Generated scene, no people
Two seasons by the lake road
Cold Lake Casino Online by Season
The casino near Cold Lake is Casino Dene, on Cold Lake First Nations land at Route 28 & Hwy 897. This independent guide takes no bets and follows the same evening there through winter and summer.
By the Two Seasons deskChecked October 2026
Frost window
Is Casino Dene open then?
Mountain time: open by 11 am, closing 2 am or 3 am, with the pane's sky following the month's computed light.
…
| Night | Doors | Closing |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | by 11 am | 2 am |
| Tuesday | by 11 am | 2 am |
| Wednesday | by 11 am | 2 am |
| Thursday | by 11 am | 2 am |
| Friday | by 11 am | 3 am |
| Saturday | by 11 am | 3 am |
| Sunday | by 11 am | 2 am |
Mountain time. Before 11 am: not confirmed, call 780-594-7900. Holiday hours are not published.
One door, two kinds of light
Casino Dene's published hours have no summer or winter version: 2 am after Sunday to Thursday, 3 am after Friday and Saturday. The daylight is another matter. By our calculation, December 21 brings 7 h 18 min at the casino's coordinates, and June 21 brings 17 h 13 min.
In winter the evening starts in the dark, with blue dusk arriving in the afternoon. The whole visit, from arrival to the drive home, runs under a night sky. Summer turns that around. Guests pull in under a high, pale sky and walk out after dark, the last gold long gone.
Cold Lake First Nations' casino
Casino Dene sits on reserve land belonging to Cold Lake First Nations. The Denesuline (Chipewyan) Tribe conceived it as an economic development project for the Nation, and an agreement with the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (AGLC) brought it to life. Its doors first opened to the public on September 27, 2007. Alberta has six Host First Nation casinos and this is one of them; the Dene Ts'edi Society is its designated charity.
The floor holds more than 250 games across slots, VLTs and tables. At the 10 table games, the top bet is $100. The casino is open by 11 am every day and closes at 2 am after Sunday through Thursday, and at 3 am after Friday and Saturday. Holiday hours go unpublished, so a phone call is the way to confirm them.
- over 250
- slots, VLTs and table games
- 10
- table games, bets up to $100
- Thu to Sun
- poker tournaments
- 2 am / 3 am
- closing, Sun to Thu / Fri and Sat
December evenings at the casino
Winter evenings here start in darkness. Computed daylight falls to 8 h 08 min on November 21 and 7 h 18 min on December 21. Long before the 2 am or 3 am close, the sky over the lot has gone from blue to black.
Casino Dene lists ample parking among its features. A security escort to the vehicle is available on request, one of the complimentary services, along with coffee on the casino floor. For anyone not driving home, Hotel Dene & Conference Centre stands directly across the parking lot. The winter page covers that evening in more detail.
The way in and out
Your arrival, floe by floe
Pick a month, a night and the hours. Light is computed from the casino's coordinates; the rest is the casino's own information.
- Address: Route 28 & Hwy 897, Cold Lake, AB T9M 1P4.
- Parking: ample space, as the casino puts it.
- Leaving late: a security escort to your vehicle is available on request.
- Hotel Dene & Conference Centre is directly across the parking lot.
| Night | Doors | Closing |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | by 11 am | 2 am |
| Tuesday | by 11 am | 2 am |
| Wednesday | by 11 am | 2 am |
| Thursday | by 11 am | 2 am |
| Friday | by 11 am | 3 am |
| Saturday | by 11 am | 3 am |
| Sunday | by 11 am | 2 am |
Mountain time. Before 11 am: not confirmed, call 780-594-7900. Holiday hours are not published.
June, and the long light
By June 21 the computed daylight reaches 17 h 13 min. The light lingers over the lot well into the evening. Guests drive in under a gold evening sky and leave long after it fades.
Every weekend brings live entertainment at no charge, and Aurora Bar and Lounge has a new, bigger stage. The events page at casinodene.com/events lists what is coming up. Aurora serves all-day breakfast every day, is non-smoking and is 18+. Poker tournaments run every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The summer page follows that evening further.
