Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots is a racetrack and non-smoking slots casino at 1751 Gentilly Boulevard in New Orleans. Its strongest draw is combining seasonal thoroughbred racing with more than 600 slot machines and free casino parking. The catch: this is not a full-service casino resort, and the slots floor closes at midnight. I’d put it on the list for racing fans and casual machine players, not visitors looking for an all-night casino with a hotel upstairs.
Fair Grounds at a glance
| Address | 1751 Gentilly Boulevard, New Orleans, LA 70119 |
|---|---|
| Property type | Horse racetrack and slots casino |
| Casino hours | Monday through Saturday: 9 a.m. to midnight; Sunday: 10 a.m. to midnight |
| Minimum casino gambling age | 21 |
| Slot machines | More than 600 advertised by the operator |
| Live table games | No |
| Poker room | No |
| Retail sportsbook | No |
| Other gambling | Horse-race wagering |
| Attached hotel | No |
| Quick-service dining | Steak N Shake |
| Casino parking | Free, as advertised for slots visitors |
| Slots smoking policy | Non-smoking |
| Rewards program | Slot Rewards Club, also called the Players Club |
| Phone | (504) 944-5515 |
| Information date | October 16, 2026 |
A racetrack with slots, not a casino resort
The track gives Fair Grounds its identity. The slots floor gives you a reason to visit even when there is no live race card. Those are different outings: a racing visit revolves around post times, the paddock, and watching the horses, while a slots stop fits your schedule and budget within casino hours.
Fair Grounds is away from the French Quarter and the riverfront hotel corridor. Most tourists should treat it as a planned outing rather than a casino they will pass while sightseeing. For other types of gambling trips, start with our Louisiana casino guide.
Slots and casino games
The operator advertises more than 600 slot machines across a variety of betting denominations. Listed titles include Wheel of Fortune Cash On Reels, Buffalo Mega Stampede, Ultimate Fire Link China Street, Dragon Link Panda Magic, and Buffalo Gold Revolution. Treat those names as a guide to the selection, not a guarantee that a particular machine will be available.
The property also advertises a refreshed floor with more than 100 new slots. That does not necessarily mean 100 machines were added to the total; new cabinets can replace older ones.
My practical advice: check the total wager before pressing the button. A low denomination does not necessarily mean a low-cost spin once multiple credits and features enter the picture. Neither a floor refresh nor an appealing theme tells you a machine is more likely to pay.
Video poker: distinguish the main casino from neighborhood locations
The operator separately promotes neighborhood OTB and casino locations offering video poker and horse-race betting. Those listings are not an inventory of the main Gentilly Boulevard slots floor.
If video poker is the reason for your trip, call the main property about its selection. At any video poker machine, examine the pay table rather than assuming a familiar title has the same return as one you played elsewhere.
Table games, poker room, and sportsbook
Fair Grounds has no live table-game pit, dedicated player-versus-player poker room, or on-property retail sportsbook. Choose a full-service casino if your evening depends on dealer blackjack, craps, or roulette. Horse-race wagering is available, but that is separate from a sports-betting counter for football or basketball.
Live racing: the strongest reason to make an outing of it
If your schedule is flexible, I’d favor a live racing date over a slots-only visit. The races provide something a standalone machine casino cannot: a reason to step away from the screen and follow an afternoon of competition.
The Louisiana Derby is a signature event, and thoroughbred racing follows a seasonal schedule. Check the official racing calendar before choosing your date. An open casino does not mean horses are running.
Keep race admission and casino access separate in your planning. Free casino parking does not establish free race admission, reserved seating, or dining access. For a major racing date, arrange tickets and any desired seating before setting off.
Hotel: plan to stay elsewhere
Fair Grounds has no attached hotel. You cannot take an elevator from your room to the slots floor, and this is not a pool-and-spa resort stay.
For tourists, I would choose accommodation around the rest of the New Orleans itinerary, then arrange a trip to the track. A hotel convenient for restaurants and sightseeing may be more useful than one chosen solely for proximity to gambling. Budget for the return ride, particularly if drinks are part of the afternoon.
