Not everyone is the playing type. But if gaming does happen to be your thing, if you can appreciate the rush of a win on the video poker machines, flipping 21 years of age on the blackjack table or watching your outside favourite gallop across the finish line at the horse track, then British Columbia is your odds-on best bet. Here are our favourite places to take Lady Luck for a night out…
Casinos: The Gateway Casino family boasts facilities all across the state including the Lake City archipelago — a small grouping of casinos that service visitors and locals in BC’s interior. With locations in Kamloops, Kelowna, Penticton and Vernon, you’re sure to find a winner. Kamloops brags 301 slot machines and 8 gaming tables in a dynamic Mardi Gras-themed environment; Kelowna, 342 video poker machines and ten gaming tables in a Caribbean cruise liner atmosphere featuring murals, a rock-scape and a waterfall; Penticton, 228 video poker machines, 9 gaming tables including On-line poker, featuring a lakeside bar and restaurant; Vernon, 210 video poker machines, 8 gaming tables and an entertainment stage in a Tex-Mex Father christmas Fe-themed room slot thailand. And all locations come equipped with full-service lounges to wet your whistle between earnings!
Gateway’s other casinos are no less unique and appealing. The Starlight Casino in New Westminster is a 100 thousand sq foot amazing that is open 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week and features 850 video poker machines, 45 gaming tables and a poker room complete with electronic tables. A private bar and patio is available for customers and the popular Redbar provides an exciting roster of live entertainment. Cascades Casino in Langley brings gaming excitement to the Fraser Pit courtesy of 750 video poker machines, 27 gaming tables, a poker room and a high limit area for serious bettors. Throw in a 420-seat theatre, the renowned Glacier Bar and the mouth-watering Top Grill and you’ve got all the makings of a memorable evening! Grand Rental property Casino in Burnaby has cornered the market on warm Italian language charm with 1000 video poker machines, over 50 gaming tables, a show hang and probably the most stunning mountain views of any casino in the world. Wherever you are in the state, Gateway Casinos has you covered.
The Metropolitan Vancouver area is peppered with casinos, each bringing you their particular model of high-stakes excitement. Playtime Gaming in Abbotsford is the main largest bingo and community games revolves provider in BC. Coquitlam’s Boulevard Casino brings the complexity of the Western european playing experience to Canada’s Western side Shoreline with over 900 video poker machines, 69 gaming tables, an array of dining choices and of course, the entertainment of the Red Velupe Show Theatre, named after the famous Vancouver broadcasting personality. For a truly unique outing, go to the Regal City Star Riverboat Casino in New Westminster — a vessel that was originally called the Queen of New Orleans and was moored on the Mississippi. It features video poker machines, gaming tables, and numerous games such as Blackjack, Mini Baccarat, Pai Gow and Roulette, to mention a few. The River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond is Canada’s biggest facility, providing 24-hour-a-day gaming with over 900 video poker machines, all your favourite gaming tables and the place’s largest poker room with 25 tables! And for the brave-hearted, steel-nerved gambler, the Dogwood Room provides high-limit games and VIP service. Require a rest from the action? A worldwide food court awaits you as well as Runway 26 Gourmet Buffet Restaurant. Just the pick-me-up you need before placing some off-track table bets. Right in the heart of Town center Vancouver on the shores of False Creek, the Edgewater Casino is 300-thousand plus sq feet of gaming action with all your favourite video poker machines and table games — a fantastic way to keep the evening chasing after watching the Canucks play next door at GM Place!
The action doesn’t have to stop when you’re on Vancouver Island, either.
Great Canadian Casino View Regal is only a half-hour drive from Town center Victoria and boasts a super variety of video poker machines with over 400 machines as well as all the popular table games and a deli to keep you going as late as 4am on the weekends. Just an hour’s drive up island in the City of Nanaimo, the great Canadian Casino Nanaimo has 380 video poker machines and an ample number of table games as well.
Chances are, however, that its not all passionate game lover will find themselves vacationing on or near the British Columbia shoreline. No fear! Casinos exist all over the state. Try Cranbrook’s Casino of the Rockies, the only playing facility in the Kootenay Rockies. And with over 226 video poker machines, multiple table games and off-track bets, you may not need more? King George’s Tuscan-themed Treasure Cove Casino is another big winner with 550 video poker machines, table games and a 200-seat entertainment hang packed into its 37-thousand sq feet. And of course, the historic Billy Barker Casino Hotel in Quesnel has all the excitement of video poker machines and table games in the old town saloon atmosphere that made the area so popular during the Gold Rush.
Of course, not all gamers live for the rush of the one television bandits or even the thrill of table games. Some bettors like to take their luck trackside… For those with a hankering for the horses, BC can get you much nearer than your favourite casino’s off-track bets window. British Columbia has a full season of horse racing with events happening across the state all year at Sagebrush Downs in Kamloops, Sunflower Downs in Princeton and Relative Race Track in Vernon. Go to the BC Interior Horse Racing Website for meets, schedules and track conditions. And for those who aim for their cake and eat it too, BC has two Horse Track Racino facilities on the Lower Landmass: Fraser Downs Racetrack and Casino in Surrey and the ever-popular Hastings Racecourse in Town center Vancouver.