Casinos Near Duluth, MN: Fond-du-Luth, Black Bear and the North Shore [2026]

Duluth is the only city in Minnesota with a casino in its downtown, and it also sits within reach of the most scenic casinos in the state. Within 20 minutes there are two floors; within a couple of hours along I-35 and Highway 61 there are three more. Here is what each offers and which to choose.

The Minnesota rule

Minnesota permits tribal casinos only. There are no commercial casinos, no state-regulated online casinos and no sports betting. Most tribal casinos admit players from 18, though properties set their own policies and some areas are 21 and over. Two of the five casinos below belong to the same nation, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

Five casinos, nearest first

Fond-du-Luth: the one downtown

Fond-du-Luth opened in 1986 in the former Sears and Roebuck building on Superior Street, which makes it one of the earliest urban tribal casinos anywhere and gives it high ceilings and a floor plan nothing like a purpose-built gaming hall. Two floors carry around 700 slot, video poker and video keno machines and four blackjack tables, with the second level as the smoking floor. There is no hotel, no bingo, no poker room and no restaurant beyond two bar lounges. It rates 3.6 from more than 2,300 Google reviewers. It is a downtown gaming floor, and that is the right way to use it: a walk from the hotels and restaurants of Canal Park rather than a destination.

Black Bear: the resort 20 minutes out

Black Bear Casino Resort at Carlton, run by the same Fond du Lac Band, is the second most-searched casino in Minnesota after Mystic Lake, and the property earns it. More than 1,800 video slot machines and 14 table games, mostly blackjack and Ultimate Texas Hold'em, sit under a 12-storey hotel tower, one of the taller buildings between Duluth and the Twin Cities. Three restaurants, a coffee shop, an arcade and a 1,900-seat concert venue fill out the property, and the par-72, 18-hole golf course is the differentiator: in summer this is a golf weekend with a floor attached. It rates 3.9 from more than 7,000 reviewers. Our Black Bear review has the full picture.

Grand Casino Hinckley: an hour down I-35

Grand Casino Hinckley is about 70 miles south of Duluth, an hour on I-35, and the same distance north of the Twin Cities, which is why it draws from both. The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe has run it since 1992. The floor holds more than 1,600 slot machines, parking is free, RV hookups are on site and the casino is open 24 hours. For a Duluth player wanting a bigger floor than Black Bear without a full day's drive, this is the stop. See our Grand Casino Hinckley review.

Fortune Bay: Lake Vermilion, with a catch

Fortune Bay Resort Casino at Tower sits on the southern shore of Lake Vermilion at the doorstep of the Boundary Waters, roughly two hours north of Duluth. Most guests are on a fishing, paddling or snowmobiling trip and treat the casino as the evening. The floor is slots with a table offering, and the Bois Forte Band does not publish a detailed count. The thing to plan around is the hours: it opens at 7am daily, closes at 2am Monday to Wednesday and at midnight on Thursday and Friday, and runs 24 hours only on Saturday and Sunday. A midnight close on a Friday catches people out. It rates 4.0 from about 1,900 reviewers.

Grand Portage: the North Shore at the border

Grand Portage Lodge & Casino sits just off Highway 61 in the far north-eastern tip of Minnesota, a few miles from the Canadian border and the most remote casino in the state. A 15,000-square-foot floor holds more than 450 slot machines plus a bingo hall, with no poker and no real table pit. The lodge runs 95 rooms, including five suites with fireplaces and Jacuzzis, an indoor heated pool, and the Island View Dining Room over Lake Superior. Nobody drives here for the casino. They drive for the North Shore and Grand Portage National Monument next door, and the casino is where the evening goes. It rates 3.9 from more than 1,100 reviewers.

Which one

For an evening from a downtown Duluth hotel, Fond-du-Luth is the only walkable choice. For a proper floor with tables, we rate Black Bear the best choice in the region, and it is better than Fond-du-Luth on every measure except distance. Hinckley is for a bigger floor and 24-hour play, Fortune Bay for a lake trip that includes a casino, and Grand Portage for the North Shore drive. The statewide list is in our Minnesota casinos guide.

Playing from home instead

Minnesota has no state-regulated online casinos. Sweepstakes casinos operate on a no-purchase-necessary promotional model; our best sweepstakes casinos in Minnesota guide ranks them from reviewer tests.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a casino in Duluth?

Yes. Fond-du-Luth Casino is on Superior Street downtown, the only casino inside a Minnesota city.

What is the biggest casino near Duluth?

Black Bear Casino Resort at Carlton, 20 minutes south-west, with more than 1,800 slots, 14 tables and a 12-storey hotel.

Does Fond-du-Luth have a hotel?

No. It is a downtown gaming floor with no hotel, bingo, poker or restaurant beyond its bar lounges.

Is Fortune Bay open 24 hours?

Only on Saturday and Sunday. It closes at 2am Monday to Wednesday and at midnight Thursday and Friday.