Is Jackpot, Nevada Worth the Trip?

If you are ever driving down Interstate 84 and feel the need for a change of scenery – take a right at Twin Falls, Idaho and go about 50 miles south on Highway 93. Here you will stumble upon a little strip of casinos and gas stations right on the Nevada-Idaho border, which, depending on your mood, might suit you just fine.

You are officially in Nevada, but spit and you will hit Idaho. You can play your slot machines to your heart’s content here, and then go have a pretty good meal at Cactus Pete’s if you’re up for it. This small slot machine casino area sprung up in 1954 after Idaho made gambling illegal. The town has a population of roughly 1,500 and has six slot machine casinos.

Once Idaho said no to slot machines, a couple of investors got together, one of them being “Cactus Pete” and moved their slot machines to Jackpot. There they opened a casino and a place to eat. However, most of their employees live in Idaho, so the town operates on Mountain Time to keep it all straight, but the rest of Nevada operates on Pacific Time.

It is mostly locals that play the slot machines at Jackpot, as it is kind of out of the way for most folks. The slot machines are coinless, just like all of the ones they are putting into Las Vegas these days, and they offer table games as well. However, the slot machines are always the most popular games in the house, so most people play them.

Back to August 2007 Archive.