Casinos Near Bemidji: Eight Floors Within Two Hours, and the One That Closes at Midnight [2026]

Bemidji has no casino inside the city, which is the only disappointing sentence on this page. Ring a compass around it and you find one of the densest clusters of tribal gaming floors in Minnesota: eight properties run by four different nations, most of them open around the clock, several within half an hour of town. We checked machine counts, posted hours and ratings against each venue's own listing and against the Google Places pull behind our complete list of Minnesota tribal casinos in September 2026.

The ring around Bemidji

Drive times are estimates from highway geography rather than venue-published figures, so treat them as planning numbers.

Cedar Lakes, the one most people mean

Cass Lake sits between Bemidji and Grand Rapids on Highway 2, and Cedar Lakes Casino Hotel is the nearest floor of any size. It is also newer than almost everyone searching for it realises. The Leech Lake Band voted in May 2017 to move its Palace Casino Hotel closer to Cass Lake, construction started that December, the Palace closed on 22 July 2019 and Cedar Lakes opened three weeks later on 8 August 2019, in a build reported at roughly $50 million.

That history explains an oddity in its numbers: the property draws far more search interest than its review count would predict, because decades of demand carried over from a casino operating under a different name. The hotel runs 100 rooms and the amenity list is broader than the size suggests, including a food court, a brewpub, a gift shop, an arcade, an indoor pool and an event centre. The table offering is modest, so check the venue's current schedule before planning around blackjack. Read our Cedar Lakes review.

The one that closes

Shooting Star Casino Bagley is the closest floor to the west, and it is the exception to Minnesota's around-the-clock norm. It opens at 11am and closes at midnight Sunday through Thursday, running to 2am on Friday and Saturday. Fifteen of the state's 19 tribal floors list 24-hour operation; Bagley is one of the four that do not. It carries the highest Google rating of the Bemidji-area group at 4.0, from a small sample of about 815 reviews, and it is the same White Earth Nation operation as the far larger resort at Mahnomen. Do not book a late arrival here without checking.

Where the live tables are

This is the practical question in this part of the state, because most northern Minnesota floors are slots-led. Northern Lights at Walker is the answer for most people: more than 800 machines with denominations from a cent to $1, and unusually for a property this size, live blackjack and live poker rather than electronic-only tables, with the blackjack minimum starting at $5. The hotel runs 105 rooms with a pool and sauna, and the 9,000-square-foot event centre seats 450 and keeps a real music calendar.

We rate Northern Lights the best choice in the Bemidji ring for anyone who wants a dealt card, and a $5 live minimum is better than anything the larger Minnesota properties have offered in years. Seven Clans Warroad also has four blackjack and two poker tables, but it is two and a half hours north and the games run on a schedule rather than continuously. See our Northern Lights review.

The small one and the big one

White Oak at Deer River is the smallest of the Leech Lake Band's three casinos: 315 slot machines and two blackjack tables across 15,500 square feet, with no hotel. It is a neighbourhood floor with short waits and low minimums, open 24 hours, and it is honest about being nothing more.

Shooting Star at Mahnomen is the opposite. It is a 386-room hotel with a spa attached to a 73,000-square-foot floor carrying more than 1,100 machines, bingo, poker, a private high-stakes room and a dedicated non-smoking slot area, in a town of about 1,200 people. It pulls from Fargo, Moorhead and Detroit Lakes as much as from its own postcode, and for a Bemidji player it is the nearest thing to a full resort weekend. Our Shooting Star review covers it, and note there are two Shooting Star locations, so book the right one.

Practical notes

Age. Minnesota tribal casinos generally admit players from 18, but each nation sets its own policy and areas serving alcohol are commonly 21 and over. There is no single statewide minimum, so confirm with the venue.

Hours. Assume 24 hours except at Bagley, and check before a late drive in winter.

Online. Minnesota does not license real-money online casinos. Sweepstakes casinos run on a no-purchase-necessary promotional model; our best sweepstakes casinos in Minnesota guide ranks them.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a casino in Bemidji?

No. The closest floor is Cedar Lakes Casino Hotel at Cass Lake, roughly 20 minutes east on Highway 2.

Which casino near Bemidji has live blackjack?

Northern Lights at Walker has live blackjack and live poker, with a $5 blackjack minimum. White Oak at Deer River has two blackjack tables, and Seven Clans Warroad runs four on a schedule.

Which casino near Bemidji has a hotel?

Cedar Lakes has 100 rooms, Northern Lights has 105, and Shooting Star at Mahnomen has 386 with a spa.

Are the casinos near Bemidji open 24 hours?

Most are. Shooting Star Casino Bagley is the exception, opening at 11am and closing at midnight, or 2am on Friday and Saturday.

How old do you have to be at a Minnesota tribal casino?

Commonly 18, but each tribe sets its own rule and alcohol areas are often 21 and over. Check the property's posted policy.