After spending a fair amount of time in Canadian casinos which are located off the grid, shall we say, I was very much looking forward to visiting the Great Northern Casino, which is situated in central Grand Prairie.

In fact, the casino’s city centre location is perhaps one of its most appealing features as there are plenty of points of interest nearby, but I’ll cover this in more detail later on.

After 20 years of serving the Grand Prairie area, the casino underwent a substantial $2 million refurbishment in 2022 which completely modernised the exterior of the building as well as revamping the food and drink spaces and adding further gaming offerings.

It was a big few years for Gamehost in general, actually, as the closure of all of their casinos as a result of the Covid19 pandemic prompted them to revamp many of their other venues, including the Deerfoot Inn & Casino in Calgary and Rivers Casino & Entertainment Centre in Fort McMurray.

I always look forward to visiting a freshly refurbished casino, so I went along to the Great Northern Casino to see exactly what is on offer.

Gamehost’s The Great Northern Casino first opened its doors all the way back in 1999 and, to this day, remains one of the most popular casinos in the Grand Prairie area.

The casino itself looks fantastic after its recent refurbishment and I was particularly impressed by the extensive range of table games on offer, which includes progressive jackpots – not something that you see every day.

But it’s not just live table lovers that are looked after here, as this place is also home to the maximum number of slot machines that it can legally house under its licence, which is 400.

Location

The Great Northern Casino is located in central Grand Prairie, also known as Peace River Country, Alberta’s largest city north of Edmonton.

The casino is located just 5km away from Grand Prairie airport and the city centre is within walking distance, which is pretty handy.

If you’re planning on arriving by car, the casino does offer parking however it can get very busy and you’re never guaranteed a space.

If you stay at the partnered hotel next door, free parking is available for all guests.

In terms of public transport, the Red Arrow Grand Prairie Ticket Office is just a 20-minute walk away and provides connections to Calgary, Edmonton, Kingston, Ottawa, and Toronto, to name a few.

Points of Interest

Points of interest nearby include:

• The Canadian Brewhouse – Canadian themed sports bar serving food and drinks in an upbeat setting.
• Bowling Stones Ten Pin Entertainment Centre – Bowling alley with food and drink options.
• Hornbrook Hollow’s Funhouse – Miniature golf course set in a vibrant, funhouse style setting.
• Muskoseepi Park – An area of outstanding natural beauty featuring over 1100 acres of parkland which is home to hiking trails, basketball courts, a skateboard park, tennis courts, fishing and much more.

From the outside, the Great Northern Casino looks fairly standard. The black and white theme can come across as a little bland but ultimately, it looks clean cut and fresh.

To be perfectly honest, I preferred the look of the exterior before the refurb, but that’s just personal preference as I’m a traditionalist at heart.

It’s the interior of this place that I found to be really tasteful – it’s modern without being ostentatious.

Sometimes, I feel like casinos can be mismatched when it comes to décor, but not this place. A funky patterned carpet compliments the industrial style ceiling and the black furniture adds a touch of class. 

The ceilings are quite low here and with no windows, it’s the machines that provide a lot of the light but this only adds to the atmosphere and creates more of an intimate feeling.

The casino provides 30,000 square feet of entertainment space which is split into different sections to accommodate the different games.

Table Games Section

All of the table games are available from 2pm – 2am on Monday and Tuesday, 12pm – 3am Wednesday to Saturday and 12pm – 2am on Sunday.

I was impressed with range of table games on offer here. You’ll find the live tables set apart from the rest of the casino in what is known as ‘The Pit’ (which I thought was pretty cool).

Casino-goers can choose from Blackjack, Free Bet Blackjack, Ultimate Texas Hold’em Progressive Jackpot, Three Card Poker Progressive Jackpot, Roulette, and Chase the Flush.

While I’m not such a big fan of progressive jackpots personally, they’re not something you see in every casino and the fact they are there as an option is a big positive.

During my visit, I kept it simple and opted for roulette, blackjack and chase the flush.

Now, you are forgiven if you have no idea what chase the flush is as I didn’t either and I’ve spent more time in casinos in recent years than I’d care to admit.

However, I’m always up for trying something new and I also thought it would give me the chance to put the staff’s knowledge to the test. 