From both sides of the line
Guests reach Casino Dene from both provinces, from Lakeland towns in Alberta and from Saskatchewan across the line to the east. The map beside this text marks a few of them. The City of Cold Lake is 12.1 km away in a straight line, and Bonnyville is 34.3 km.
Over the provincial line, Meadow Lake is 119.5 km in a straight line. Edmonton lies 231.3 km away by the same measure. Roads are longer than all of these figures. The map opens Google Maps directions for the drive.
Cracks in the ice
How far, in a straight line
Every crack runs straight from the casino to a town. Roads are longer; the button opens real directions.
34.3km in a straight line from Bonnyville
Directions in Google MapsPoints: OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors.
| From | Province | Straight line |
|---|---|---|
| Cold Lake | Alberta | 12.1 km |
| Bonnyville | Alberta | 34.3 km |
| Elk Point | Alberta | 66.6 km |
| St. Paul | Alberta | 80.0 km |
| St. Walburg | Saskatchewan | 104.8 km |
| Vermilion | Alberta | 118.6 km |
| Meadow Lake | Saskatchewan | 119.5 km |
| Lloydminster | Alberta | 120.4 km |
| Lac La Biche | Alberta | 121.7 km |
| Two Hills | Alberta | 121.9 km |
| Turtleford | Saskatchewan | 136.1 km |
| Lashburn | Saskatchewan | 142.8 km |
| Smoky Lake | Alberta | 148.0 km |
| Vegreville | Alberta | 152.2 km |
| Maidstone | Saskatchewan | 153.9 km |
| Wainwright | Alberta | 173.7 km |
| Athabasca | Alberta | 201.1 km |
| Fort Saskatchewan | Alberta | 207.3 km |
| Spiritwood | Saskatchewan | 209.3 km |
| North Battleford | Saskatchewan | 217.0 km |
| Sherwood Park | Alberta | 220.6 km |
| Edmonton | Alberta | 231.3 km |
The regulated online market
Online gaming in Alberta is now a regulated market, with AGLC as regulator and the Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC) running it. A lawful online operator needs to be registered with AGLC and to hold an AiGC operating agreement. Any site can be looked up in the AiGC directory at abigaming.ca/players/registered-igaming-sites; an operator absent from it falls outside regulation.
The province owns PlayAlberta.ca (Play Alberta), which AGLC operates, and the money it earns flows to the Government of Alberta. Each registered site has to restrict play to people who are physically in Alberta. More detail is on this guide's online page.
Help first, then the last paid link
Help in Alberta
- Recovery Alberta's Addiction Helpline, 1-866-332-2322, covers problem gambling around the clock, in confidence and at no cost.
- At any hour, 211 Alberta gives confidential referrals to gambling support by phone at 211, by texting INFO to 211, or through its online chat.
- AGLC's Self-Exclusion Program is enrolled online only at selfexclusion.ca and, once started, cannot be cancelled early.
Questions by the lake
Do Friday nights at Casino Dene run later than weeknights?
They do: after Friday and Saturday the doors close at 3 am Mountain time. Sunday to Thursday nights end at 2 am. Holiday hours are not published, so a call to 780-594-7900 is the check.
How dark is it outside at closing time in December?
Night has long since fallen by the time the doors close. By our calculation, the 21st of December brings 7 h 18 min of daylight at the casino's coordinates. The drive home starts in full darkness, so plan it before the evening begins.
Is there somewhere to sleep without getting back in the car?
Hotel Dene & Conference Centre stands directly across the casino parking lot. It offers guest rooms with one king or two queen beds, plus a king suite. Its own website is hoteldene.com.
Can a guest from Meadow Lake in Saskatchewan make the trip?
Meadow Lake is 119.5 km from Casino Dene in a straight line, across the provincial line to the east. Roads are longer than that figure, so the map's Google Maps link is the place to plan the route.
Is this guide connected to the people who run Casino Dene?
The guide is independent: it is not Casino Dene, Cold Lake First Nations, Hotel Dene or AGLC. It takes no bets.