Aria Sportsbook Review

The Aria Resort & Casino is located on the west side of South Las Vegas Boulevard surrounded by the Cosmopolitan, Vdara and Park MGM. Taxis, Uber vehicles, and limousines arrive on Aria Place and park under a dazzling canopy at the main entrance.

• Visitors arriving at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas will travel west on Tropicana Avenue and then north on the Strip to Aria Place.
• Enjoy the taxi ride as guests will pass the famous bronze lion at MGM Grand and Statue of Liberty (with a Vegas Golden Knights jersey) at New York-New York before arriving at Aria’s main doors.
• Tip for travelers: Do not allow the taxi driver to take the highway to any resorts, including the Aria. It’s a much longer route and will cost almost double for the ride.

A majority of casinos started charging for parking in 2016. Aria was included on that list. “There is not one other issue that people are more outraged about than charging for parking on the Strip,” said Las Vegas gambling expert David Schwartz, “and that is not hyperbole.”

• Parking for the Aria and its sportsbook is located behind the resort off Frank Sinatra Drive. And these are big-city prices.
• There’s no charge for the first hour on your first day here. After that, it’s $15 from one to four hours, $18 over four to 24 hours, and $18 per day after that.
• Valet parking is even higher. It’s $21 for under two hours, $24 for two to four hours, and $30 for four to 24 hours. After that, it’s $30 per day.
• The Aria does offer some discounts and complimentary parking to those that have a rewards card. The rewards vary on the status of the cardholder. In other words, if you bet a lot throughout your stay at the Aria, your parking will likely be free.

Public transportation and ride-sharing programs are the best bet for visitors staying at the Aria. Taxi services are being replaced by rideshares like Uber and Lyft. Limousine services are available with the going rate around $85-90 an hour.

• The Las Vegas public transit bus service runs 24 hours a day on the Strip, with routes to and from the airport as well. A two-hour bus pass on the Strip is $6, a 24-hour pass is $8 and a three-day pass is $20.
• The pass is good for the Deuce and Express bus lines. The Deuce is the slower of the two services, stopping at almost every resort on the Strip, including the Aria. The Express makes just four stops on the Strip, with the closest to the Aria being in front of its neighbor’s doors at the Cosmopolitan.
• Both services will take visitors all over the Las Vegas area, including the two outlet malls and Old Vegas on Fremont Street.
• All resorts now have a designated spot for rideshare programs, including the airport. Visitors can download the respective Uber or Lyft app and purchase a ride to their destination online. The cost is about two-thirds the price of a taxi ride.
• There are also four trams on the Strip, including one which takes guests from the Bellagio to Aria to Park MGM. This four-car train is free to ride and arrives every three minutes depending on which direction you want to go from the Aria. This air-conditioned ride is a great way to travel to T-Mobile Arena just across the street from Park MGM for a Golden Knights hockey game.

The luxurious Aria resort is home to some of the best restaurants in the country. There are about two dozen spots to choose from including Jean Georges Steakhouse, Julian Serrano Tapas and Bardot Brasserie.

• Julian Serrano Tapas — which is a restaurant focused on Spanish cuisine — receives the highest rating on TripAdvisor of all the Aria restaurants. The venue, which features a mid-priced menu, opens daily at 11:30 a.m.
• The resort also features eight bars, lounges, and a nightclub. Most of these spots are open until 2 a.m., while a few — like the Lift Bar featuring its signature cocktails — are open 24 hours a day.
• The Liquid Pool Lounge gets the party started at Aria’s three pools, while the Jewel Nightclub offers high-energy dance music featuring some of the best DJs and performers in the country.
• Complimentary drinks are available for players throughout the casino. It’s easier to get a free drink during the quieter daytime hours when fewer people are playing.

Aria is just one of eight MGM properties on the Las Vegas Strip. The others include the Bellagio, Mirage, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, Park MGM, Luxor, and Excalibur. All of these resorts offer a rewards program called Mlife.
Mlife members gain exclusive access, benefits and rewards at all of the MGM venues by earning points for every dollar spent or gambled. The starting tier, which is Sapphire (blue card), has limited benefits, but the rewards change at the next level called Pearl. These members are awarded discounts, dedicated line options at restaurants and buffets, and complimentary parking. Members can continue the climb up the Mlife ladder into Gold, Platinum and the Noir level (black card), but we’re talking really heavy hitters here. The higher the level, the more privileges on meals, room rates, and complimentary gifts. Tier credits are accumulated from October 1 to September 30. If you advance to a higher tier at any time you’ll enjoy those benefits for at least one full year.

In the 67 acres of hotels, shopping centers, residential towers, and restaurants in the $8-billion City Center complex stands the crown jewel in the Aria, with its hotel rooms and suites and 150,000-square-foot casino floor. This area of the resort is very spacious and modern. The gaming area is surrounded by restaurants, bars, lounges and a walkway, which allows pedestrian traffic to circle the casino floor instead of walking through it. Though an exact number isn’t listed, there are thousands of slot machines new and old at this resort. Prices range from penny slots all the way up to the high roller slots of $1,000 or $2,000 a pull, just like other major venues on the Strip like Caesars Palace, Venetian, and MGM Grand. Gamblers looking for table game action will find 12 baccarat tables, 33 blackjack tables, 12 craps tables, and other games such as Three Card Poker, Big Wheel, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, Casino War, Let it Ride, Crazy4Poker and Pai Gow Poker. The Aria also offers two high limit rooms with $100 minimums. One of the questions most often asked by visitors to Las Vegas is: “Can I get a complimentary beverage.” The answer is yes, but only if you are gambling. Servers will greet your table or players at a slot machine with the often-heard question: “Drinks?” Make sure to tip at least $1 for your beverage of choice or you won’t likely see this server again.

The Aria is an award-winning, world-class resort. It has a AAA Five Diamond rating. Nothing is cheap here, including the price of a stay.

• The luxurious resort, which has more than 4,000 rooms and suites, offers five different room types. Prices for any of these rooms in the 51-story and 61-story towers would reach the higher end of the pay scale for most visitors, certainly more than what it would cost to stay at a resort like MGM Grand.
• The smallest rooms in the Aria, which opened its doors to the public on Dec. 16, 2009, are 520 square feet. Guests will pay more for a room with a view of the Strip.
• The suites start at 920 square feet. Any one of them will likely be the nicest room you have ever stayed in. The Sky Suites one-bedroom penthouse is 1,465 square feet and loaded with spectacular decor and views.
• Visitors receive complimentary WiFi in their rooms, but there is one shocking bit of news when you check out.
• All the hotels on the Strip — including the Aria — now charge a resort fee (some would call it a hidden tax). At the Aria, it’s around $51 per night, including fees and taxes. “The house always wins,” as the saying goes.