Casinos Near Cross Lanes, West Virginia

Casinos Near Cross Lanes, West Virginia

Cross Lanes is a community in Kanawha County located just northwest of Charleston, West Virginia’s state capital, along the south bank of the Kanawha River. For residents of the Charleston metro area and the broader Kanawha Valley, Cross Lanes is the primary local casino destination. The facility anchoring it — Mardi Gras Casino & Resort — is the closest full-service gaming resort to downtown Charleston and draws visitors from across central and southern West Virginia as well as day-trippers from eastern Kentucky and southern Ohio.

Lucky North Rewards

Mardi Gras Casino & Resort uses the Lucky North Rewards program, the same program running at Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack. The program is free to join and enrollment can be completed at the players club desk or at self-service kiosks located around the property. Members receive a Lucky North card that tracks points earned through gaming activity.

Slot and keno players earn one point per $5 wagered; video poker and table game players earn one point per $10 bet. Points redeem at a rate that provides approximately one to two cents per point toward free slot play, dining credits, hotel stays, gift shop merchandise, and other property benefits. The program runs regular promotional events including hot seat drawings, point multiplier periods, and tier-specific invitations. The 50+ Tuesdays promotion offers additional bonuses for qualifying members. Benefits extend across Delaware North’s portfolio of gaming and travel properties, giving frequent players access to rewards at multiple destinations beyond the Kanawha Valley.

Getting to Cross Lanes

The property is straightforward to reach from the Charleston area and from surrounding counties. From downtown Charleston, take US-35 West (also known as the Sissonville Drive corridor) approximately seven miles northwest; the property is signed from the US-35/WV-622 interchange in Cross Lanes. Drivers coming from I-64 should take Exit 47 (Cross Lanes/Nitro) and follow US-35 North to the property. From I-77, take Exit 89 to US-119 toward Charleston, then connect to US-35 West.

The property maintains a large free surface parking lot with capacity for several hundred vehicles. Valet parking is available for hotel guests. The convenient access from both I-64 and I-77 makes Mardi Gras one of the more accessible casino resorts in the state for visitors traveling from outside the immediate Charleston area — including visitors coming north from the Beckley-Lewisburg corridor on I-77 or west along I-64 from the Huntington area.

Nearby Amenities

Cross Lanes functions as a suburban community of the Charleston metro area, and the full range of Charleston’s amenities are within a short drive. The state capitol complex in downtown Charleston includes the West Virginia State Capitol building, the West Virginia State Museum, and the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences, which houses a performing arts hall, a natural science museum, and a planetarium. The Kanawha City commercial corridor offers chain restaurants, grocery stores, and general retail.

For dining outside the casino, the Kanawha Valley has a developed restaurant scene anchored in Charleston proper. Bricks & Barrels in the Charleston area is a locally recognized steak and seafood restaurant that has won multiple People’s Choice Awards for the city. Shopping options include the Southridge Centre mall and the Charleston Town Center mall in downtown Charleston.

For outdoor activities, Kanawha State Forest is the closest significant natural area, located south of Charleston with hiking trails, picnic facilities, and seasonal programming. The Elk River Water Trail provides paddling access north of the city. Nitro’s community park and waterfront areas along the Kanawha River are also within a short drive of the Cross Lanes property.

West Virginia’s licensed online casino and sports betting market means players based in the Charleston metro area can access Mardi Gras Casino’s digital platform between visits to the physical property.