th2 8118 are all the shake head places, tons of music, no tv went th2 once after meeting a group which were the princess/dj friends in sanjiang. partied until 8am, bill was like 1.2m, dirt cheap prices for everything.
casino there's one in the city after the airport, dasavanh hotel, else the thai lao friendship bridge which is like 45mins away. lastly the casino resort at Dansavanh Nam Ngum Resort which is by the lake and it's like a few hours away.
think general rule, don't be too flashy at these places