Vegas touch charms gamblers of swamp country

New York

HOME to swamp tours, refineries and petrochemical plants (not to mention the occasional alligator), Lake Charles isn't often mistaken for Las Vegas.

But the Louisiana city is becoming a bright spot among recovering US gambling destinations, with its three bustling casinos - the newest of which of has seven restaurants, five bars, a beach, a marina with deep-water yacht slips and a pool that's open until 2:30am.

"It's very Vegas," said Brandon Gresham, a 32-year-old Houston hair salon owner who has made the two- hour drive to the resort several times this year. "Everything's shiny."

Eight months old,…