A few more spins and I’d be stinkin’ rich. I’d won $15! I was $10 ahead, one-tenth of my way of paying for my oil change. I pushed a button and watched as lights flashed and whirred and made a bunch of sounds. I put $5 in a machine with dragons, hit the 10-cent option and bet 50. There were so many slot machines vying for my attention, with names such as Stinkin’ Rich, Monkey Trouble, Triple Fortune Dragon, Sweet and Spicy. The hostess handed us a plastic card used for all food station orders. The whiff of smoked barbecue was enticing. Other stations have pizza, pasta, steaks, seafood, sandwiches, soups and salads served to the post-breakfast crowd. He steered me to The Kitchen, a food court with much more than breakfast.

Instead of looking at phones, people had big screens with mesmerizing flashes, beeps, chimes and spinning wheels. The excitement hits as you step inside the expansive neon wonderland of slot machines. The 126,700-square-foot casino opened in 2021, replacing the old “Q” across Marine Drive NE that began as a bingo hall in 1983. “The Q,” as its known, is across the parking lot from the dealership. So did my husband, Max, a big breakfast guy with a one-track mind. The bright lights and bacon of Quil Ceda Creek Casino beckoned.

Quil ceda creek casino hours