Casino Reviews

We wrote a post about the Rideau Carleton Racetrack Casino in Ottawa, located on Albion road. This is a combination race track, casino and sometimes exhibition and show venue.  The original post can be found by Clicking Here. We thought we would provide an update to this original post that we made about this particular casino since there have been some changes we wanted to make people aware of.

The Rideau Carleton Raceway casino is still the same configuration, restaurant and bar area, however they have added three electronic tables for patrons to use. There is a blackjack electronic table, a Baccarat, Roulette and Sic-Bo! The black jack table has the usual video dealer that is a very shapely dealer for you to be amused by while you are gambling and possibly be distracted by.

Multiline Slots

They have moved many of the slot machines around to accommodate these tables and in the process have installed many new slot machines of various themes and denominations. There are many more 1cent and 2 cent machines with multiple lines were you bet a maximum of $2 and $4 on a penny machine. These have become very popular all over North America and the Rideau Carleton Raceway casino is following suit with these machines. Many of the popular traditional machines have had to make way for all of these new slots.

Very Busy

If anything this casino is becoming more and more popular. No matter what time you go there, there are always people there and it seems that even at 1 am in the morning it is crowded with people. If you want your favorite machine, you are going to have to wait until it is vacated before you can use it or you arrive at 9 am in the morning. Even then sometimes you have to wait until someone is finished.

Comp’s

Comp’s are still bad compared to other casinos, so no change there. Payouts are ridiculous. If you win more than $200 on one press of the button, someone has to come and pay you instead of just printing a ticket. Not sure of the reason, but the slot attendants still have their hands out looking for tips. Service is slow so most don’t bother tipping any more. Why tip for bad service.

Slot Attendant Service

In fact we recently won a nice little jackpot which we wanted to have a check instead of cash. Once I was able to get the attention of the attendants, it only took about 10 minutes to have a check printed. However I had to wait at least 30 minutes before I could even get someone to come and process the win. I think they know that a check will be required and there will be no tip, so why stop and process the jackpot. Pretty bad service in my opinion.

Anyway it is still a great place to spend an evening, provided that you limit your losses and control your gambling. Have a drink , maybe something to eat and play a little bit for an enjoyable evening!

There are two casinos located in the Ottawa, Canada region. The one that we will review in this post is called the Rideau Carleton Raceway Casino. This is the only Ottawa casino in the area. The other casino is located across the river in Quebec and is called the Lac Leamy Casino. We will review this casino in another post. As a result there is not much competition, the casinos are small and demand is large. They are run by the Ontario and Quebec governments, so there is little competition and little incentive to be competitive. The Lac Leamy casino is by far the superior casino offering more dining, gaming, entertainment and lodging value.

Patrons can enjoy themselves at the Carleton Raceway Casino, playing many of their favorite machines,  however if you have been to any of the large US casinos, this certainly does not compare. We have seen people win large jackpots at the Carleton Raceway Casino with pictures taken etc.

The entertainment is available Friday and Saturday nights and is aimed at the older crowd. Rock, country and easy listening music would best describe the music. Although there really is no dance floor, patrons have been seen dancing to a particular song they enjoyed.

There is a long list of things that we do not like about this casino run by the OLG. Carleton Raceway Casino is nothing more than a prop to keep the racetrack alive and a tax on patrons for the Ontario Government. It is not a competitive casino run by private enterprise. It is typical government with all of the bureaucracy of a government. We have seen slot machines taken out of service for maintenance or upgrading. The entire bank might be out for a week or more. In private industry, this is completed over night!

This is not one of our favorites, however many people do go to the Carleton Raceway Casino every day. It is open 24 hours a day except for Christmas.

Restaurants

There is one restaurant at the Carleton Raceway Casino. It overlooks the racetrack and there is a nice ambiance of racetrack betting and dinner at this restaurant. However in the writers opinion, it is not even close to fine dining, there are 100 items in the buffet, but it lacks presentation, quality and taste. The staff clearly do not take pride in their restaurant and it shows. I know many people, the writer included, who will not even eat there, even if they have been comp’d.

Customers may also order basic meals from the menu. This is a racetrack restaurant trying to look like something else and failing.

Sandwich’s, soup, hot dogs, chips and peanuts can be ordered at the bar inside the casino. Prices for beer and mixed drinks are regular price, the same that you would find in any restaurant or bar. The Carleton Raceway Casino does not comp any mixed drinks. soft drinks, coffee and water is free, however you should tip for this service.  Chicken wings are also known to be served at the back of the casino on Saturday nights.

They also offer group visits, however we have never utilized this service and cannot comment on it.

What We Liked

Variety of slot machines with 1250 slot machines to choose from

Free entertainment located in the casino on Friday and Saturday nights

Safe environment in the casino, hotel and parking areas

What We Did Not Like

There are no table games at the Carleton Raceway Casino

Customers must pay for all alcoholic drinks and you can take these drinks to the slot machines

Guards standing at single entrance scrutinizing everyone that enters

Larger payouts are still paid by slot runners, and they expect a tip for their efforts. We suggest you save your money.

There is no associated hotel

Located a long way from downtown Ottawa

Slots appear to be very tight

Crowded on most evenings and holidays

Slot Player Card

The Carleton Raceway Casino is  part of the OLG Winners Circle slot players card system. Slot members can take advantage of limited benefits such as cash back and comp’s for food at the buffet. The OLG Winners Circle card can be used in all OLG casinos across Ontario , Canada.

Slot cards at the Carleton Raceway Casino are free and you should definitely obtain one, however they are not nearly as lucrative as other slot cards in the US.

Parking

There is ample parking at the Carleton Raceway Casino in a large outdoor parking lot. Valet service is also available should you prefer not to walk from the outdoor parking lot.

Directions:

The OLG Carleton Raceway Casino is located at 4837 Albion Road. From downtown Ottawa , take bank street south to Albion to get to the casino. Allow a minimum of 20 minutes from down town.