Sandwiched Between Dallas And Oklahoma City Is The World's Largest Casino With Over 10,000 Slot Machines

Forget Las Vegas. Sure, the wealth of casinos and entertainment complexes have helped Vegas earn the title of "the most fun city in America". But it can't claim to have the biggest casino in the world. And no, it's not in Macau either. Known as the "Las Vegas of Asia," Macau is a Chinese city turned gambling mecca that officially holds the Guinness World Record for the largest gambling city in the world by revenue.

The honor of the world's biggest casino goes to Winstar World Casino and Resort located just just north of Texas in Thackerville, Oklahoma. This gambling behemoth has over 10,000 slot machines, 100 table games, and a 55-table poker room. It also boasts a concert hall, golf course, hotel, and spa. It's located midway between Dallas and Oklahoma City on the I-35, which makes it a good stopover between the two cities. 

In 1990, the Chickasaw Nation opened a small bingo hall on its territorial lands off the side of I-35. The aim was to raise funds for the Chickasaw Nation tribal government and they seized on the opportunity to tap a big Texas market. That bingo hall transformed into WinStar World, doubling the size of its gaming space to approximately 400,000 square feet. "I've worked with a lot of tribes in my lifetime, and I've spent a decade here with the nation," Jack Parkinson, WinStar World's President, told CDC Gaming. "There has never been a steadier government and a steadier leadership in the tribal world than the Chickasaw Nation. They don't think in five-to-10-year increments. They think in 50-to-100-year increments."

At WinStar World, visitors can choose which part of the globe they want to play in. Enter through Paris and wander through Beijing, Rome, Madrid, and London on one side, or Vienna, Cairo, New York, and Rio on the other — and you can gamble as you go. As one YouTuber who ventured inside remarked, "There's not a square inch of space, that does not have a slot machine in it." Additionally, the casino has multiple eateries, from Mickey Mantle's steak steakhouse to LeParis Bakery and Cafe.

Beyond the gaming halls, WinStar has diversified into resorts and leisure. Some come here for a cool escape from the heat and skip the gambling altogether. Posing in front of the London-lookalike tower of Big Ben, Dallas resident Jessica Serna of My Curly Adventures travel blog revealed on TikTok, "No, I didn't travel across the world. I'm actually just an hour from Dallas at WinStar Casino." Her reason for visiting? "I mostly came because it's getting hot and they have these amazing pools," she said.

You don't have to stay at the hotel to indulge. Winstar offers day passes to access its pools and spa facilities. However, if you do want to book a stay, you can choose from three accommodation options: the upscale hotel towers, directly connected to the casino; The Inn, which has a shuttle service to the casino; and the nearby Fun Town RV park.

If you're looking for other destinations in Oklahoma, consider Sulphur — a scenic city with the state's oldest national park, trendy shops, and endless outdoor recreation, which is only an hour's drive north of Winstar. Or keep driving a few miles farther to explore Pauls Valley, an eccentric Oklahoma town with historic architecture, art galleries, and unique attractions.