Starlight Casino Edmonton, inside the mall

Five kilometres east, as the crow flies

Starlight Casino Edmonton is 5.2 km east of Enoch centre in a straight line. That is a map distance, not a road distance. The casino is inside West Edmonton Mall, on Level 2, at #2710, 8882-170 Street NW, Edmonton, AB T5T 3J7. Phone: (780) 444-2112.

It has its own exterior door, Entrance 9, on 90 Avenue between 170 Street and 178 Street. The operator is Gateway Casino & Entertainment Limited. The venue was the Palace Casino until a renovation and rebrand reopened it as Starlight in 2018.

The mall also matters for the way back west. River Cree Resort & Casino runs a free shuttle for its guests to and from West Edmonton Mall every 30 minutes. River Cree gives the full schedule by phone at 780-930-2562. The other stops on this road are listed on Casinos along the way.

Hours and the floor

The casino publishes these hours. The venue and the slots are open 24/7. Table games run daily from 11 am to 3 am. River Cree publishes the same pattern: slots around the clock, tables from 11 am to 3 am.

• Slots: coinless (ticket in, ticket out), from 1-cent to $5 machines. The casino describes a high-limit area, the Starlight Room, as recently opened.
• Live tables: craps (Friday and Saturday from 3 pm), roulette, EZ Baccarat and Ruyi Baccarat, Double Down Madness, blackjack and Free Bet blackjack, Ultimate Texas Hold'em and 3 Card Poker Temptation.
• Replay Arena: 18 individual electronic stations with baccarat, blackjack, craps, roulette and sic bo.

The table-games page lists no player-versus-player poker room. River Cree has one, just off its main floor.

Food and drink on the current list: Nova Bar in the centre of the floor (daily 9 am to 2 am), CHOW Lucky Noodle Bar (daily 11 am to 10 pm, dine-in and take-out) and Atlas Steak + Fish (Wednesday to Sunday evenings from 4:30 pm). Halley's Club opens only for special events and private bookings.

The loyalty program is Winner's Edge. You can sign up at Guest Services, at a kiosk or online. It is the same province-wide program River Cree promotes alongside its own Players Club.

Getting there, with or without a car

By car. West Edmonton Mall puts itself about 12 km from downtown. From the airport, the casino's directions follow Highway 2 to the 170 St NW exit, then 170 Street to 90 Avenue.

Parking. The casino names lots 9-A, 9-B, 9-C and 9-D at Entrance 9 as its preferred parking. Neither the casino nor the mall publishes a fee for these lots. River Cree publishes its parking as free, both self and valet. The mall says accessible parking is available at each entrance and level, with the most spaces in lots 48, 50 and 58, and that all entrances have ramps and push-to-open switches. DATS stops are at Entrances 8, 32, 48, 50, 52 and 58. Entrance 9 is not on that list.

Without a car. The West Edmonton Mall Transit Centre is running from a temporary location on 90 Avenue, on the north side of the mall beside West Edmonton Mall Inn. The City lists it at 175 Street and 90 Avenue (stops 5212, 5216, 5218 and 5840). That is the same avenue as Entrance 9.

• Routes 2, 4 and 7 are frequent. Route 7 and the 900X Super Express run to downtown.
• Route 916, the ETS route that runs along Granville Drive near River Cree, also serves this transit centre.
• Late at night, Route 2 Clareview Owl trips leave roughly every 30 minutes from about 12:30 am to 2:30 am.
• Fares listed by the City: $3 with an Arc card or a tapped credit or debit card, $3.75 cash, and $10.50 for a 24-hour Arc ticket.

There is no LRT to the mall yet. The City expects construction on Valley Line West to be complete in 2028, with testing to follow. The casino's own directions page still shows the old transit centre and an outdated route list, so follow the City's listing. More on this on Without a car.

Around the stop

The casino sits next to the Ice Palace, the mall's NHL-sized rink with year-round public skating. For an overnight stop, Fantasyland Hotel is inside the mall with an indoor connection, and West Edmonton Mall Inn is across 90 Avenue. River Cree has its own hotel back in Enoch.

Other evening options in the same building include Jubilations Dinner Theatre, stand-up comedy at The Comic Strip on BRBN St., and the 13-screen Scotiabank Movie Theatre on Level 3.

Before you go

Gambling in Alberta is for adults 18 and over. Under provincial rules, casino staff ask for valid government-issued photo ID from anyone who appears to be under 25. Bring it.

The hours above are the casino's own. No holiday hours are listed. Check the official Starlight Casino Edmonton site before a late trip.

Every Alberta casino has a GameSense Info Centre. If the night stops feeling like an outing, call or text 211, or call the Addiction Helpline (Recovery Alberta), 24/7 and toll-free, at 1-866-332-2322. Limits and self-exclusion are covered on Help and limits.