Birmingham Casinos: Where To Gamble In Bham
Birmingham may not have the traditional casino resorts found in neighboring states, but residents and visitors still have several ways to gamble for real money. The Birmingham Race Course Casino offers historical horse racing machines and simulcast wagering, while Alabama’s federally regulated tribal casinos are located a short drive outside the city.
This guide covers the casino-style gaming available in Birmingham, including the games and amenities at the racecourse, nearby Wind Creek properties, and the closest destination offering Class III slots and table games. We also explain the difference between tribal and non-tribal facilities, whether online casinos are available, and what future casino development could mean for the area.
Casinos in Birmingham, Alabama
The region does not have any traditional commercial casinos with state-regulated slots and table games. The city’s only casino-style gambling property is the Birmingham Race Course Casino, which operates under Alabama’s pari-mutuel wagering laws. Alabama’s federally authorized tribal casinos are located outside the city.
Birmingham Race Course Casino
Address: 1000 John Rogers Drive, Birmingham, AL 35235
Birmingham Race Course Casino offers approximately 1,000 historical horse racing machines. These games may resemble slots, but outcomes are connected to previously run horse races rather than independent slot-machine spins. Guests can also wager on simulcast horse and greyhound races shown from tracks around the country.
Amenities include multiple casual dining areas, a race book, televisions for watching simulcast events, ATMs, free parking, and a Wind Creek Rewards program. The property is open 24 hours a day and accepts guests who are at least 21. Wind Creek Hospitality acquired the facility, but the property is not currently located on tribal trust land and therefore does not operate as a federally regulated tribal casino.
Tribal Casinos Near Birmingham
There are no federally regulated tribal casinos within Birmingham itself. The Poarch Band of Creek Indians operates the following Wind Creek casinos elsewhere in Alabama. These are Class II facilities, meaning they offer bingo-based electronic gaming machines but not traditional blackjack, roulette, craps, or other Class III table games. To learn more, read our OnlineAlabamaCasinos.com tribal casinos guide.
Wind Creek Casino & Hotel Wetumpka
Address: 100 River Oaks Drive, Wetumpka, AL 36092
Wind Creek Wetumpka is one of the closest full casino resorts to Birmingham. Its gaming floor contains roughly 2,500 electronic bingo machines with slot-style reels, jackpots and bonus features. The resort does not offer traditional table games.
Amenities include a AAA Four-Diamond hotel, an outdoor pool, spa services, live entertainment, Starbucks, casual restaurants and FIRE Steakhouse. Its riverside location and complete hotel facilities make it a popular overnight option for Birmingham-area visitors.
Wind Creek Casino & Hotel Montgomery
Address: 1801 Eddie L. Tullis Road, Montgomery, AL 36117
Wind Creek Montgomery offers approximately 2,200 electronic bingo gaming machines. The machines look similar to slots but operate through Class II bingo technology. Poker, blackjack, roulette and craps are not available.
The property includes a AAA Four-Diamond hotel, an outdoor pool, fitness facilities, retail shopping, in-room dining and several restaurants. Dining options include Itta Bena, a Southern fine-dining restaurant, along with more casual choices. The casino is smoke-free apart from a designated smoking room.
Wind Creek Casino & Hotel Atmore
Address: 303 Poarch Road, Atmore, AL 36502
Wind Creek Atmore has approximately 1,700 electronic bingo machines featuring slot-style themes, progressive prizes and bonus rounds. Like Alabama’s other tribal casinos, it does not provide traditional table games.
Amenities include a AAA Four-Diamond hotel, spa, pool, restaurants, entertainment venues, event space, Starbucks, surface parking and valet service. Most of the gaming floor is smoke-free, with smoking confined to a designated room. Atmore is considerably farther from Birmingham than the Wetumpka and Montgomery properties.
Are There Online Casinos in Birmingham?
Online Alabama casinos are not legal in the state. Residents cannot access locally regulated casino apps offering real-money slots, blackjack, roulette, or live dealer games.
Alabama law permits only limited forms of gambling, including pari-mutuel wagering and certain bingo operations. Attempts to establish broader gambling regulations have failed to receive final legislative and voter approval.
Some offshore casino websites accept players from Birmingham. While these platforms are not licensed or regulated by Alabama, they operate legally within the region because they are obeying the laws within their country of residence.
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What Is the Difference Between Tribal and State-Regulated Casinos in Alabama?
Tribal and non-tribal gambling facilities in Alabama operate under different laws and regulatory systems. The state does not own or run any casinos, nor has it established a traditional commercial casino industry similar to those found in Mississippi or Louisiana.
Tribal Casinos
Alabama’s tribal casinos are owned by the federally recognized Poarch Band of Creek Indians and operate on tribal lands under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. The National Indian Gaming Commission and the tribe’s own gaming commission oversee these properties.
Wind Creek Atmore, Wind Creek Montgomery and Wind Creek Wetumpka are Class II gaming facilities. Their casino floors offer electronic bingo machines that often look and play similarly to slots. However, the results are produced through a bingo-based system rather than a conventional slot-machine random number generator.
