Gaming Floor: What I Found After Testing the Space
Over a couple of weeks drifting in and out of Starlight Casino Edmonton at West Edmonton Mall, the first thing that really landed for me was the size. At roughly 64,000 square feet, the floor feels big even by Alberta standards, but not chaotic. Sections are laid out in a way that lets you move between machines and table pits without that maze effect some mall casinos suffer from.
The slot inventory is hefty, although the exact number is a bit of a moving target. Depending on which directory you check, you will see anything between 450 and 768 machines. On the ground, the floor feels dense: video slots, more traditional reel-style games, progressives parked in clusters across a few zones. There is also a clear step up in the Starlight Room, the high-limit area set apart from the main floor. It is quieter, lighting is softer, and the whole thing feels more controlled.
Table games and poker fill out the rest. Roughly forty tables in total, counting poker. I tried different blackjack tables on weekdays and later in the evenings, and table minimums shifted with the usual pattern: lower in slow periods, higher when the room fills up. Poker does not run around the clock, so checking the schedule on edmonton.starlightcasino.ca before committing to a trip really does save time.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Gaming floor size | ~64,000 sq ft |
| Gaming machines | 450-768 units (sources vary) |
| Table and poker games | ~40 |
| High-limit area | Starlight Room |
| Location | West Edmonton Mall, Entrance 9 |
Getting There and Getting Oriented
West Edmonton Mall is huge, so knowing where you are going before you show up helps a lot. The simplest way in is through Entrance 9 off 170 Street NW. From there, you just follow the internal mall signs toward unit 2710 on the upper level. Coming from the Mayfield Toyota Ice Rink side, the second-level entrance on that end takes you into roughly the same corridor.
Before you sit down at anything, a few basic tasks are worth getting out of the way:
- Have valid government-issued ID ready. Alberta’s minimum age is 18 and staff do check it.
- Grab a property map at the front desk, or at least glance at the floor layout posted near the entrance.
- If you want high-limit action, follow the Starlight Room signs instead of wandering the main floor hoping to spot it.
- Look at the table games board by the main pit to see current minimums and what is actually open.
- Sort out your Encore Rewards card at the players desk - either register fresh or get your existing card scanned before play.
Encore Rewards is the backbone for tracking play here. It is Gateway Casinos’ loyalty system, so whatever you earn in Edmonton can be used or built on at other Gateway and Starlight properties across Canada. If you bounce between provinces or visit other Gateway venues, that cross-property link becomes useful instead of just a marketing line.
One simple rule that I try to stick to: sign up for the players program before your first session, because they are not going to retroactively credit your earlier play. Once a visit is untracked, those points are basically gone.
From Palace Casino to Starlight
This space did not always look like it does now. For years, the same footprint at West Edmonton Mall operated as Palace Casino. That only changed when Gateway Casinos and Entertainment Limited took over, shut things down for a full overhaul, and came back with the Starlight branding. The official relaunch date was September 26, 2018.
Gateway itself runs properties in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. The Starlight name shows up in a few of those markets - Point Edward, New Westminster, and here in Edmonton. So this venue is not some isolated, one-off room in a mall, it plugs into a broader network. Practically, that shows up mostly in how loyalty points work and how certain promotions align with the rest of the group.
According to AES Engineering, which was involved in the project, the work done on the property went beyond a paint job. The floor was expanded, the interior rebuilt, and the design brought in line with the Starlight brand. Walking through it now, the space feels like it was designed from scratch for this role rather than squeezed into whatever the mall had spare, which is not always the case in similar locations.
Dining and the Rest of the Property
During my visits I tried both of the on-site restaurants. Officially there are two food outlets attached to the venue, but those can rotate or rebrand, so it is worth double-checking directly with the casino if dining is a big part of your plan. Drink service is woven into the gaming floor itself, which is convenient if you prefer not to leave a table or machine when you want a beer or a cocktail.
On weekend nights, seats around the bar disappeared quickly. Turning up earlier in the afternoon or early evening gave me way more choices; later on, you end up hovering until a spot frees up. I never needed a reservation for the restaurants during my stays, although Friday and Saturday peaks did mean a short wait more than once.
| Venue Area | Notes |
|---|---|
| Restaurants | 2 on-site (confirm current lineup with property) |
| Bar service | Integrated into gaming floor |
| Starlight Room | High-limit gaming, quieter environment |
| Loyalty desk | Encore Rewards registration and redemption |
