There’s a reason that when the makers of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City needed a name, they went with “Vice City.” Yeah, we have more than our share of illicit drugs and even-more-illicit sex, but many often overlook another popular vice when they talk about our city: gambling.
No other city that does not base its entire economy around games of chance has more opportunities to flush away your welfare check than Miami, and locals and tourists alike flock to our horse tracks, dog tracks, and casinos like sailors to a siren.
The class of people who make up South Florida may also contribute to our prevalence of gambling establishments. Permissive state and local governments know the old adage: the longer you play, the better the odds for the house.
So what you get is a state, and more specifically a region, where you can bet on almost anything. Whether you like blackjack or horses, jai-alai or poker, there is always somewhere to wager in Miami.
Let’s take a look now at the buildings and businesses that make up South Florida’s booming betting economy.
21001 N.W. 27th Avenue, Miami Gardens
Broward: (954) 523-4324 | Dade: (305) 625-1311
calderracecourse.com
Calder Race Course holds more racing days than any other track in South Florida. From May until December, Calder offers live thoroughbred racing Thursday through Monday—except in July and August, when there is no racing on Tuesday. But despite its dominance of the racing calendar, Calder is about as stripped-down and nasty as a horse track gets.
Calder is a track for people who like to play horses. Period. There are no fancy restaurants, no slot machines, no poker rooms—just horses on the track and horses on TV. And the crowd reflects that reality.
You won’t find little kids running around taking pictures with the pretty horsies. You won’t hear anyone asking, “So how much do I win if the odds are 2-to-1?” In fact, the only women you’ll usually see at Calder are chain smokers and scrappy old ladies—often both at once.
What you will find is a sea of men planted in front of banks of televisions, screaming unintelligibly in Spanish or Creole at jockeys riding 1,000 miles away on simulcasts. Ironically, many of these guys don’t even bother watching the live races happening right in front of them.
The track sits next to Dolphin Stadium on the Dade–Broward county line, roughly 15 miles from both Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Calder offers live racing on the dates mentioned above and simulcast racing year-round. But like I said—this place is for horse players, so come ready to bet.
901 S Federal Hwy, Hallandale
(954) 454-7000 | gulfstreampark.com
Located just north of the county line in Hallandale Beach along US-1, Gulfstream Park is a multi-faceted gambling experience. Yes, it started as just a horse track—but after a multimillion-dollar facelift a few years back, Gulfstream now resembles a Mediterranean villa loaded with bars, slot machines, and betting windows.
Gone are the days of the outdoor concert stage hosting bands like Foghat or Kansas. Now there’s a central stage built into the heart of the complex, where acts perform as horses parade past on their way to the track.
Thanks to the addition of poker rooms, slot machines, casino gaming, and expanded entertainment, Gulfstream now attracts a much broader crowd. Families show up. Singles come for an afternoon out. Some people don’t even gamble at all—they just come to eat.
And that’s not a stretch. Beyond the food courts in the simulcast center and casino, Gulfstream features the Ten Palms Buffet, a sprawling affair reminiscent of classic Vegas buffets, and the newly relocated Christine Lee’s, formerly of Miami Beach.
3500 NW 37th Ave, Miami
(305) 633-9661 | fla-gaming.com
Located near the airport and next door to the legendary Pink Pussycat Gentlemen’s Club, Miami Jai-Alai is a landmark pari-mutuel facility in South Florida. It was even featured in the opening credits of Miami Vice—for those who remember such things. If you ever wondered who that guy with the helmet and the big, sickle-shaped basket strapped to his hand was, congratulations: that was a Miami Jai-Alai player.
For the uninitiated, Jai-Alai is a Basque sport played on an indoor fronton, which is essentially an oversized racquetball court. Players use a cesta—the aforementioned curved basket—to hurl a rock-hard ball at a wall. The opposing player must catch it with their own cesta and fire it back before it bounces twice.
The winner of each point stays on the court and earns a point; the loser goes to the back of the line of challengers. The first person—or team, since doubles jai-alai is also a thing—to reach a predetermined number of points wins. And you, the gambler, bet on this.
Yes, we understand the vast potential for corruption when betting on low-level human athletic performance. Much like the treatment of dogs at the greyhound track, most patrons simply push that thought to the back of their minds. Or don’t care at all.
Miami Jai-Alai features seating for 6,500 people, which is roughly 6,485 more seats than it needs on an average night. While the website photo suggests a packed house, I’ve rarely seen more than a few dozen people in attendance. This is actually a good thing, as it keeps lines at the betting windows refreshingly short.
The venue also includes a terrace restaurant with surprisingly decent food, a poker room that exists more in theory than in practice, and extensive simulcast wagering on other jai-alai matches, thoroughbreds, trotters, and dogs. Basically, if it’s legal to bet on in Florida and you don’t feel like leaving the city, you can probably wager on it here.
Miami Jai-Alai offers live action at noon daily except Tuesday, with evening performances at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Simulcast wagering is available every day.
