Starlight Casino in West Edmonton Mall

Getting to Entrance 9

The casino can be entered straight from the street at Entrance 9, on 90 Avenue, which sits between 178 Street and 170 Street. Inside the mall, it sits next to the Ice Palace rink.

The mall has no LRT stop so far, which leaves buses as the transit option. A temporary West Edmonton Mall Transit Centre, on 90 Avenue next to West Edmonton Mall Inn, is where buses stop. That is the same avenue as Entrance 9. Some listings still give the old 87 Avenue location, which is no longer in use.

Routes 2, 4 and 7 run frequently, and Route 7 and the 900X go downtown. After midnight, Route 2 Owl buses toward Clareview leave about every 30 minutes until around 2:30 a.m.

Drivers coming from downtown have about 12 km to cover, or 20 to 25 minutes. From the airport, allow 30 to 40 minutes: Highway 2 north, Whitemud Drive west to 170 Street, then 90 Avenue. For casino visitors, preferred parking is at Entrance 9, in the 9-A, 9-B, 9-C and 9-D lots.

Every mall entrance has ramps and push-to-open switches. DATS stops at Entrances 8, 32, 48, 50, 52 and 58, but not at Entrance 9. Our getting-there guide compares the trip with the other casinos.

What sets it apart

The slots never close, but live tables keep shorter hours, from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. every day.

Dealers run blackjack, roulette, baccarat and poker-style games such as 3 Card Poker, played against the house. Craps opens on Friday and Saturday from 3 p.m. Its live games don't include a poker room where players face each other. For that, see the casinos with poker rooms.

The Replay Arena brings another 18 electronic stations, where players can choose sic bo, roulette, craps, blackjack or baccarat. Slots take tickets rather than coins and range from 1-cent to $5 machines. Higher limits are in a separate room, the Starlight Room.

Nova Bar, in the centre of the floor, is open from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. CHOW Lucky Noodle Bar is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., to eat in or take out. From Wednesday to Sunday, a steak and fish restaurant opens at 4:30 p.m. Halley's Club, a supper-club room, is now used just for special events and private bookings.

Starlight is part of Winner's Edge. Sign-up works online, at a kiosk or at Guest Services; with government ID, the card itself is then picked up at Guest Services.

From the Palace to Starlight

Long-time Edmontonians may remember this space as the Palace Casino, in Phase II of the mall. Gateway spent $57 million renovating it and held the grand opening of Starlight in late September 2018. The design firm Kasian gave the interior a cosmic theme across two levels, with varied light and colour.

Before or after, inside the mall

Being inside the mall makes Starlight easy to pair with something else.

• Ice Palace: the mall's NHL-size rink, right beside the casino, with public skating all year.
• Jubilations Dinner Theatre: a multi-course dinner with a live parody show.
• The Comic Strip on BRBN St.: live stand-up comedy.
• Scotiabank movie theatre: 13 screens with IMAX 3D options, on Level 3.
• World Waterpark and Galaxyland: for anyone in your group who isn't coming to the casino.

Two hotels serve the mall. Fantasyland Hotel connects to it indoors, and West Edmonton Mall Inn is across 90 Avenue, beside the bus stops.

Mall shops and attractions keep their own hours, so check them before you plan an evening around one.

Hours by day

Edmonton time, as the casino publishes its hours: Slots 24/7; tables daily 11 AM to 3 AM. Holiday hours can differ.

Questions