See Nola

Fair Grounds Race Course

1751 Gentilly Blvd. (Mid-City) 504.944.5515. Winter horse racing from November to March. Slot machines and OTB year-round. Admission is free. Even though we practice all forms of gambling, racing is the only form we find acceptable. A day at the Fair Grounds can be exciting, gorgeous & relaxing. The grass is chemical green. The horses are big & beautiful. There's lots of wide-open space to stretch out & relax. Be sure to save some money for the Fair Grounds' out-of-this-world bread pudding & a plate of raw oysters.  Much like an old-time city ballpark, the Fair Grounds is close to downtown & surrounded by a charming neighborhood -- not stranded in the middle of a 500 mile-wide parking lot. City Park is nearby. You can get to the Fair Grounds from the French Quarter via a medium cab ride, or a 30 minute to an hour ride on the unpredictable Canal Streetcar that goes to City Park. The Fairgrounds is also the spot where Jazz Fest takes place in April.

Harrah's Casino

8 Canal St. (Central Business District) The city's only land-based casino, Harrah's is loud & hellish Las Vegas style. The theme is, you guessed it, New Orleans! Visit the fake French Quarter! Visit the fake Garden District! Eat over-priced food in a fake Pirate's Cove! Every day there's a phony brass band parade! Jeez, who wants to spend all that energy touring the real New Orleans when you can have the whole damn thing recreated for you in one square block? And free drinks to boot. (Remember that the cocktail waitresses have to pay, out of their own pocket, the tax for each drink served whether you tip or not.) Harrah's made many concessions in pursuit of their land-based monopoly (like minimum tax payments and a promise not to compete with the city's restaurant and hotel industry) but through a complicated process known as "Louisiana politics" Harrah's has since managed to lower their tax liability, launch a steak house & open an incredibly gaudy hotel. The newest expansion project is a fake street (or "pedestrian mall") adjacent to the Harrah's Hotel complete with pipped-in music, corporate restaurants and statues of happy jazz musicians with indistinct features. Enter this Disney version of Bourbon Street at 228 Poydras.

Video Poker

Video Crack, as the game of Video Poker is known, is popular among people who like to stick their money in machines with little or no chance that they will get it back. Video Crack machines sit in almost every bar. When intoxicated it's almost impossible to resist the advertisement of WIN $500.00 with one dollar. Very hard to resist. Oh, so very hard. It's good form to tip the bartender a couple bucks if your winnings go north of $20.00.