Size is the easiest casino question to ask and one of the hardest to answer, because directories quote different numbers for the same building. So we used one metric and one source: the slot and gaming machine count stated on each venue's own page on this site, with floor area added where the page gives it. On that basis the answer is not close. Mystic Lake at Prior Lake lists more than 4,000 machines. That is more than Treasure Island and Black Bear, the joint runners-up, have between them. Sixteen Minnesota floors publish a count; three do not and are left out of the ranking.
The ranking
| # | Casino | Town | Machines | Live tables | Floor area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mystic Lake Casino Hotel | Prior Lake | 4,000+ | 90+ | Not stated |
| 2= | Treasure Island | Welch | 1,800 | 40 | Not stated |
| 2= | Black Bear | Carlton | 1,800+ | 14 | Not stated |
| 4 | Grand Casino Hinckley | Hinckley | 1,600+ | 40+ | Not stated |
| 5 | Jackpot Junction | Morton | 1,250 | Not counted | Not stated |
| 6 | Shooting Star | Mahnomen | 1,100+ | Not counted | 73,000 sq ft |
| 7 | Prairie's Edge | Granite Falls | 1,000 | Not counted | Not stated |
| 8 | Northern Lights | Walker | 800+ | Not counted | Not stated |
| 9 | Fond-du-Luth | Duluth | About 700 | 4 | Not stated |
| 10 | Seven Clans Thief River Falls | Thief River Falls | 654 | 4 | Not stated |
| 11 | Cedar Lakes | Cass Lake | 650 | Not counted | Not stated |
| 12 | Seven Clans Warroad | Warroad | 470+ | 6 | 13,608 sq ft |
| 13 | Grand Portage | Grand Portage | 450+ | None listed | 15,000 sq ft |
| 14 | White Oak | Deer River | 315 | 2 | 15,500 sq ft |
| 15 | Seven Clans Red Lake | Red Lake | 300+ | Not counted | Not stated |
| 16 | Shooting Star Bagley | Bagley | 170+ | None | Not stated |
"Not counted" means the page names table games without giving a number.
The gap at the top
Mystic Lake is in a tier of its own. Its 4,000-plus machines and more than 90 table games, including a dedicated poker room, put it far ahead of every other Minnesota property on both measures. The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community runs it about 25 miles south of downtown Minneapolis, open around the clock.
Below it sit three floors between 1,600 and 1,800 machines, and they are built very differently. Treasure Island and Hinckley each carry about 40 tables, while Black Bear matches Treasure Island's machine count with just 14. Black Bear is the clearest example of a northern Minnesota floor leaning hard on slots.
The surprising middle
Shooting Star at Mahnomen is the only property in the top ten whose page gives a floor area, and at 73,000 square feet it is a large room in a town of about 1,200 people. Jackpot Junction and Prairie's Edge, the two Minnesota River valley resorts, both clear 1,000 machines. Northern Lights at Walker and Fond-du-Luth in downtown Duluth round out the group above 700.
Square footage tells a different story
At the small end, floor area and machine count disagree in an interesting way. White Oak at Deer River lists 15,500 square feet, larger than Grand Portage's 15,000 and Warroad's 13,608, yet it holds the fewest machines of the three at 315. Warroad fits more than 470 machines and six tables into the smallest stated room. A bigger building does not always mean a bigger floor.
Left out of the ranking
Grand Casino Mille Lacs, Fortune Bay and Little Six do not publish a machine count on their pages, so we have not guessed where they fall. Mille Lacs runs slots, blackjack, bingo, pull-tabs and poker; Fortune Bay's page notes that directory figures for it disagree; Little Six is a slots and live blackjack floor next door to Mystic Lake.
Biggest is not the same as best
A machine count says nothing about the rooms, the food or the drive. For an overall ranking, see our best casinos in Minnesota guide, and for every floor's hours and ratings, our complete list of Minnesota tribal casinos.
Frequently asked questions
What is the biggest casino in Minnesota?
Mystic Lake Casino Hotel at Prior Lake, with more than 4,000 machines and more than 90 table games.
What is the second largest casino in Minnesota?
Treasure Island at Welch and Black Bear at Carlton are level at about 1,800 machines. Treasure Island has far more tables.
What is the smallest casino in Minnesota?
Of the floors with a published count, Shooting Star Bagley, with more than 170 machines and no table games.
Is the biggest casino in Minnesota also the best casino in Minnesota?
It depends what you want from a trip. Our best casinos guide weighs hotels, dining and location as well as size.
