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The Virgin Islands have long been a favored vacation destination for tourists from around the world. One glimpse of the clear, beautiful, turquoise water and white sand beaches is all it takes to know why these islands are so popular.

Located in the Lesser Antilles, The Virgin Islands are divided into two parts, one governed by the United Kingdom (BVI), the other by the United States. The US Virgin islands (USVI) encompass 133.73 square miles and include the islands of Saint Croix, Saint Thomas, Saint John, Water Island, and numerous smaller islands.

While the population of close to 109,000 has remained steady over the last decade, every year many visitors decide to make a move to the islands permanently. Americans are particularly drawn to The USVI as it is a US territory and the currency throughout the islands, even the UK side, is the US Dollar.

One of the most famous islands in the USVI is Saint Thomas. Not only is it a busy port welcoming several cruise ships a week, but the hotels are usually full as well during tourist season. Saint Thomas has many attractions for tourists, like Magen’s Bay. One look at this breathtaking, heart shaped cove and you will see why it was voted one of the 10 most beautiful beaches in the world. It is easy to envision pirate ships hiding in the bay after slipping through the narrow inlet, as history recounts they did.

The port town of Charlotte Amalie is the capitol and is well known as a shopper’s paradise. Bargain hunters will find prices for gold jewelry and electronics being some of the best to be found anywhere. When the cruise ships dock, the town is teeming with tourists snapping up bargains.

Saint John is a nature lover’s dream with The National Park Service owning more than half of the island, almost all of Hassel Island, and many acres of coral reef. Snorklers and scuba divers agree, the amazing protected coral reefs are a must see.

The largest island in the USVI is Saint Croix, measuring only 28 miles long and 7 miles wide, it boasts 60,000 residents. There are only two towns on Saint Croix, which are Christiansted and Frederiksted. Like other islands in the Caribbean, tourists flock to the beautiful beaches of Saint Croix to enjoy the multitude of water activities.

A popular destination for snorkelers is Buck Island and The Buck Island Reef National Monument, which is a 176 acre coral reef preserve island, located just north of Saint Croix.
 
As with most popular tourist destinations around the world, the USVI recognizes that gambling is a favorite pastime for visitors. This is evident by the two casinos located on the tiny island of Saint Croix, where gambling is legal. Visiting poker players will be happy to know that the Divi Carina Bay Casino in Christiansted offers Texas Hold’em, and is open Monday-Friday 10am-4am and Weekends/Holidays 10am-6am.

More casinos may be on the horizon for Saint Croix. The Mashantucket Pequots, the tribe that operates the largest casino in the world, Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, has announced their desire to build a casino on the island at Butlers Bay. The plans include a 400-room hotel, casino, a marina, two golf courses, 160 residential lots, condominiums, a convention center, retail shops, and botanical gardens. The good news for poker players is that since the tribe offers such a huge poker room at Foxwoods, if they build a casino on Saint Croix, it seems a good bet it will feature a poker room as well.

If a trip to the islands isn't in your near future, download a poker game, play for free, practice your skills, win money, and chat with people around the world...those same people may fund your trip to the islands at a later date.