Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack is a smoke-free racino in Farmington, New York, with more than 1,100 video gaming machines and seasonal thoroughbred racing. Its strongest appeal is a straightforward outing near the Thruway: machines, a race card, a meal, and perhaps live music, with free admission and parking. The main limitation is variety, with no live dealer tables or attached hotel. I’d shortlist it for machine players and racing fans, rather than visitors seeking a full casino-resort weekend.
Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack at a glance
| Address | 5857 State Route 96, Farmington, NY 14425 |
|---|---|
| Casino format | Video lottery gaming and thoroughbred racetrack |
| Gaming hours | Daily, 8 a.m. to 4 a.m. |
| Minimum gambling age | 18 |
| Gaming floor | More than 44,000 square feet, according to the operator |
| Gaming machines | More than 1,100, according to the operator; inventory changes |
| Live dealer tables | No |
| Poker room | No |
| Retail sportsbook | No |
| On-site hotel | No |
| Admission and parking | Free |
| Smoking | Smoke-free gaming floor |
| Rewards program | Ember Rewards |
| Phone | 585-924-3232 |
| Official website | Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack |
| Information date | October 15, 2026 |
What kind of casino is Finger Lakes?
Think racetrack plus machine casino, not a miniature Las Vegas resort. The gaming floor supplies the flexible part of the visit, while racing gives you a reason to choose a particular afternoon.
That distinction matters when comparing New York casinos. A large machine selection does not necessarily mean a broad gambling selection. Finger Lakes makes sense when your group wants machines and racing; it is a harder sell when half the group wants blackjack and the other half wants a resort pool.
Casino floor, slots, and video poker
The operator’s gaming overview advertises more than 1,100 video gaming machines across more than 44,000 square feet. It also describes comfortable seating, wide walkways, complimentary beverages, and seasonal coat check. Complimentary beverages should not be read as a promise of free alcoholic drinks.
These are video lottery terminals, commonly called VLTs, with familiar slot-style play. The practical appeal is the machine selection and smoke-free setting, not a mix of dealer pits and machines.
Visit Finger Lakes also lists video poker, penny games, and a high-limit room. If a particular game or denomination is the reason for your trip, ask about the current selection first. A video poker game’s pay table deserves more attention than its cabinet artwork.
My usual machine advice applies here: check the total wager before pressing spin. A penny denomination can still produce a much larger bet once credits and paylines enter the picture. Guest winning stories and jackpot announcements do not establish what your next session will return.
Live table games
Finger Lakes does not offer live dealer blackjack, roulette, craps, or other traditional table games. For a mixed group, settle that point before choosing the destination. A table-game player is not going to discover a dealer pit tucked behind the machines.
Poker room and sportsbook
The casino has no dedicated player-versus-player poker room and no on-property retail sportsbook. Video poker is machine play, while horse-race wagering is a separate offering. Neither is a substitute for those facilities.
Horse racing: plan around the race calendar
The operator describes its live thoroughbred season as running from mid-April to late November. That is a seasonal window, not a promise of racing every day. Check your exact date and first post time before leaving.
The official directions page lists racing doors opening at 11:30 a.m. on live race days. Door-opening time is not first post. Simulcast racing provides another option, but confirm the schedule if a particular track or major race matters to you.
I’d choose the visit around the interest that is hardest to replace:
| Your priority | How to plan | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Live racing | Choose a confirmed race date and arrive before first post | An open casino does not mean horses are running |
| Machine play | Use the daily gaming window | No live dealer games to change the pace |
| Dinner and music | Match restaurant service with Remedy’s event schedule | Dining and entertainment do not run throughout casino hours |
| Overnight getaway | Arrange separate lodging and transportation | No attached hotel for an easy trip upstairs |
For a racing newcomer, a simple win bet is easier to follow than a complicated exotic wager. Set a racing budget separately from your machine budget, and remember that pari-mutuel odds can change before betting closes.
Hotel and overnight planning
Finger Lakes has no on-site hotel. Farmington and nearby Victor offer separate lodging options, but “near the casino” is not the same as connected to it.
Compare the full room total, cancellation terms, and transportation arrangements. Do not assume a nearby hotel supplies a casino shuttle. If drinks are part of the evening, sort out the ride beforehand.
For me, this is the dividing line between a convenient local outing and a destination stay. Finger Lakes can fit into a broader regional trip, but it does not supply the all-under-one-roof convenience of a casino hotel.
Restaurants, bars, and live music
The official dining lineup includes these options:
- The Buffet: For diners who want selection rather than an individually ordered entrée.
- Platinum Grille: Full-menu dining, distinct from The Buffet.
- Remedy Bar: Drinks and live entertainment, making it a useful anchor for an evening beyond machine play.
- Sevens Bar: Another bar option within the property.
- The Wire and Tin Cup: Snacks near the racetrack.
