Tripadvisor Says This Is the Most Family-Friendly Casino in Alberta

We’re actually a little tired of people thinking that casino destinations are all about drinking and gambling. In fact, when you look beyond the slot machines and table games, there’s plenty for families to do when visiting. 

You could all visit the buffet together. Or take a walk around the grounds. Or if that all sounds pretty boring to you (we have to admit, we could think of better things to do), then maybe you’ll opt for a show or check yourselves into a luxury casino hotel so that Mom and Dad can enjoy a spa day, and the kids can head for the arcade. 

Anyway, the moral of the story is that the best casinos cater to everyone, but it can be difficult to figure out which casinos in Alberta are actually appropriate for a family visit. That’s where we come in. 

We took a deep dive into Tripadvisor reviews to try to figure out which casinos offer the best experience for the family. We looked for mentions of keywords like “kids activities” and “family suite” to give each casino a rating. 

It’s safe to say that if you’re looking for a family-friendly experience in Alberta, you’ll want to head for Deerfoot Inn and Casino. Despite only having 68 reviews, our keywords were mentioned five times, so the casino got a rating of 7.35% on our scale. 

A few reviews called out the pool, which, based on our Googling, looks like absolute heaven for kids! According to one review, “We didn't use the pool facility, but it looked large and kid-friendly. The casino was really hopping all weekend with live music, a variety of table games, and a big poker room in addition to the slots,” while others had similar feedback. 

Elbow River Casino wasn’t too far behind Deerfoot, getting 5.77% on our scale. The most common word here was “safe,” which is reassuring for a family vacation. Elbow River Casino is located just outside of downtown Calgary, and as the name suggests, it’s right by the Elbow River, which should make for a pretty good family-friendly destination. 

According to one basic but positive review, “Came here with friends killing time during a wedding day, safe clean, and very cheap parking on the street in front. Would come again.” 

Century Downs Racetrack and Casino bagged the third place spot on our list, with 5.48%. This casino is an absolute must for fans of horse racing, and its location near Calgary makes it an ideal destination for a day trip if you live close to the city. 

One happy reviewer is already planning their next visit, saying, “The horse races were fun to watch from our booth table and we enjoyed ourselves so much that we are returning (hopefully, depending on reservation availability) next Sunday with my kids and husband!!”

Okay, but we’re certain there are a couple of casinos you should stay away from entirely if you’re looking for a relaxing family day out or weekend away. Don’t worry, we can tell you exactly which ones they are.

Here's our final ranking: 

Right at the bottom of the list, Starlight Casino and Grey Eagle Resort and Casino both got an absolutely terrible score of 0%. That’s right, not even one person (in almost 300 reviews across the two casinos) mentioned any of our keywords. No one even called these casinos “safe”! It’s pretty worrying, if we’re being honest. 

The reviews of Grey Eagle particularly called out how smoky the whole place is, which certainly isn’t ideal if you have kids with you. 

Pure Casino Lethbridge also didn’t get a very good rating, with 0.86%, based on just two mentions of “kid friendly.” It’s no surprise really, because you need to be 18 or older to visit the casino. So at least they’re enforcing their policy!

Methodology 

Casinos.com utilized Tripadvisor reviews to do an in-depth analysis of phrases associated with being family-friendly to determine the Alberta casino that is the most family-friendly. We calculated the percentage of family-related mentions in the total Tripadvisor reviews.

Keywords tracked: family friendly, kids activities, kid friendly, arcade, kids' club, family suite, childcare, babysitting, safe;

Disclaimer 

The data in this article is intended for entertainment purposes only. Casinos.com does not claim any one casino to be “more family-friendly” than another. Please don’t use the information presented in this article as gambling or betting advice, and as always, please bet responsibly.

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