While Las Vegas will forever be the mecca of gambling in the United States, North Bay residents don’t need to travel to Sin City to enjoy a top-quality casino experience. In fact, one of the best casinos in the country is located in the heart of Sonoma County, according to USA Today.

Graton Resort and Casino just outside of Rohnert Park was included in a Sept. 4 USA Today list of “10 best casinos that aren’t in Las Vegas,” coming in at No. 4.

The USA Today list, part of the newspaper’s 10Best Readers’ Choice awards, was selected by an expert panel and voted by readers.

The resort was one of three California spots to make the list, including Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula in Riverside County (No. 3) and Yaamava’ Resort & Casino at San Manuel in Highland in San Bernardino County (No. 1).

In its list, USA Today highlighted Graton’s extensive gambling options including 3,000 slot machines, 120 live table games, live poker room, a fully enclosed smoke-free gaming area and high-limit gaming rooms.

The newspaper also said visitors to the resort “rave” about the resort’s food, spa, and “ultraclean” rooms.

Graton Resort and Casino was also listed No. 9 in USA Today’s Sept. 4 list of “10 best casino hotels across the country,” which includes Las Vegas casinos. In that list, USA Today noted the headlining acts that perform at the resort’s theater and the poolside cabana in addition to the luxury amenities and eclectic dining options at the resort’s restaurants.

Earlier this year, the casino was named one of the 10 luckiest casinos in California by Casinos.com.

Owned by the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, the resort, opened in 2013, is already the Bay Area’s largest gaming destination and one of the largest private employers in Sonoma County.

Last year, the tribe broke ground on a billion-dollar expansion that would add a larger gaming floor, a second hotel wing, a 3,500-person theater and a large, rooftop restaurant.

Construction began in June 2023, and the new five-story parking garage was unveiled Aug. 12. The expansion is expected to be completed in time for Christmas 2025.