301 E Dania Beach Blvd., Dania
(954) 927-2841 | dania-jai-alai.com
Unlike its Miami counterpart, Dania Jai-Alai has put real effort into marketing itself on radio and television. Its catchy “We Got Poker, Ponies and Jai-Alai” jingle will lodge itself in your brain, and if you’re anywhere in East Broward County with a sudden urge to bet on any of the three, the song makes the decision for you.
The jai-alai action itself is indistinguishable from Miami’s, but the venue is a different animal entirely. Dania often draws a respectable crowd thanks to its upstairs sports bar, card room, and expansive simulcast area. It also runs $1 beer specials on Wednesdays, which—somehow—seem to attract a disproportionate number of high schoolers.
Apparently, the “If you’re old enough to reach the counter, you’re old enough to bet” philosophy applies to beer as well. Whatever works.
The larger crowds and livelier nighttime atmosphere give Dania’s jai-alai matches a more entertaining feel, making it the better choice if you actually want to watch live action instead of betting in near-total solitude. The poker room is sizable, if not remarkable, and the simulcast area near the entrance is comfortable enough for televised racing.
If you live in Broward—or don’t mind the drive—Dania Jai-Alai is a true one-stop shop for pari-mutuels, with the added bonus of consistent live action. Dania offers live jai-alai at noon and 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 1 p.m. on Sundays.
1 Seminole Way, Hollywood
(800) 937-0010 | seminolehardrock.com
For those who didn’t know, the Seminoles are richer than God. And no, I’m not talking about people who graduated from that “university” in Tallahassee—I’m talking about the Indian tribe who once populated the state of Florida. This little gem just off Florida’s Turnpike, on the Seminole Reservation near Hollywood, is their flagship operation.
The Seminoles bought the entire Hard Rock enterprise a few years back, meaning they now own all the Prince costumes and Mark Knopfler guitars lining the walls as you walk through this behemoth casino floor. The Hard Rock in Hollywood is currently the only casino in Florida offering blackjack, baccarat, and other table games (no roulette or craps, though), per its agreement with then-Governor Charlie Crist.
It’s also the only casino in Florida with a luxury hotel on top of it, plus a full nightlife and shopping district just beyond a set of double doors. The closest comparison is the Hard Rock in Las Vegas—which, for my money, is inferior to this one (and please, shut up about the Rehab pool party already).
While the casino doesn’t offer the sheer variety of games you’ll find in Vegas, it’s roughly the same size as most major Strip casinos—without the smoke. The scale of the place alone makes it enjoyable to walk through, and the Vegas-style slot machines do an excellent job of convincing you to part with a few dollars on your way to Seminole Paradise.
Seminole Paradise is the aforementioned outdoor shopping and entertainment complex, featuring South Beach–quality nightclubs (some owned by familiar South Beach operators), along with several bars and restaurants. It also houses the newly relocated card room, now a massive two-story space that used to be a large sports bar. The entire property is designed so a tourist can visit and never actually have to leave to get the full South Florida experience.
If your goal is gambling—and you’re not looking for live racing or simulcasting—Seminole Hard Rock is the place. You get the widest selection of games, restaurants, nightlife, and thousands of people-watching opportunities. But the secret is out. On weekends, blackjack and poker seats are tough to find, and parking can be equally challenging (they literally have people you can pay to drive you from your car to the casino).
Also worth noting: blackjack minimums currently sit at $25, so don’t show up thinking you’ll stretch a hundred bucks for half an hour. The Seminoles didn’t buy the Hard Rock by running dollar tables.
The Seminole Hard Rock is open 24 hours a day, though bar and club hours vary..
5550 NW 40th St., Coconut Creek
(866) 222-7466 | seminolecoconutcreekcasino.com
avoid confusion: this is not the Hard Rock. Yes, the Seminoles own both properties, and if you read the papers this one is next in line for expanded table games, but Coconut Creek is exactly what it claims to be—a casino.
It’s large, clean, and generally pleasant, but the crowd skews older. Located between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, this casino attracts more locals looking to gamble than tourists looking to party. The bluehairs from Boca and Delray love this place, and it has a distinctly quieter, more local feel than its flashier sibling to the south.
The Vegas-style slots, poker room, video poker, and other games draw steady crowds, but you won’t need to elbow anyone to get a seat. Although given the average age of the clientele, your odds in a fistfight would probably be favorable.
Coconut Creek also features a very good buffet called Fresh Harvest, offering items you don’t usually find at casino buffets, as well as an ultra-lounge called Nectar. Because of its location and vibe, this casino is best suited for people who want to gamble in peace, without clubs, crowds, or spectacle.
The Seminole Casino Coconut Creek is open 24/7, but does not offer live racing or simulcast wagering.
