Casino Colonial — Attraction in Antiguo Cuscatlán

From a Serious Blackjack Player:

The Colonial used to be a solid option—but ever since Casino Emperatriz opened its doors with superior promotions, service, and overall player treatment, it’s been a steady decline. Standards have dropped hard.

Case in point: I hold a Gold card, which used to come with $50 in match play. That’s now been slashed to $20. I had to cycle over $10,000 in play to earn that status, and now the benefits feel like a slap in the face.

Even worse, Colonial pushes players onto continuous shuffling machines (CSMs), which ruin the rhythm of the game and feel rigged. You’ll see robotic hands—double down on 11 vs. dealer’s 6, get a 5, and somehow that dealer’s 6 morphs into 18. Again and again.

Want a hand-shuffled table? Not until the CSM table is full—which almost never happens anymore because the place is empty. It's a blatant attempt to funnel players onto high-edge machines. It’s disrespectful to seasoned players who know the difference.

Meanwhile, Emperatriz respects its patrons. They offer $30 in table match play to everyone and scale up to $50 without forcing you to lose five figures first. Promotions are actually built to benefit players—automatic payouts on 21, bonuses on trips (if you draw a pair of 3's and when you hit you get another 3 for example), 10x payout on triple 7s, and real weekly loyalty rewards: up to $100 in match play just for showing up regularly.

Food? Night and day. Emperatriz rotates quality menus—sushi, Italian, and more, with free drinks for all. Colonial? You’re lucky to get a stale sandwich unless you’re on the inside or holding a high-tier card. Their dinner service is passable, occasionally good, but far from consistent.

Bottom line: As a table player, I see zero areas where Colonial outperforms Emperatriz. If you value real perks, fair play, and being treated like more than a number, the choice is obvious. Colonial has lost its edge—and...

No me gustó. Desde el momento que traté de entrar, el doorman/security asked us to leave/ check-in our bags at the front. Only when I explained to him, I had my money there and would not check in my bag, he let us in. Para jugar hay que obtener una tarjeta. Verónica was rude at the cage. She didn't want my Identification, but my US Passport and she took a photocopy of it. To get a casino card to play? Seriously?! I won't go back. Emperatriz Casino is much better! Stay away...

if you are a tourist avoid this casino... I was playing there, and after 13 hands of the BJ dealer making 20 or 21 I stomped the table, and curse the dealer's luck... next thing I know, I was being threaten by the supervisor, who called the security to intimidated me... definitely you would not want to be in that situation, in a dangerous country... either, have nerve of steel or avoid this place at all cost, it may...