These casinos cannot offer traditional Class III games such as blackjack, roulette, craps, or standard slot machines unless Alabama enters into a tribal-state gaming compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. Wind Creek confirms that its Alabama machines are bingo- or pull-tab-based and that conventional table games are considered Class III gaming.
Tribal casinos can also provide resort amenities, including hotels, restaurants, spas, entertainment venues, pools and rewards programs.
State-Authorized and Non-Tribal Facilities
Alabama has no state-regulated commercial casinos offering a full selection of slots and table games. Some non-tribal properties operate under narrow constitutional amendments or laws authorizing activities such as pari-mutuel wagering, simulcast racing, charitable bingo or historical horse racing.
The Birmingham Race Course Casino, for example, is a non-tribal property. Its gambling options are tied to pari-mutuel racing laws rather than federal tribal gaming law. Wind Creek Hospitality now owns the facility, but its ownership does not turn it into a tribal casino because the property is not operating as a casino on federally recognized tribal land.
State and local authorities have also challenged many non-tribal facilities that offered electronic machines labeled as bingo. Alabama courts have ruled that several of these operations were offering illegal slot-style gambling rather than legally permitted bingo.
The primary differences are:
- Tribal casinos operate on tribal land under federal and tribal regulation.
- Non-tribal facilities operate only under gambling activities specifically permitted by Alabama or local constitutional amendments.
- Tribal casinos may legally offer Class II electronic bingo throughout their qualifying tribal lands.
- Non-tribal properties cannot offer casino gaming unless a specific state or local law authorizes the activity.
- Neither category currently offers a complete Las Vegas-style selection of conventional slots, blackjack, roulette, and craps in Alabama.
What Real-Money Games Can You Play in Birmingham?
Real-money gambling options in area are limited compared with casino destinations in neighboring states. The primary place to gamble is the Birmingham Race Course Casino, where guests must be at least 21 years old.
Available games and betting options include:
- Historical horse racing machines: These electronic games resemble slot machines, but each result is based on the outcome of a previously completed horse race. Players can make real-money wagers and win cash prizes.
- Simulcast horse racing: Guests can bet on live horse races taking place at racetracks around the country while watching the events on screens at the racecourse.
- Simulcast greyhound racing: The property also provides wagering on selected greyhound races broadcast from tracks outside Alabama. Birmingham no longer hosts live greyhound racing.
- Certain locally authorized bingo games: Jefferson County permits limited charitable bingo under local rules. These games are different from the large electronic-bingo casino floors found at Alabama’s tribal properties, and availability depends on the licensed organization conducting them.
Birmingham does not currently have legal conventional slot machines, live poker rooms, retail sportsbooks, or casino table games such as blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and craps. Alabama also does not license real-money online casino apps or mobile sportsbooks.
Although Wind Creek Hospitality owns the Birmingham Race Course, the facility is not a Class II tribal casino. Its real-money games continue to operate through Alabama’s pari-mutuel racing framework rather than under federal tribal gaming law.
What Is The Closest Class III Casino to Birmingham?
The closest full Class III casino to Birmingham appears to be Pearl River Resort in Choctaw, near Philadelphia, Mississippi. The resort includes the Silver Star Casino and Golden Moon Casino.
- Address: 13550 Highway 16 West, Choctaw, MS 39350
- Distance from Birmingham: Approximately 170 driving miles
- Typical drive: About 3 hours and 20 minutes
Unlike Alabama’s Class II Wind Creek casinos, Pearl River Resort offers a more traditional selection of casino games, including:
- Conventional slot machines
- Blackjack
- Roulette
- Craps
- Live poker
- Sports betting
The resort also has hotel accommodations, restaurants, bars, a spa, swimming pools, entertainment, and the nearby Dancing Rabbit Golf Club.
Alabama does not currently have any Class III casinos. Its tribal properties offer Class II electronic bingo, while the Birmingham Race Course offers historical horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering rather than conventional casino gambling.
Are Any New Casinos in Birmingham Planned?
No entirely new casino has been formally announced for Birmingham. However, a significant redevelopment of the existing Birmingham Race Course Casino is planned under its new owner, Wind Creek Hospitality.
Wind Creek, the gaming and hospitality division of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, completed its purchase of the racecourse in April 2025. The company has said it intends to transform the property into a leading entertainment destination and expand its facilities and operations. Potential additions could include new restaurants, entertainment spaces and other hospitality amenities, although a final development plan, construction schedule and complete list of features have not been publicly released.
The property is expected to continue offering historical horse racing machines and pari-mutuel wagering while redevelopment plans take shape. Wind Creek has also indicated that it will work with city officials, racing authorities and the local community as it determines what visitors want from the expanded venue.
The purchase does not automatically allow Wind Creek to turn the racecourse into a full Class III casino. Unlike the tribe’s casinos in Atmore, Montgomery and Wetumpka, the Birmingham property is not situated on federally recognized tribal land. It remains subject to Alabama law, which does not presently authorize conventional slot machines, blackjack, roulette or craps at the location.
A broader casino could become possible if Alabama politicians approve expanded gambling laws, voters authorize the necessary constitutional changes and the property receives an appropriate gaming license. Until those steps occur, Birmingham’s most likely casino development is an upgraded entertainment and racing complex rather than a new Las Vegas-style casino.