Fans of Grand Theft Auto (GTA) Online rejoiced this past July 23rd when the brand-new Diamond Casino & Resort opened its virtual doors to all citizens of Southern San Andreas. This massive sprawling entertainment and luxury complex complete with side stories, new vehicles, and races as well as hidden collectibles, among other bonuses, should keep die-hard fans of the GTA franchise busy until GTA 6 sees the light of day. With that in mind, we’ve compiled a short guide to help you navigate GTA’s new casino.
Online Community
The Diamond Casino has created a virtual gathering place for gamers to play online casino games as part of a community. It continues the trend of virtual gaming spaces, in the same way that platforms that provide players an immersive VR online location to play against other poker enthusiasts do. GTA’s casino is following a popular trend in the online gaming industry in how it allows for social interaction between players. In GeekerMag’s in-depth look into PPPoker they explain how players are able to create their own private clubs on the platform. This in turn allows them to set up global tournaments. This community aspect has been a game-changer in the industry, as it allows for unprecedented online interaction and gaming on a global scale. Similarly, GTA’s social club emulates that global community aspect by allowing players to virtually meet with friends for various in-game activities.
A Variety of Gaming Opportunities
While there are plenty of traditional casino games available at the Diamond Casino, like roulette, blackjack, three card poker, and slot machines, the game also allows players to participate in the Inside Track horse race gaming which was made popular in GTA: San Andreas. Players can also spin the Lucky Wheel free once a day for a chance to win in-game prizes like high-end cars, in-game cash, special discounts and clothing items for their characters.
You play games at the Diamond Casino by buying chips that cost $1 in-game each, with standard members able to buy up to 20,000 chips, while VIP members can trade in for up to 50,000 before a cooldown timer begins. Players can expect to pay GTA$500 for the Standard Membership, which includes 5,000 casino chips, VIP Membership which is included with any Diamond Casino penthouse suite purchase and Gold Status which players can earn if they help casino owner Tao Cheng fend off aggressive Texans attempting a hostile takeover.
The Master Penthouse and Coop Missions
The various penthouse suite offerings are at the heart of the Diamond Casino update and, as mentioned before, owning any one of them will grant you VIP Silver Status at the casino. In-game prices for designing your own penthouse start at GTA$1.5 million and players have the freedom to design their own suite with multiple bedrooms, spa rooms, garages, modern art and many other items they can purchase from the casino store. As the name implies, the High-Roller penthouse suite is the most opulent available (costing over GTA$6.5 million) in the game and comes with an infinity pool where you can relax virtually by yourself or have a pool party with invited guests.
