Located in the city of Lethbridge, just an hour’s drive away from the Idaho border, Pure Casino Lethbridge is the city’s premier gambling facility.

Pure Casino Lethbridge is one of four casinos in the PURE dynasty, with the other three casinos residing in Edmonton, Calgary, and Yellowhead.

For some context, PURE is actually Canada’s oldest casino operator and Alberta’s largest. 

As the first PURE casino I’d visited, I was excited to see what was in store at the Pure Casino Lethbridge, especially after hearing good things about this place in particular.

Pure Casino Lethbridge opened its doors in its present location back in 2004 at a cost of over $10 million and is actually PURE’s latest casino addition.

The 44,000 square foot casino is open daily from 9:30am – 5am and is home to a range of live table games, hundreds of slots, a restaurant, and its very own poker room which hosts regular poker tournaments.

Though there is no on-site accommodation, there are plenty of options nearby which I’ll cover in a little more detail later on.

But for now, let's jump straight into what the Pure Casino Lethbridge casino floor has to offer.

Location

Pure Casino Lethbridge is located at 3756 2 Ave Street, in Lethbridge, Canada, in the province of Alberta.

Without a doubt, the easiest way of reaching the casino is by car. The casino provides a large free parking lot for guests as do all of the hotels nearby.

The reason I’d suggest arriving to the casino by car is because the public transport options in the area are pretty limited. 

There is a bus stop directly outside the casino which the number 4 bus service runs past, but this only goes as far as Lethbridge city centre.

In terms of airports, the closest international airport to Lethbridge is Calgary Internation Airport which is located 250 kilometres north of the city. 

The exterior of the casino is pretty majestic and I really enjoyed the First Nation style.

Upon entering, you’re greeted with a large, imposing statue of some kind of mountain goat surrounded by large stones and there are other things, such as a buffalo statue which attracts many a selfie enthusiast, dotted around the casino.

The interior probably sways more towards traditional, with a muted, patterned brown carpet, beige walls, and red details.

For a casino that only shuts its doors for four hours each day, I thought it was exceptionally clean and well taken care of. Ok, there were a few imperfections here and there but overall, I thought it looked great.

Table Game Selection

There are 11 live tables at Pure Casino Lethbridge, with guests being to choose from roulette, blackjack, baccarat, Chase the Flush, and Ultimate Texas Hold’em. The tables are available from 2pm – 3am Sunday to Thursday, and from 12pm – 3am on Friday and Saturday.

I visited on a Thursday afternoon (which unintentionally extended into a Thursday evening) so the casino was relatively busy but not offensively so.

The live tables had a good atmosphere and I decided to try my luck at roulette and baccarat. I found the dealers to be friendly and professional and I did also get the impression that a lot of the players sat around the tables were locals.

Slots

Pure Casino Lethbridge has over 400 slots to choose from, which, to be honest, I was pretty surprised at as I didn’t think it even looked big enough to house that many.

Of course, there are bigger numbers of slots available at other casinos but I was impressed with the variance here too as there were slots by big providers such as Aristocrat and Everi. 

Plus, there were classic style machines alongside modern machines which I absolutely always appreciate as someone partial to a nostalgia hit.

It had been some time since I’d had the opportunity to play more of a classic style game so I spent the majority of the time on slots such as Way To Go, but without much success I might add.

Electronic Table Games

If you’re partial to an electronic table game, there are over a dozen to choose from here, including roulette, blackjack, and baccarat.

The electronic table game section of the casino was very busy during my visit which was quite surprising. 

So busy in fact that most of the machines were taken at all times, but this didn’t affect me as I much prefer the atmosphere at the live tables.

Poker

At the time of my visit to Pure Casino Lethbridge, it had been a while since I’d visited a casino with a dedicated poker room and, as a huge poker enthusiast, I was very pleased to see one available here.

The poker room is open daily, from 2pm – 3am Sunday to Thursday and from 12pm – 3am on Friday and Saturday.

The main game in question here is Texas Hold’em, but Pot Limit Omaha is available upon request on the weekends.

Plus, tournaments are regularly held too – Sundays at 3 pm, and Mondays and Wednesdays at 6:30 pm. 

There isn’t any on-site accommodation at this casino but there are multiple places to choose from within walking distance.

I chose to stay at the Hampton Inn & Suites Lethbridge which is located just a five-minute walk away from the casino. 

The Hampton Inn & Suites Lethbridge has 87 rooms and suites alongside all the usual amenities such as an indoor pool and fitness centre. Plus, there’s a complimentary breakfast on offer too and who can turn that down?

I thought it was a bit on the pricey side at $155 for one night for a king room, but after scoping out the other options in the area which came in at around the $160-180 mark, I didn’t feel as bad.

Anyhow, I enjoyed my stay there and found my room to be comfortable and immaculately clean so I’d recommend it if you’re wishing to stay in the area.

Some other options within walking distance include the Best Western Plus Service Inn & Suites and the Holiday Inn Express Lethbridge Southeast.

