And so, as I was reading up on Uruguay before I visited, I had read that casinos are legal in Uruguay. I am going to South America to experience the culture, the people, the historyβ¦not another casino.
However, like any good investigative journalist, I had to take one for the team just to report back to you, the reader. The casinos in Uruguay are not like those on the strip in Las Vegas. Gone are all the flashing lights, the upbeat party atmosphere, the happy vacationers and smiling tourists, the attractive waitresses, and in Uruguay, the free cocktails.
Just like the off-strip casinos in Nevada, people are there to make money. But, as in all casinos, the only winner in the end is the house. Thus, you are left with a rather somber crowd. Given the state of the economy in Uruguay, I also thought that the minimum bets in Uruguay would be minimum-ier. Any person who plays by the basic blackjack rules can last forever on these tables.
However, in Uruguay, I was not able to locate any tables with small minimum bets. The first casino that I visited with my friends was in downtown Montevideo, near Plaza Independencia. I traded some money for chips and sat down to play a little blackjack. Thinking my first visit must not have been a good representation, I went to another casino in Parque Rodo about 2 months later- same experience. This casino most resembled Las Vegas as people are there on holidays and having fun.
I learned a lot about myself, and my tendencies, in the casinos in Uruguay. I realized I go to casinos much more for the atmosphere than the cards. In all, I spent a total of 30 minutes in the casinos in Uruguay in 9 months.