I asked a casino floor staff member to help me out learning the rules of chase the flush and they were fantastic – approachable, friendly, knowledgeable and, perhaps most importantly when explaining the rules of a card game, patient. I picked it up in no time, though I’ll admit I don’t think it was my best performance.

As I visited on a weekend, all of the tables were being manned and there was a vibrant atmosphere around the tables which resulted in me sticking around for longer than I had planned.

Slots & VLTs

Slots is where this casino shines as there’s over 400 of them to choose from – from old classics to some of the newest machines on the market.

All of the slot machines are available to use daily from 9:30am and remain open until 4am on Friday and Saturday.

There is a decent range of progressive jackpot slots to choose from too and it was these machines in particular that appeared to be popular during my visit.

For those partial to a VLT, the recent refurbishment has yielded a dedicated VLT room that’s home to 30 VLTs.

Poker

Poker enthusiasts like me will be glad to know that there is a poker room at this casino which is open daily. It’s only a small room but it gets the job done.

Cash games, predominantly Texas hold’em and Omaha, are available to play on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and there are tournaments held every Wednesday and Sunday, with buy-ins from $100 up to $1000.

The poker room was fairly quiet when I sat down at one of the tables but within half an hour it had filled up and the atmosphere was great. The dealer hosting my table was super professional and I even ended up chatting to a few people around the table.

You can check the official Great Northern Casino website to view the full poker schedule in advance.

The poker room can also be booked out for private events by contacting the casino directly.

It came as a surprise to me that there isn’t an on-site hotel but the fact that Great Northern Casino is partnered with a hotel just a few steps away counters this.

The multi-award winning Service Plus Innes & Suites is home to 139 rooms as well as a pool and fitness centre.

I think the best way to describe this hotel is ‘no frills’. I’d say it’s far from being luxurious but everything is clean and it has a certain homely feel to it which I for one always appreciate when I’m away from home.

Another plus is that all guests are entitled to a complimentary buffet-style breakfast every morning of their stay which is a nice touch.

There’s also a really great bar on the bottom floor which was exceptionally busy during my stay and had a fabulous atmosphere.

Interestingly, there is also a Guest Appreciation event thrown here every Tuesday evening from 7pm. Guests can take advantage of free beverages, such as beer and wine, and appetizers while getting acquainted with the management team of the hotel.

I unfortunately missed out on this shindig as I visited on the weekend, but I thought it was a great idea – one that makes guests feel valued for sure.

Service Plus Innes & Suites Rooms

There are five types of room available at Service Plus Innes & Suites, which are: family suite, spa suite, king business suite, premium king, and premium two queen.

While the spa suite has the added bonus of a two-person jetted tub, I couldn’t find any noticeable difference between the king business suite and the premium king room. So, with this in mind, I decided to save myself a few dollars and book the premium king room.

I found my room to be clean and comfortable but a little outdated when it came to the furniture, in particular the sofa and armchair.

The bed, though, was incredibly comfortable and there was everything you’d expect to see in the room, including a flat screen tv, a mini fridge, bathrobes, temperature-controlled air conditioning, a desk, and a sofa – which, unbeknownst to me at the time, actually pulls out to form a queen bed.

Note that there are pet friendly rooms as well as pet free rooms available here which I think is always important (allergy sufferer here). 

Food and Drink

The Great Northern Casino provides punters with two places to eat: the Platinum Lounge and the Joker’s Café.

The Platinum Lounge, as you’ve probably guessed, provides more of a premium dining experience. The same industrial style ceiling that’s visible on the casino floor makes a return and the dark wood furniture helps make it feel more luxurious.

The Platinum Lounge is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and claims to use only the freshest and highest quality ingredients in order to provide one of the finest dining experiences in Grand Prairie. With a promise like that, how could I not try it out?

I decided to stay for dinner. You can expect to see all the classics on the menu, from steaks to pasta to burgers. There are also promotional food nights – Mondays are for lasagne, Tuesdays are for ribs, Wednesdays are for wings and Thursday is steak night.

I believe you can tell a lot about a restaurant by their steak so, with this in mind, I opted for the New York strip steak. It was definitely on the pricey side, but I’d whole heartedly say it was worth every penny and I could have polished off another one on top.

There is also a bar area which offers a range of premium cocktails, beer, and spirits. The cocktails, in particular, were great.

