Gaming Floor: What It Actually Looks Like
Starlight Casino New Westminster sits on the Fraser River at 350 Gifford Street in British Columbia. The doors never close: the property runs 24 hours a day, every day of the year, without seasonal breaks or holiday shutdowns. Over a couple of weeks we dropped in at different times to see how the floor feels on a normal Tuesday as well as on a packed Saturday night.
Slots and table games are the backbone here. The slot machines are grouped into pockets across the floor - lower-denomination titles closer to the entrances, higher-limit games tucked a bit further in. Table games cover the standard Canadian mix: blackjack, baccarat, roulette, plus a few variants that come and go with demand. After a short walk around, the layout starts to make sense. You do not really need a map or to stop and ask for directions.
Because of the 24/7 schedule, the gaming floor never fully empties out. Overnight sessions during the week are quieter, with more space to move and easier access to your preferred games. On weekend evenings it flips. The place fills up, popular tables develop queues, and you will want to plan for actual wait times.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Address | 350 Gifford Street, New Westminster, BC V3M 7A3 |
| Hours | 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year |
| Phone | +1 604-777-2946 |
| [email protected] | |
| Website | starlightcasino.ca |
| Operator | Gateway Casinos and Entertainment Limited |
| Opened | 2007 |
If you prefer a less crowded session, weekday afternoons usually feel relaxed. Late at night on a Monday or Tuesday also works well if you just want to sit down quickly at a table or settle into a bank of slots without much background noise. That pattern mirrors what we see at most regional casinos, but it is especially noticeable here because the property never closes.
Poker Room: Hours Matter More Than You Think
The poker room operates on its own timetable, separate from the main floor, and that catches visitors out fairly often. From Sunday to Thursday it runs from 11 a.m. until 3 a.m. On Fridays and Saturdays it stays open around the clock. So arriving at 4 a.m. on a Tuesday will walk you straight into a dark poker room, even while everything else in the casino remains live.
We tested the room on a Friday night and again on a midweek afternoon. Friday delivered what you would expect: multiple tables running, steady action, plenty of table talk. By contrast, Wednesday afternoon felt calmer with fewer tables open, but there was almost no wait to sit down. The room is set a bit away from the main gaming floor, which trims down the constant slot noise and makes longer poker sessions less tiring.
The poker space was added after the casino first opened in 2007, as part of the way the property has grown and shifted over time. Anyone who wants to check which games are currently running, or how many tables are open before heading over, is better off calling 604-777-2946. That direct line is usually more accurate than relying on assumptions about the schedule.
Dining and Entertainment
Starlight Casino New Westminster positions itself as more than a room full of machines and tables, and the on-site food and drink mostly holds up that promise. Several restaurants and bars sit within the property, and you can walk into the main restaurant even if you are not planning to gamble. We tried it on two different days. The menu covers a decent spread, including vegetarian dishes, which is not something we take for granted at regional casino dining spots. Both visits, the food landed above the baseline we expected.
Live entertainment runs on Friday and Saturday evenings, with performances starting at 9 p.m. and usually wrapping around midnight. The stage sits so that music and shows do not spill too aggressively onto the main floor. You can enjoy a set and then step back to the tables without fighting through a wall of sound, or stay in your game and just catch the atmosphere from a distance. Screens with sports coverage spread through the bar area too, so it is easy to keep an eye on a game while having a drink.
| Amenity | Hours / Notes |
|---|---|
| Casino Floor | 24/7 |
| Poker Room (Sun-Thu) | 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 a.m. |
| Poker Room (Fri-Sat) | 24 hours |
| Live Entertainment | Friday and Saturday, 9 p.m. - 12 a.m. |
| Restaurant and Bar | On-site, hours vary by outlet |
The overall setup matches Gateway’s integrated model: in practice it means you can park once and build a whole evening around the same address. For some guests that all-in-one structure is exactly the point, for others it is simply convenient, but in both cases the facilities are actually in place.
