The main attraction of a Caribbean vacation has always been the sugar-white sand and clear, turquoise sea of a quiet beach. But some visitors prefer to spice up their tropical getaway by trying their luck at the green-felt gaming tables.

Throughout the region, at least a dozen islands offer casino gaming. Island casinos range from the grand and luxurious, such as Atlantis Resort's 60,000-square-foot Vegas-style gambling palace on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, to the curiously named American Casino at Jack Tar Village in the Dominican Republic, which has about 40 slot machines and a dozen table games.