One thing worth mentioning here is the service – it was fantastic. I’m sure we’ve all fallen victim to poor service at least once at a restaurant. You know the feeling of being forgotten and having to awkwardly beckon over your waiter to place your order.

Well, that couldn’t be further from the truth at the Platinum Lounge. The waiters are attentive and can’t do enough for you. 

I didn’t get the chance to try out the Joker’s Café during my visit but I did poke my head in briefly. It’s a much more casual dining option, great for a snack or small plate in-between time spent on the tables.

Entertainment

I often think that you can tell a lot about a casino by the quality and regularity of entertainment offerings. I for one always appreciate a casino that hosts regular shows and events so I was very pleased to see the types of things on offer at this place.

Firstly, the Kokanee Comedy Night takes place every Wednesday evening from 6pm – on Wing Night no less! For just $15 a ticket, which I thought was very reasonable, you can enjoy a show put on by a host of different stand-up comedians.

It is advisable to book your ticket in advance as I’m told it often gets fully booked and at that price I’m not surprised.

What’s more, if you nip over to Guest Services and ask for a Kokanee Comedy Club card you can begin collecting stamps for each ticket that you purchase and after 6 stamps, you receive a ticket for free. 

I think this is a fantastic idea to liven up the middle of the week and I was disappointed to have missed the chance to attend a show.

On top of the comedy offerings, live music is a big deal here. Alongside local bands and tribute acts, Great Northern Casino has hosted a wide range of international artists including The Emeralds, Platinum Blonde, Aaron Pritchett, Prism, Glass Tiger, Dr. Hook, Julian Austin, The Irish Descendants, and Emerson Drive – pretty impressive, right?

From time to time, there are also events featuring the likes of hypnotists and impersonators too, so there really is something for everyone here.

The best way to keep tabs on all the upcoming events here is through the Great Northern Casino Facebook page which is updated daily.

Pool and Spa

The pool in question is the one located within the Service Plus Innes & Suites which I scoped out during my short stay there.

I must admit, I was pretty disappointed with the pool. I went in not knowing what to expect but it was much smaller than I thought it was going to be and it was undoubtedly aimed at families with children as the pool room is also home to a 210ft waterslide.

As more of a lap swimmer, I chose not to try out the pool but I did make use of the hot tub instead which was fantastic.

I was informed that the pool area is closed for refurbishment throughout the majority of August but I couldn’t find out exactly what the proposed plans entail. 

Fitness Centre

The fitness centre is located in a room next to the pool. It is quite small and the décor is nothing to write home about but it gets the job done.

Inside, you’ll find treadmills, biking machines, ellipticals and a selection of weights to choose from.

I’m not much of a gym bunny, especially not while I’m away on a trip, but I felt there was enough in there to partake in a decent workout should you be so inclined.

Great Northern Casino is fully wheelchair accessible and it looked like there was plenty of space to move around between slots and tables. 

The rewards programme on offer here isn’t one that is exclusive to this particular casino. 

The Great Northern Casino is part of the Winner’s Edge scheme, which is Alberta’s casinos reward programme. Registering is free and can be done either online or at Guest Services at an Alberta casino.

Once you’re signed up, you’ll receive a card which can then be inserted into any slot machine or electronic terminal for you to begin collecting points every time you play – earning 1 point for every $1 to $5 spent.

Any points acquired can then be redeemed for contest ballots or free play on slot machines and electronic table games.

Alongside collecting points, being a Winner’s Edge member means you’re eligible for various promotions and bonuses throughout the year as well as 10% off select food and drink at all Alberta Casinos.

Plus, right now Winner’s Edge are running a promotion which provides new members with a welcome bonus worth up to $1,000 in free play. Remember, though, this is subject to change at any time.

So, whether you’re an Alberta local or are simply planning on visiting a couple of casinos in the Alberta area, I’d definitely recommend signing up this scheme – if you’re going to be spending money there anyway you may as well get something back for it.

In terms of food, the Platinum Lounge is what really stands out and I’d totally recommend trying it out if you get the chance.

Ultimately, I enjoyed my visit to the Great Northern Casino a lot and I would return without hesitation should I find myself in that neck of the woods again.

Situated in central Grand Prairie, I think the Great Northern Casino probably offers the best casino experience in the area.

The fact that there isn’t an on-site hotel isn’t too much of a big deal considering the hotel directly next door, however the pool and spa did let this down quite considerably.