Tim & Di,

to hit some of your other questions -

The larger casinos we've been to (Westin, Casino Royale, Atlantis World, Princess) are very similar to American casinos. The smaller ones around Philipsburg tend not to have table games, just slots and video poker.

September to November is considered the rainy season (and the tail end of the Atlantic hurricane season of course), but it's not uncommon to get showers at other times of the year. They usually clear off quickly, though. If you go in May, the forecast for every day will be the same: 86, partly cloudy, chance of rain. Every day is beautiful anyway ...

As for other websites, I've yet to come across one with more info on St Maarten/St Martin than this one ...