Alabama has five places where you can sit at a machine and wager, and not one of them has a blackjack table. Three are Wind Creek resorts run by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, the only federally recognised tribe in the state. Two are former racetracks at Shorter and Birmingham that now fill their floors with historical horse racing terminals. There is no commercial casino, no state lottery and no sportsbook, and the bill that would have put all three to a public vote, SB 257, stalled in committee before the Legislature adjourned in March 2026.
The five floors
| Venue | City | Machine type | Machines | Hotel | Google rating |
| Wind Creek Wetumpka | Wetumpka | Class II electronic bingo | 2,000+ (2,520 at opening) | 283 rooms, 20 storeys | 4.3, 22,700+ reviews |
| Wind Creek Montgomery | Montgomery | Class II electronic bingo | About 2,200 | 123 rooms | 4.2, 12,700+ reviews |
| Wind Creek Atmore | Atmore | Class II electronic bingo | About 1,700 | 236 rooms, 17 storeys | 4.3, 7,000+ reviews |
| VictoryLand | Shorter | Historical horse racing | About 500 | None operating | 3.5, 4,400+ reviews |
| Birmingham Race Course | Birmingham | Historical horse racing | 300+ | None | 3.7, 2,600+ reviews |
All five run 24 hours a day. Four of the five now belong to the same owner: Wind Creek Hospitality completed its purchase of the Birmingham Race Course from the McGregor family in April 2025, leaving VictoryLand as the only independent floor in the state.
Why the machines are what they are
Two licensing accidents, not one rule, explain the absence of a dealt card. The Poarch Band has never signed a gaming compact with the state, so on its trust land it may offer only Class II games: bingo, and electronic terminals that present a bingo result on a screen. Every one of the roughly 6,000 machines across the three resorts spins reels as a display layer over a rapid bingo draw against other players on linked terminals.
The two racetracks took a different road. Both held pari-mutuel licences from their greyhound and thoroughbred years, and both ran electronic bingo under local county amendments until the Alabama Supreme Court ruled 7-0 on 30 September 2022 that the bingo machines at VictoryLand and two other Black Belt venues were unlawful. VictoryLand removed every machine in early 2023 and replaced them with historical horse racing terminals, which settle each bet as a pari-mutuel wager on a past race. Birmingham had HHR first. Our HHR guide explains the mechanism.
Wind Creek Wetumpka
The biggest floor in the state at 85,000 square feet, on the Coosa River about 25 minutes from Montgomery, with a $246 million build cost reported at its December 2013 opening. It also stands on Hickory Ground, the last capital of the historic Creek Nation, and a Muscogee (Creek) Nation lawsuit over the excavation, revived by the Eleventh Circuit in October 2024, is still before the district court. Our Wetumpka review has the detail.
Wind Creek Montgomery
The smallest of the three hotels at 123 rooms, but the one with a night out built in. A $65 million expansion opened on 1 December 2015 with B.B. King's Blues Club, a brick-fronted recreation of Beale Street indoors with live bands seven nights a week. The floor is 65,000 square feet with about 2,200 machines, a high-limit room and a separate non-smoking room. Read our Montgomery review.
Wind Creek Atmore
Where it all began. The tribe opened the Creek Bingo Palace here on 13 April 1985, eight months after federal recognition, and replaced it with the current resort on 6 January 2009. The 17-storey tower rises out of a town of under 10,000 people beside I-65, roughly 50 miles north-east of Mobile, and the resort around it, from a 12,000-square-foot spa to a bowling alley and a teaching kitchen, outruns its floor. Our Atmore review covers the resort.
VictoryLand and Birmingham Race Course
VictoryLand sits at exit 22 on I-85 at Shorter, 16 miles east of Wind Creek Montgomery. It runs around 500 HHR terminals, simulcast wagering on thoroughbred and greyhound cards continues, and the 300-room Oasis Hotel that opened in November 2009 closed nine months later and has never reopened. Birmingham Race Course, an $85 million thoroughbred track when it opened in 1987, ended live greyhound racing in April 2020 and now runs more than 300 HHR terminals and a year-round simulcast room off I-459. See the VictoryLand review and the Birmingham Race Course review.
The rules that differ by venue
Age. Wind Creek sets 21 for the gaming floor at all three resorts, with photo ID checked; under-21s may use the hotels and restaurants. VictoryLand requires state-issued ID and posts 21. Birmingham Race Course operates under the pari-mutuel framework and sets its own entry minimum, so check its posted policy before you drive.
Rewards. Wind Creek Rewards is one card across Atmore, Wetumpka and Montgomery and travels to the tribe's properties outside the state. Our Wind Creek Rewards guide covers how points move.
Live tables. There are none in Alabama. The nearest dealt blackjack is on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, about two hours west of Atmore.
Online. Alabama does not license real-money online casinos. Sweepstakes casinos, which run on a no-purchase-necessary model, are what most Alabamians play from home; our Alabama rankings cover the platforms that accept the state.
Which one to choose
We checked ratings, review counts and posted hours for all five in September 2026, and the split is clear. For a stay, we rate Wetumpka the best choice: the largest floor, the tallest hotel and the biggest review sample in the state. Montgomery is better than Wetumpka for an evening rather than a weekend, because the blues club gives you something to do when you leave the floor. Atmore is the pick for anyone coming from Mobile or Pensacola. VictoryLand and Birmingham are for players who specifically want HHR terminals or a simulcast card; do not expect a resort. All five appear on our in-person venues page.
Frequently asked questions
How many casinos are in Alabama?
Five gaming venues: Wind Creek Atmore, Wetumpka and Montgomery, plus VictoryLand at Shorter and the Birmingham Race Course. None is a commercial casino.
Are there table games at any Alabama casino?
No. There is no live blackjack, roulette, craps or dealt poker anywhere in the state.
What is the casino age in Alabama?
21 on the gaming floor at every Wind Creek resort and at VictoryLand. Birmingham Race Course posts its own minimum.
Is there a casino in Birmingham?
The Birmingham Race Course, with more than 300 HHR terminals and simulcast wagering. The nearest resort floor is Wind Creek Wetumpka, about 90 minutes south.
