The country of Peru in South America has a wealth of historical and archaeological sites of interest, as well as the attraction of legalized gambling that includes horse racing, pari-mutuel betting, and casinos. With 48 casino facilities, Peru is a popular destination in Central and South America for tourists and gamblers alike. Peru casinos have the familiar table games of blackjack, roulette, craps, and poker, as well as at least 100 slot and gaming machines in each gambling facility. While smoking is still permitted on the main casino floor, recent additions of non-smoking rooms for poker players have further enhanced the appeal of several Peru casinos.
Lima, the capital of Peru, has two casinos, the Majestic at the J. W. Marriott Hotel, and the larger of the two, the Sheraton Lima Hotel & Casino, with 221 slots and 40 table games. Eight of the 24 cities in Peru with casinos can be found in Miraflores, an upscale suburban area of Lima. The largest of the Peru casinos, the Atlantic City Casino in Miraflores, has 500 slot and video gaming machines, with no table games. Other Peru casinos in and around Miraflores include the Admiral Benavides, the Bellagio, La Hacienda Casino, Mardi Gras, and Tropicana. The Admiral Benavides is open 24 hours, with 65 slots and one roulette table game. La Hacienda has 236 slots and four table games, while the Mardi Gras and Tropicana only offer slot machines.
In addition, there are several casinos with slot machines in the San Isidro suburb of Lima, including the Midas Palace and the Mandalay. The Casino Delphines, also in San Isidro, has 214 slots and 18 table games, while the much larger Casino Golden Palace has 1,000 slots and 31 table games including blackjack, pai gow, poker, craps, Let It Ride, roulette, and Punto Banco.
There are a number of other Peru casinos, as well, including the Palacio Royal Casino in Arequipa, the Casino Premie in Barranco, with 75 slots and seven table games, and five smaller casinos in San Borja that offer only slot and gaming machines. The majority of the Peru casinos in various smaller cities and other suburbs of Lima including Huancayo, Huaral, Ica, Trujillo, Surquillo, and Comas only have slot machines.
Casinos, on an average, pay $28 million in annual gambling taxes to the state. Currently, Peru casino and slot machine owners are in contention with the government over unpaid gambling taxes in the amount of approximately $80 million.