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Prince Edward Island Casinos

Situated across the Northumberland Strait and connected to the mainland by a 12.9 km bridge, Prince Edward Island is one of Canada’s hidden treasures. It’s been settled since at least the 1700s, looming large in the history of North America despite its small size (5,660 sq km).

This tiny idyll is home to Red Shores Racetrack & Casino and Red Shores Summerside Raceway, two establishments providing light and sound amid the peace of the Island. Join LeoVegas as we outline Prince Edward Island’s chief entertainment hubs.

Table of Contents:

A Deep Dive into PEI’s Casinos: More Than Meets the Eye
- Red Shores Racetrack & Casino: Charlottetown’s Entertainment Hub
- Red Shores Summerside: A Smaller-Scale Delight
The Games People Play: Navigating PEI’s Casino Offerings
FAQs

Prince Edward Island sits just off the coast of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and it has a few claims to fame. For example, it served as the backdrop for the 1908 story Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery, which is set in the fictional town of Avonlea. Prince Edward Island has long been a magnet for seafood lovers, too.

Charlottetown, the island’s capital, is also where you’ll find Red Shores Racetrack & Casino. Red Shores Summerside Raceway is an hour by car to the west in the city that grants it its name, Summerside. There’s also Dooley’s Bar in Summerside if you want to shoot pool.

A Deep Dive into PEI's Casinos: More Than Meets the Eye

Red Shores Racetrack & Casino: Charlottetown's Entertainment Hub

Let’s start in Charlottetown. The Charlottetown Driving Park at Red Shores Racetrack & Casino offers harness racing, which is a bit like the chariot racing of old. Its website describes it as the "Kentucky [Derby] of Canada". Race days at Charlottetown Driving Park are frequent, occurring around 3 to 4 times a week.

Red Shores Racetrack & Casino is a mixed entertainment venue, so there are plenty of other things to do. Play 200 traditional and video slots or join a table for blackjack, baccarat, and Ultimate Texas Hold'em. The Red Shores Premium Rewards Club is a free incentive for returning. This Charlottetown venue usually opens at 11 am and closes in the early hours, at 1 or 2 am.

Prince Edward Island's fondness for food is reflected in the quartet of eateries and lounges at Red Shores Racetrack & Casino. Get a privileged view of Charlottetown Driving Park at Top Of The Park, a buffet-style restaurant. Eat Haddock Florentine, Seafood Chowder, and Mesquite BBQ Meatloaf, among other local delights.

O'Brien's Social Bar and Kitchen and the West End Bar & Grill have a more casual vibe, while Red's Gold Cup Lounge feeds and waters guests on the casino floor. Visitors craving some fresh air can head to the Trackside Patio.

Red Shores Summerside: A Smaller-Scale Delight

Red Shores Summerside is Charlottetown in microcosm. The site has a single restaurant, the West End Bar & Grill, filling the casual dining niche. A current seven-day schedule of specials includes a Chicken Bacon Ranch Burger, a Fish & Chips Platter, and a Southwest Chicken Wrap Platter, although this is subject to change.

Summerside claims a "newly renovated" gaming floor populated with Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs). It has 40 slots. However, the operator complements these with live and simulcast racing.

Red Shores Summerside is the suburban cousin of the city-going casino in Charlottetown, so it has a different array of attractions nearby.

Winner of TripAdvisor's Travellers' Choice Award in 2024, the Wyatt Historic House Museum is a preserved 1867 building giving glimpses of upper-class living in the area’s formative years. Prince Edward Island's Celtic heritage is displayed at the College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts, which hosts regular shows.

Summerside Farmers' Market offers an alternative to city supermarkets, while a pair of lighthouses (Indian Head and Summerside Range) keep the nearby ocean at bay. There's also an aircraft preserve at Slemon Park.

The Games People Play: Navigating PEI's Casino Offerings

Slot Machines

In total, 240 slot machines are sequestered on Prince Edward Island, along with a handful at Dooley's Bar. Red Shores is tight-lipped about which specific slots its casinos have, but progressive jackpots aren't unheard of in Canada. American Original, Diamond Millions, Jackpot Junction, and Alberta Gold carry these "Wide-Area" prizes.

Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs)

VLTs are especially common in Indigenous casinos (the Mi'kmaq tribe first settled on Prince Edward Island), but they're easily found throughout Canada. A VLT uses lottery or bingo mechanics to determine winners instead of Random Number Generation.

Table Games

Red Shores Racetrack & Casino in Charlottetown provides table games on Prince Edward Island. As mentioned earlier, these are baccarat, blackjack, and a single poker variant, Ultimate Texas Hold'em. You might find VLTs inspired by table games on the gaming floor, however.

Blackjack, Roulette, and Poker

Roulette is the easiest table game to get started with; all you have to do is guess which pocket the ball will land in on the wheel. Blackjack is also a simple game on paper – the dealer and the player compete to see who can get closest to a total of 21 without going over – but a few golden rules benefit newcomers. Always split Aces and Eights, for example.

Approaching a poker table without knowing how to play first is poor etiquette as players take their craft seriously. Practice online or at home with friends to master the basics. Alternatively, seek out three-card video poker. Like blackjack, this casino-style game is played between the dealer and the player and has fewer rules to learn.

Live Racing

Red Shores Racetrack & Casino and Red Shores Summerside have racetracks. You'll be able to catch the 56th Governor's Plate, Gold Cup & Saucer Trials, 65th Gold Cup & Saucer, and the Atlantic Breeders Crown. You can bet on live races or simulcast events when the track is quiet.