Food and Drink

The place to go for something to eat at Pure Casino Lethbridge is the Stage Coach Grill.

The Stage Coach Grill is open daily from 9:30am – 10pm and serves all your typical casino grub such as chicken wings, steaks, sandwiches, burgers, and salads alongside a handful of desserts.

I opted for a DIY burger and even treated myself to a chocolate cheesecake afterwards which I cannot recommend enough. In fact, I was really impressed with the food on a whole and I’m glad I didn’t decide to go elsewhere. 

Having said that, I did find the prices a little steep as my burger came to over $20 on its own, and when you add a drink and a 15% tip, it can start to feel scandalous.

For drinks, the Buffalo Bar is the place to go. Situated in the heart of the action on the casino floor and with views of the Buffalo Showroom, this bar is without a doubt a highlight of the casino.

The bar is also home to multiple screens which show all the biggest sporting events, so it kind of doubles up as a sports bar too.

In terms of the drinks on offer, you can choose from a range of cocktails, beer, wine, and spirits. I can personally recommend the Lady Luck cocktail – in hindsight, I may have had one too many actually considering I was around for Happy Hour.

Speaking of which, Happy Hour runs 3pm – 6pm Monday to Friday and 12pm – 4pm on Saturday and Sunday.

I was pleasantly surprised with the number of dining promotions on offer during my visit. Alongside daily special promotions, which offered things like cheap burgers on Wednesdays and cheap roast beef on Fridays, there were offers like breakfast buffets every second Sunday of each month and even a food truck festival which took place in the casino parking lot throughout summer.

Entertainment

I always appreciate a casino that offers live entertainment and I was impressed with the regularity and diversity of entertainment offered by Pure Casino Lethbridge.

Shows are usually hosted in the Buffalo Showroom and some shows that were in the calendar when I visited included rock band Rebel Angels, country bands Border Bound and Undefined, and a ladies night offering with Body Heat.

Perhaps the best thing of all is that the majority of the events hosted here can be attended for free, which I thought was very generous. 

Smoking

Smoking is not permitted inside the casino and guests wishing to smoke will need to step outside.

Pure Casino Lethbridge is wheelchair accessible throughout. 

It’s not uncommon that I come across casinos that offer absolutely no promotions whatsoever and it always dulls the experience for me a little bit, regardless of how good I think the casino is.

So, I was thankful that Pure Casino Lethbridge offer a very decent range of promotions as well as a rewards club.

Pure Rewards

Signing up to Pure Rewards is free to do and once registered, you can begin benefitting from things like coupons, exclusive offers, entry into member-only promotional draws, and 10% off food and beverage purchases.

I think the 10% off food and beverage benefit makes the scheme worth signing up to on its own, even if you’re only planning on visiting the once.

Winners Edge

Pure Casino Lethbridge is part of the Winner’s Edge scheme – Alberta’s exclusive casino reward program.

Singing up is free and can be done either online directly through the Winner’s Edge site or at Guest Services at any Alberta casino.

Once registered, you’ll receive a membership card which can then be inserted into any slot machine or electronic terminal inside Pure Casino Lethbridge so that you can begin collecting points every time you play – earning 1 point for every $1 to $5 spent.

Points you’ve acquired can then be redeemed for contest ballots or free play on slot machines and electronic table games.

Promotions

As I said, I found the range of promotions here to be fantastic and you can check out some of the things that were available during my visit so you can get an idea of what to expect (remember, though, these are subject to change):

• 20^th Anniversary Celebration – Pure Casino is giving out $11,000 of prizes which includes a trip for two to Fernie, a snow blower, and a home theatre package. 
• Wheel of Winnings – Join Winner’s Edge to receive a free spin on the Winner’s Wheel.
• Power Hour Hot Seats – Win a $25 gas gift card every Tuesday and Thursday with hot seat draws.
• Low Stakes Nights – Take advantage of low stakes poker games Sunday to Thursday.

I really enjoyed my experience at Pure Casino Lethbridge. In fact, it’s probably one of the best experiences I’ve had in a while.

I enjoyed my time spent on the live table games the most, though I had a great time wandering through the slots section too, and the fact there were classic slots available definitely earned the place some brownie points.

The food I ate at the restaurant was lovely, but I do think they are pricing themselves out of the market a little, especially considering that there are cheaper options nearby. 

The bar area is another big plus and is to blame for my unintentional 2am exit from the casino. The atmosphere in here was second to none and I would have stayed longer had I not needed to adhere to an early checkout from my hotel.

I think that Pure Casino Lethbridge offers everything you need for a good day out and I would have no second thoughts about returning if I was in the area again.

I think the slot variety is probably one of the highlights of the casino but the live table game selection is great too.

The restaurant offers a good dining experience, even if the prices are a little steep, which I always think is an important part of any casino visit. Plus, the bar area is a comfortable place to take a break away from the action of the casino floor.

I do usually prefer it when a casino has on-site accommodation but the fact there were so many options within a five-minute walk softened the blow.