Gaming & Parimutuels

Come to Miami for Its Beaches and Gaming Options

With its beaches and casino scene, Miami is a great place for gaming action. Throw in the “Sport of Kings” and thrilling jai alai frontons to wager on while cheering on sensational athletes – both of the two-legged and four-legged variety – and it’s a win-win day of entertainment for visitors and locals alike.

From Aventura to the edge of the Everglades, gamblers can play high-stakes poker while dining on scrumptious steaks in the dozens of fine-dining restaurants in Miami’s casinos. If you love horse racing, then set Gulfstream Park and Casino into your car’s GPS. If you’re a fan of fast-paced exciting jai alai then head over to Calder Casino, located about a football field away from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Magic City Casino is a gambling hall where you can also witness pelotas caroming off walls and into basques. You can bet on having a great time! Here’s our guide to Miami’s most tempting gaming hot spots.

Gulfstream Park and Casino

Nestled between Hallandale Beach and Aventura, Gulfstream Park Racetrack & Casino is one of the nation’s premier thoroughbred racetracks offering 10 months of championship racing. Experience heart-pounding action from the grandstands or be pampered like royalty while enjoying the Sport of Kings year-round (days of the week vary by season). There are also Vegas style slot machines, video blackjack and video poker plus craps and roulette.

People-watching and celebrity gawking is on tap in late January at Gulfstream Park during Pegasus Cup weekend, which began in 2017. It hands out a $3 million purse to the winner of the Pegasus World Cup and $1 million to the winner of the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational.

Horse racing handicappers can get a sneak preview of Triple Crown contenders at the venerable $1 million Florida Derby, which began in 1952 and takes place in late March or early April.

The 2021-2022 Championship Meet at Gulfstream Park runs through April 3, 2022 with live racing every Wednesday – Sunday. Racing is now open for general viewing.

If you’re a fan of pugilism, Gulfstream Park hosts several boxing cards per year. If music is your cup of tea, then check out the busy concert schedule. Gulfstream Park offers Music in the Park Wednesdays through Sundays. Guests can enjoy Symphony in Lights from mid-November to New Years with appearances by Santa Claus. All for no charge and free parking.

Gulfstream Park casino is open 365 days a year as is the shopping and fine-dining in Gulfstream Village, including more than 20 restaurants, bar and night spots. Ten Palms indoor and terrace dining is by reservation. 901 S. Federal Highway, Hallandale-Aventura, FL 33009

Calder Casino

For more gambling fun, trot over to Calder Casino, where you might strike it rich on one of the money-spewing slot machines.

Calder Casino is located in Miami Gardens, about a punt away from Hard Rock Stadium, where the Miami Dolphins and University of Miami play their home football games. It’s a great place to wind down after taking in a football game, concert or Miami Open tennis match at the Hard Rock.

The casino features a 100,000-square-foot gaming floor with 1,100 slot machines, including video poker, as well as electronic roulette and blackjack. Live entertainment can be found at Calder Casino on a weekly basis.

It is a non-smoking casino, but its Backyard Casino is Miami's newest and largest smoking-friendly, open-air casino. The casino is open Sunday through Thursday from 9 a.m. – 3 a.m. and 24-hours Fridays and Saturdays. 21001 NW 27th Avenue, Miami Gardens, FL 33056

Miccosukee Resort & Gaming

The Miccosukee Tribe knows how to throw a party. Just take a drive west from Downtown Miami and when you approach the Everglades, stop and check into the 3-star Miccosukee Resort & Gaming hotel, where you might hit the jackpot on one of their 2,000 Vegas-slot machines. Venture over to the Bingo Hall for high-stakes action. Learn about the Miccosukee Tribe and their heritage at one of their year-round festivals in the nearby Miccosukee Indian Village or take an airboat ride in the Everglades. (Note: the Indian Village is currently closed; check their official website for updates). If you want to take a break in between bets, get a tee-time at the PGA style 27-hole golf masterpiece, about 20 minutes from the resort.

500 SW 177th Ave., Miami, FL 33194

Casino Miami

Casino Miami boasts approximately 1,000 Las Vegas-style slot machines, 12 poker tables, electronic blackjack and roulette. Guests can dance the night away at Club Rio to nightly entertainment. You can also bet on jai alai, thoroughbred, harness and greyhound racing nationwide all from its state-of-the-art viewing facility.

Located about two miles from Miami International Airport, it’s a convenient location to take in the action. Casino Miami is open 24 hours, 7 days a week. 3500 NW 37th Ave., Miami, FL 33142

Hialeah Park Racing & Casino

One of Miami's most storied gambling venues, Hialeah Park Racing and Casino opened to the public in 1922, when it was known as the Miami Kennel Club. Back then, the spot was little more than a greyhound-racing track. Hialeah Park is even listed on the National Register of Historic Places and as an Audubon Bird Sanctuary because of the colony of beautiful flamingos living on the racetrack’s infield during racing season. The venue offers electronic roulette and blackjack, as well as more than 850 slot machines. An elegant poker room on the second floor with 33 tables draws players from across the region. And horses have replaced the greyhounds (Seattle Slew won the Flamingo Stakes on the casino’s grounds back in 1977 and went on to win the Triple Crown), with quarter horse racing and year-round races simulcast on screens in the Champions Sports Bar. Admission and parking is free.

100 E. 32nd St., Hialeah, FL 33013

Magic City Casino

Magic City Casino boasts being the first Florida casino to offer Las Vegas-like slot machines and brags about paying more jackpots than any other casino in Miami. In addition, jai alai runs from February through November. Magic City Casino hosts the U.S. National Jai Alai Championships.

Nationally known music artists and comics entertain guests. Sports fans can watch games from around the globe in the Sports Club on their huge-screen TVs as well as on personal TVs. A full menu with waiter service along with daily beer specials is available. 450 NW 37th Ave., Miami, FL 33126