots. To make up for that, the sports book is quite large, and they have a poker room that just screams “class.” Also, unlike the downtown casinos, they have a well-defined high limit area that is surrounded by a half-wall, giving high rollers a bit of privacy from the penny-slot rabble.

Once again, I am surprised by the acute lack of player’s club promotions. I saw one in the whole place, heralding a BMW & $100,000 giveaway every quarter, plus 30x $10,000 giveaways every month. Maybe with that kind of incentive, they didn’t feel the need to advertise too much.

The décor is a bit gaudy on the casino floor, although there are small portions, such as the poker room and sports book, which are toned down a bit. The rest of the resort features a nice mix of the simplicity associated with high-class hotels and the in-your-face motif expected from casinos.

The good thing about taking a vacation at the Atlantis is that there’s really no reason to leave. Between the spa, arcade, and variety of games and restaurants, almost everything you’d need for a weekend away is inside. On the other hand, if you want to get out and explore Reno, a downtown location would likely suit you better. Either way, the Atlantis is a modern, well-maintained property that is more than worth visiting.

Written by Kenny Stoneman in March 2014.