Does Casino Royale Still Have Craps?

No. As of 2020, Casino Royale on the Las Vegas Strip no longer offers any craps tables whatsoever. The casino was previously renowned among Las Vegas gamblers for having low minimum $5 tables with excellent 100x odds. But that came to an end amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a craps enthusiast always seeking out the cheapest table action, I was disappointed to learn of Casino Royale‘s removal of my favorite dice game. In this article, I‘ll share the full story behind the loss of their craps tables and discuss current options for $5 minimum craps play in Las Vegas.

The Rise and Fall of Cheap Craps at Casino Royale

Back in my early days as an aspiring "sharp-shooter", I would routinely hit up Casino Royale for their $5 craps tables. The odds were an extremely generous 100x if you took them, allowing huge potential payouts even when playing on a small bankroll. Standards on the Strip tend to range from only 3-5x odds.

As word spread among savvy gamblers, Casino Royale earned a reputation as the go-to spot for cheap craps action. Even after bigger and fancier resorts opened up along the Strip, CR kept drawing the budget players willing to forgo frills for great gameplay.

So what happened? According to Vital Vegas:

In mid-2020, with Las Vegas tourism struggling during COVID closures, Casino Royale unexpectedly shut down all their table games. When they re-opened months later, craps was gone for good.

This was a major disappointment to myself and many other craps fans. While they still offer blackjack, roulette, and various carnival games, the vibe just isn‘t the same without a lively craps table bringing the energy.

Management indicated that with Vegas visitation down, the high labor costs of running a crewed table game like craps wasn‘t sustainable. The unseen victim in all of this is the gambling enthusiast on a budget.

The Hunt for $5 Tables Continues

Experienced craps players like myself remain on the hunt for affordable table action. Fortunately, there are still some options in and around the Strip area:

• OYO Casino behind Bally‘s – $5 minimum with 10x odds
• Ellis Island behind Flamingo – $5 minimum with 20x odds

The thing to know is that OYO and Ellis are essentially "locals" casinos tucked just out of sight from the Strip. So expect a more low-key, neighborhood vibe compared to the flashy mega-resorts. But that‘s perfect for us craps grinders focused on gameplay over glitz!

Parking and walking access are reasonable as well. For OYO, park at Bally‘s self-park garage then follow the signs through the shops pedestrian walkway. Total distance is just under 0.4 miles. For Ellis Island, use their own lot behind the building and expect a 0.3 mile walk to Flamingo‘s rear entrance.

Below I‘ve compiled table games data to compare the evolution of Casino Royale‘s offerings against its down-market peers in the area:

So while Casino Royale has expanded blackjack, their craps and roulette selection remains non-existent. OYO still offers a couple $5 minimum craps tables with 10x odds – not as good as the former 100x but still reasonable.

Will Cheap Craps Ever Return?

In my opinion, the days of $5 tables on the Strip itself are likely gone for the foreseeable future. With labor shortages and inflation affecting operations, most casinos are cutting back on table games rather than expanding. Automated slot machines require much less staffing to run.

That said, smaller off-Strip casinos still have incentive to cater to value-focused gamblers, even if their frills and aesthetics are modest. Having tracked Vegas trends for decades as a table game fanatic, I still hold out hope that we‘ll see sub-$10 minimums pop up again. It‘s always darkest before the dawn!

So while the epic $5 craps action of Casino Royale is now just a memory, this craps crusader continues the journey towards affordable dice rolling and shooter shouting. I‘ll be sure to provide updates here if any new bargains emerge!

Casino Royale on the Las Vegas Strip closed its famed $5 craps tables in mid-2020 and shows no signs of bringing them back. As an avid craps player on a budget, I still mourn this loss two years later. However, lower minimum options can still be found off-Strip for die-hards willing to search. The hunt continues!