Well, My wife decided to take a day trip to Saratoga. We haven't been there for almost 8 years and with the addition of Casino Gambling at the Harness track we though it might be fun. As you might know, Saratoga has 2 racetracks. There is the thoroughbred track which is steeped in history. The track was built in 1864 and still has all the charm it had from my previous memories truly a family destination even if you don't gamble.
Though open for only 36 days this year it hosts many a famous race including the Travers Stakes. This is where the rich and famous go to see and be seen during the summer. The Whitneys and the Vanderbilts wearing their suits and flowered hats in the 90 degree heat.
Then there is the harness track where the horses seem to be moving in slow motion. I once asked a fellow patron only half in jest if these horses pulled plows during the week.

The draw back in making a trip like this is the 163 miles and close to 3 hours of driving one way but curiosity got to me.

Being it was Saturday I expected a crowd not only at the Casino but also on the drive up.
As it turned out neither materialized.
Upon arrival we used the services of valet parking as my knee was bothering me and I didn't want to hike from the parking lot, 50 feet later we were inside the casino.
Once inside the door, the first stop, sign up for player card then a walk around the casino to see what the had to offer.
Unfortunately the answer is NOT MUCH.
There are no table games hence NO CHIPS. All the slot machines or as they call them video lottery terminals are coinless
there are no coin trays, the machines accept no coin, and internally they are not equipped with coin hoppers so that means NO TOKENS either.
Ironically, stuck in one corner of the casino there was a self use coin counter. Perhaps they expected people to show up with buckets of coins anyway.....
That left only 2 things Slot Cards and cash out tickets neither of which I collect.

Just to clear up the term "Video Lottery Terminals" I asked and was told that the reason for this terminology is to circumvent the fact that in theory casino gambling in other than Indian Casino's in N.Y. is not legal.
These so called video lottery terminals though exact duplicates of normal slot machines are actually linked into the NYS lottery system.
I guess where there's a will there's a way

We stayed for about 5 hours during which time we played, ate [ will get to that] and played some more.
IMHO the casino has very little to offer.
In 5 hours of play, I figure I put $5k through the machines, I accumulated 48 player points.
I asked about a player lounge....UH NO
Drinks and coffee, If you are thirsty, be prepared to pay for them.
I asked about Casino Hosts.... Supposedly there are 2 for what reason I don't know so I asked
Seems that if you hit a jackpot of $5K or more, they bring you out a baseball cap and snap a picture which brings me to the fact that in the 5 hours I was there I did not witness 1 single Jackpot that set bells a ringing.

I spoke to some of the people and asked what they received in comps and truthfully I had to control myself from laughing.
One lady told me she received a coupon allowing her to get a hot dog at a reduced price.
Hey, I play in A/C, and I promise to never complain about the comps there after this trip.

Well, we were both hungry so we went to the food court. Actually if there was a food court, they should be prosecuted I think it should better be called the food corral.
Never mind the fact that your choices pretty much were limited to hamburgers and hot dogs....The Burger at $6.50
and the Fries at $2.75 were totally inedible. The wax on the soda cup was by far the tastiest item there.
BTW are burgers supposed to be gray?

So overall, I'm looking for something positive to say and I will say everyone was helpful and everyone was polite. It's unfortunate
that this is all I have to say from gamblers perspective.
I can't see myself returning anytime soon.

While I was writing this I was thinking that there was something missing that I had not included and then it struck me.
The casino seemed to be what I would call a casino after rehab.
I didn't see anyone with an alcoholic beverage though there is a bar at the back of the casino.
I don't recall seing anyone smoking and then there was the quiet. Pretty strange in casino terms.

BTW My wife asked about her comp points and was told that each 25 points could be used as a credit of $1.00 in the gift shop WOWEEE, I can't wait to accumulate enough points to get that pencil I always wanted
Had I accumulated 75 points I could have gotten a "T" shirt though I'm sure the sleeves were extra.