Weekly live music adds another reason to visit, but check the event and venue hours. The gaming floor’s late closing time is not a restaurant reservation or a band schedule.
Guest praise and common complaints
Available aggregated guest feedback highlights spacious, clean gaming areas, a mix of older and newer machines, and friendly, professional staff. These are subjective reports from a limited review summary, not a guarantee of conditions on your visit.
Dining opinions split. Some guests appreciate the buffet selection and desserts, while others criticize food quality. Service efficiency and waits for buffet or table service also appear as concerns. Friendly staff and slow service can coexist, so I would not flatten those reports into either “great service” or “bad service.”
My takeaway: treat a meal as a convenient part of the outing, not an automatic reason to make a special trip. Leave breathing room before a race or performance you do not want to miss.
Directions, parking, and visitor rules
The Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance places the property about one mile south of I-90 Exit 44. The address is 5857 State Route 96 in Farmington, southeast of Rochester. Admission and parking are free; travel, food, and wagering remain separate expenses.
- Hours: Gaming runs daily from 8 a.m. to 4 a.m., not around the clock. Racing, dining, entertainment, and rewards services can follow different schedules.
- Age: Guests must be at least 18 to enter the gaming floor, play machines, or wager on horse racing. The property also applies an 18-and-older restriction to The Buffet, Platinum Grille, and Sevens Bar. Notice that before planning a family meal.
- Smoking: The gaming floor is smoke-free.
- Accessibility: The operator describes an accessible gaming-floor layout with wide walkways. Contact the property about specific mobility needs, racing-area seating, or the most convenient entrance.
Ember Rewards: dining savings versus playing incentives
Ember Rewards is the current loyalty program. Keep your card inserted during machine play to earn points toward advertised benefits. Check eligibility, expiration dates, and redemption terms before counting an offer in your budget.
The useful distinction is between a discount on something you already planned to buy and a reward that requires more gambling.
The Finger Lakes Ember Rewards benefits page lists 100 points as worth $2.00 toward food and beverage purchases, versus $1.00 in Free Play, with a 500-point minimum for Free Play redemption. If you already planned to eat here, dining redemption gives those points twice the stated value without another machine session.
Gamboool original analysis
We assembled the comparison below from published information and our calculations. These are selected examples, rather than measured gambling sessions or a representative survey.
| Detail | Published information |
|---|---|
| Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack: Admission and parking charges | The operator advertises free admission and free parking, keeping these visit costs separate from dining and gambling spending. |
| Finger Lakes gaming floor: Daily operating hours and smoking policy | The gaming floor is advertised as smoke-free and open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 a.m.; it is not advertised as a 24-hour floor. |
| Finger Lakes gaming floor: Published machine inventory and floor size | The operator advertises more than 1,100 video gaming machines across more than 44,000 square feet. |
| Finger Lakes gaming and selected restaurants: Minimum entry, wagering, and dining age | The operator requires guests to be at least 18 for gaming-floor entry, machine play, racing wagers, and dining at The Buffet, Platinum Grille, or Sevens Bar. |
| Finger Lakes gaming floor: Included visitor amenities | The operator lists complimentary beverages, seasonal coat check service, comfortable seating, and wide walkways; the passage does not specify beverage types. |
| Ember Rewards: Card-use requirement for earning gaming rewards | The operator instructs players to keep their Ember Rewards card inserted to earn points toward advertised benefits. |
| Ember Rewards new-member Match Play: Required payment and voucher amount | The advertised new-member ticket permits a $10.00 cash exchange for a $20.00 machine-play voucher, rather than promising a cash payout. |
| Lucky Legends promotion: Age eligibility, earning threshold, redemption window, and cap | The promotions calendar advertises Wednesday eligibility for members aged 50 and older, with $5.00 Free Play per 25 base points and a five-redemption limit during the listed earning window. |
| Lucky Legends dining benefit: Discount locations and presentation requirement | The advertised 15% food discount applies at Platinum Grille and The Wire and requires an Ember Rewards card with a sticker. |
| Finger Lakes Buffet October 9–11, 2026, promotion: Member versus nonmember published price | The dated offer advertised a $19.99 member price versus a $30.99 full regular price without an Ember Rewards card; these are not undated current prices. |
| Remedy Thursday promotion: Entertainment window and selected drink discount | The homepage advertises Thursday dinner, drinks, and entertainment from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., plus $1.00 off wine and craft cocktails. |
| Finger Lakes racing access: Racing-door schedule versus gaming-floor schedule | Racing doors open at 11:30 a.m. on live racing days, while the gaming floor has a separate daily schedule; the door-opening time is not a published first post time. |
