Who Jackpot suits
Jackpot suits Idahoans driving down US-93 for a weekend of legal gambling, Idaho-to-Vegas road-trippers wanting to break the drive, and golfers playing the surprisingly good Jackpot Golf Club. The two properties are Cactus Petes Resort Casino at $80 to $160 (the nicer one, with the golf course and a 4-star AAA rating that overstates it slightly) and the connected Horseshu Hotel & Casino at $60 to $120. There is essentially nothing else in town — population 1,200 — so book the casino hotels or drive on.
It does not suit anyone whose trip is not specifically about gambling, golf or breaking up a long drive. Jackpot is one intersection on a two-lane highway in the middle of northern Nevada scrub.
What is around Jackpot
Within Jackpot itself you can walk between Cactus Petes and Horseshu (they are connected) and reach the Jackpot Golf Club, a few restaurants and a gas station or two. Twin Falls, Idaho — the nearest actual city with a Costco, a Walmart and Shoshone Falls (bigger than Niagara at spring runoff) — is 45 minutes north on US-93. The Jarbidge Wilderness, one of the most remote wilderness areas in the Lower 48, is 90 minutes east on gravel roads and only accessible in summer.
Good to know
Is Jackpot worth a detour from I-84?+
Only for gamblers. It is a solid 45-minute detour south of Twin Falls and offers little else.
How's Cactus Petes really?+
Genuinely fine for the price — clean rooms, a real pool, a proper steakhouse and lower minimums than anywhere in Vegas or Reno.