500 SW 177th Ave., Miami
(877) 242-6464 | miccosukee.com
As you head west on U.S. 41 past the western Miami suburbs and into the Everglades, your last glimpse of civilization—if you can call it that—is the Miccosukee Casino. This massive hotel on the edge of the Glades was South Florida’s first mega-casino resort and remains a popular gambling-tourism destination.
The hotel’s biggest selling point is its proximity to the Everglades. Visitors can take airboat rides, visit the Indian Village, or watch an alligator wrestling show, all within a short drive. This is fortunate, because aside from slots and location, the casino itself is not a fun place to be.
The casino smells vaguely like the back seat of a used 1989 Cadillac, and cigarette smoke has saturated just about every surface. It’s visible in the air, making it a brutal experience for non-smokers. With blackjack now available at other tribal casinos and slots and card rooms popping up at former race tracks, Miccosukee’s gambling appeal has faded.
Yes, it boasts the most impressive high-stakes bingo parlor I’ve ever seen, and the floor is large enough to accommodate crowds. But the overall gambling experience is mediocre at best. The food doesn’t help. While I can’t speak to the fine-dining restaurant, the buffet and 24-hour deli will make you wish you’d stopped at The Pit Bar-B-Q on the way out to the Glades.
The Miccosukee have done an excellent job marketing the resort and maintaining steady business, but this casino is best suited for West Dade residents or travelers who want a home base near the Everglades with more amenities than a coffee machine. Otherwise, your gambling needs are probably better met elsewhere in South Florida.
450 NW 37th Ave, Miami
(305) 649-3000 |
If Miami nightlife had a weird uncle — the one who shows up to Thanksgiving still talking about that time he almost hit a jackpot in Reno — it would be Magic City Casino. Nestled in Little Havana, just a short ride from South Beach and MIA, this sprawling complex is where you end up when you’ve tired of bottle service, decided dance floors are too loud, and still haven’t fully wrapped your head around how Miami turned jai alai into a gambling sport.
Walk in and it hits you immediately: over 1,000 Las Vegas–style slot machines, flashing at you like a thousand tiny neon promises. There’s a poker room buzzing with games ranging from No-Limit Texas Hold’em to strange hybrid formats your buddy on Reddit insists are “definitely beatable.” The overall vibe lands somewhere between Curious Tourist Attraction and Local Favorite Offbeat Playground.
Hungry? The 1952 Café serves up everything from burgers and Cuban sandwiches to a Sunday brunch that’s worth at least a second plate — because nothing says Miami weekend quite like digesting a buffet before losing your dignity at a slot machine.
Just here for drinks and sports? Pull up a stool at the casino bar, surrounded by TVs blasting every game you swear you care about, and daydream about hitting a Royal Flush while the sliders stubbornly refuse to go your way.
And then there’s the entertainment factor. Between poker tournament adrenaline, the occasional live show, and — yes — actual jai alai matches, Magic City refuses to be pinned down. It doesn’t try to be Miami’s high-end nightlife or its peak party moment, and that’s exactly the charm. It’s gloriously chaotic and weirdly fun, in that unpretentious, “why not?” way that only this town seems to pull off.
Essentially, Magic City is Miami’s adult funhouse: not always polished, occasionally insane, and often the place where memories start — and wallets quietly shrink.
I have been on more than my fair share of gambling cruises in my life. SunCruz, Aquasino, Casino Princesa—I’ve made the mistake of going out on all of them. And to be completely honest, I could not tell you the difference between any of them.
Typically, you pay a small fee to either get on a boat that already has a casino on it, or a charter that ferries you out to another boat sitting in international waters. Once you get there, you gamble. Because you’re in international waters, these boats offer all the games you’d expect, along with Vegas-style slot machines. They also feed you free liquor while you gamble, much like every other casino in the world.
Those, incidentally, are the upsides.
If you truly love gambling—and can do it for long stretches—this might actually be a fun trip for you. But here’s the part people forget: the longer you play, the worse the odds get. And should you manage to cash out while you’re ahead, congratulations—you’ve just won the right to be bored ten miles off the coast of Miami in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
There is, quite literally, nothing else to do. You might find a lounge singer. You’ll almost certainly find a buffet of food that should not legally be called food. There will be a bar. But no one is going to hand you a fishing pole and a chum bucket once you step away from the roulette table and offer you a shot at catching a marlin. It’s a long, slow wait to get back to shore, and if you’re even remotely prone to boredom, you’re going to wander right back to the casino and give back whatever you won.
So unless you have a lot of money—and don’t mind losing it—do yourself a favor and stay on dry land when you decide to gamble in South Florida. We have no shortage of places eager to take your money, whether you want to bet it on horses, dogs, cards, or people. We love our vices down here, and gambling is no exception.
Just remember to gamble responsibly, and only wager what you can afford to lose. Because if you don’t, somewhere out there is a Seminole in a Range Rover driving around with the money you thought was coming home with you.
Editor’s Note: Originally published November 20, 2008. Updated in 2026 with new photography; Matt Meltzer’s original writing remains unchanged.
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