| Finger Lakes live thoroughbred racing: Advertised seasonal availability | The operator describes live thoroughbred racing as running from mid-April to late November, rather than year-round live racing. |
| Finger Lakes October 31, 2026, Breeders’ Cup promotion: Qualifying wager channel and promotional credit | The dated offer requires a $10.00 win, place, or show wager with mutuel clerks to receive $10.00 gaming Free Play; the benefit is promotional gaming credit, not a refund of a losing racing wager. |
| Calculation | Result | Takeaway |
|---|---|---|
| Per-person buffet savings during the October 9–11, 2026, member promotion, before tax and gratuity | $11.00 saved per diner | The dated member offer reduced the meal price without requiring extra gambling; do not treat this past promotion as an everyday buffet price. |
| Illustrative two-person buffet cost at the October 9–11, 2026, promotional member price, before tax and gratuity | $39.98 for two diners | Use this as the member-price side of a same-meal comparison, not as a current dining quote. |
| Illustrative two-person buffet cost at the published nonmember regular price, before tax and gratuity | $61.98 for two diners | Compare this with the promotional member scenario to see why checking dining eligibility matters before paying. |
| Illustrative Lucky Legends food-discount savings on a $40.00 eligible purchase | $6.00 in food savings | Confirm Lucky Legends eligibility, the required card sticker, and eligible purchases before including this discount in a meal budget. |
| New-member Match Play voucher face value above the required cash exchange | $10.00 of additional gaming voucher face value | The offer increases the voucher amount available for machine play; the difference is not guaranteed cash winnings or withdrawable profit. |
| Lucky Legends base points needed to reach the advertised redemption cap | 125 base points | This identifies the promotion’s point threshold, not the cash cost of earning it; avoid increasing play merely to reach the cap. |
Research references: fingerlakesgaming.com 1, fingerlakesgaming.com 2, fingerlakesgaming.com 3, fingerlakesgaming.com 4.
Method: Published inputs collected 2026-10-15. Illustrative assumptions are labeled, and the full calculation inputs remain in the saved research record. These examples support planning; they do not predict a particular session.
What the advertised offers mean in dollars
The promotions calendar advertised a $19.99 member buffet price for October 9 through 11, 2026, against a listed nonmember regular price of $30.99. That dated offer saved $11.00 per diner. For an illustrative pair, both eligible for the member price, the subtotal would have been $39.98 rather than $61.98, before tax and gratuity. These are historical comparisons, not current buffet quotes.
An advertised 15% Lucky Legends food discount would save $6.00 on an illustrative $40.00 eligible food subtotal. That assumes eligibility, the required card sticker, and a qualifying purchase at Platinum Grille or The Wire; it excludes tax and gratuity.
The advertised new-member Match Play offer is different: exchange $10.00 cash for a $20.00 machine-play voucher. That adds $10.00 in voucher face value, not guaranteed cash winnings or withdrawable profit.
The Wednesday Lucky Legends offer for members aged 50 and older advertises $5.00 in Free Play for each 25 base points, capped at five redemptions. Reaching that cap requires 125 base points, but the threshold does not establish the cash cost of earning them. I would collect rewards on planned play, not increase a gambling budget to finish a promotion.
If gambling is becoming difficult to control, the property’s responsible gaming page explains its voluntary self-exclusion program. For application assistance on-site, ask an associate for the Manager On Duty or visit the Security Office.
Who should visit?
Finger Lakes suits machine players and thoroughbred racing fans who want an easy outing near the Thruway, with free parking and a smoke-free gaming floor. Available guest reports favor the spacious gaming areas and friendly staff, while buffet quality and service speed draw mixed reactions, so I’d make dining a supporting attraction. Visitors seeking dealer games, an attached hotel, or a resort-centered weekend should choose another property; racing fans should build their visit around a confirmed live race date.
Frequently asked questions
Is Finger Lakes Gaming open 24 hours?
No. Gaming hours are 8 a.m. to 4 a.m. daily.
How old do you have to be to gamble at Finger Lakes?
You must be at least 18. The property also requires guests to be 18 or older to dine at The Buffet, Platinum Grille, and Sevens Bar.
Does Finger Lakes have blackjack or live poker?
No. There are no live dealer table games or dedicated poker room. Video poker is machine play, not player-versus-player poker.
Does Finger Lakes have a sportsbook?
No. There is no on-property retail sportsbook. Horse-race wagering is a separate activity.
Is there a hotel at the casino?
No. Overnight visitors need separate accommodations and transportation plans.
Are admission and parking free?
Yes. The operator advertises free admission and free parking.
Can you smoke on the gaming floor?
No. The gaming floor is smoke-free.
Are there live races every day?
No. Live racing is seasonal and follows a calendar of specified race days. Check the date and first post time.
Sources and information date
Information date: October 15, 2026. Official property, rewards, and regional tourism sources are linked where relevant. Machine inventories, race dates, restaurant hours, entertainment, and promotions can change. Guest impressions describe subjective experiences, not guaranteed conditions.
Poker room and sportsbook
There is no dedicated poker room or on-site sportsbook.