Dining: Steak N Shake and racing-day meals
Steak N Shake offers a straightforward food stop for Steakburgers, fries, and shakes. The official property website promotes it alongside the casino. A burger-and-slots visit is a more natural expectation here than a destination dining evening.
For a sit-down racing-day meal, Clubhouse by Messina’s offers a buffet experience. Treat it as part of your race-day plans, not an everyday casino buffet. Confirm operating dates, reservations, and any required ticket or seating purchase; dining schedules should not be assumed to match casino hours.
The property’s Clubhouse dining-room dress code asks men to wear collared shirts and prohibits shorts, T-shirts, flip-flops, and sweatsuits there. This is a dining-room rule, not a stated dress code for the slots floor.
Hours, parking, and practical visit advice
Casino opening and closing times
The slots casino opens at 9 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday. It closes at midnight every day. Racing, dining, and special events follow separate schedules.
Address and transportation
Use 1751 Gentilly Boulevard, New Orleans, LA 70119, then follow signs for your casino or racing destination. Plan transportation from your hotel rather than treating Fair Grounds as a quick walk from the French Quarter.
The main number is (504) 944-5515. The property contact page also lists a seasonal reservations line, (504) 943-2200, for questions about racing hospitality arrangements.
Parking, smoking, and age requirements
The slots operation advertises free parking every day and a non-smoking facility. Those are meaningful conveniences for a short casino stop, especially if avoiding indoor smoke is high on your list.
Do not extend the everyday casino parking promise to separate festivals or special events without checking their arrangements. Visitors with mobility needs should ask which entrance and parking area offer the most suitable route.
You must be 21 or older to gamble in the casino. Bring valid government-issued photo identification. Racing admission policies are separate from casino-floor eligibility.
What to budget for
Separate transportation, race tickets or reserved seating, food and drinks, and gambling. Free parking removes one expense from an ordinary slots visit, not every expense. Set your gambling budget before arriving, and do not count a promotion as money available for dinner or the ride home.
Slot Rewards Club
The Slot Rewards Club, also called the Players Club, awards points for slot play and offers redemption options including Free Play. New members are directed to a cage cashier to enroll.
The slots page advertises a new-member Free Play promotion ranging from $50.00 to $1,500.00. Ask about current eligibility, award conditions, and redemption rules before playing. That range is not an expected award, a cash payment, or guaranteed gambling profit.
I would join before playing if the benefits fit the visit already planned. I would not increase the bankroll to chase points. Without published earning rates and redemption values, there is no sensible basis for assigning the club a cash-return percentage.
Which type of visit makes the most sense?
The published schedule provides a 15-hour slots window Monday through Saturday and a 14-hour window Sunday. Sunday starts later but does not finish later. These windows do not establish restaurant hours or racing availability.
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 |
|---|---|
| Fair Grounds slots casino: Monday–Saturday hours | The published slots schedule is 9 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday, rather than around-the-clock operation. |
| Fair Grounds slots casino: Sunday hours | Sunday opening is later than Monday–Saturday opening, while closing remains midnight. |
| Fair Grounds slots casino: Parking cost policy | The slots page advertises free parking every day. The passage does not establish separate festival or special-event parking arrangements. |
| Fair Grounds slots casino: Smoking policy | The slots operation describes itself as a non-smoking facility. |
| Fair Grounds slots casino: Published machine inventory | The main Gentilly Boulevard casino advertises more than 600 slot machines; this is distinct from the separately advertised neighborhood video poker locations. |
| Fair Grounds main casino and neighborhood OTB locations: Different advertised gaming offerings | The operator distinguishes the main slots floor from its network of 13 OTB and casino locations offering video poker and horse-race betting. The neighborhood offering should not be treated as a confirmed main-floor video poker inventory. |
| Fair Grounds Slot Rewards Club: Enrollment procedure | The operator directs prospective members to a Cage Cashier to enroll. |
| Fair Grounds Players Club: Earning and redemption policy | The club advertises points for slot play and redemption options including Free Play. This passage provides no earning rate or cash-equivalent redemption value. |
| Fair Grounds Players Club: Advertised new-member promotion | The slots page advertises a guaranteed Free Play award ranging from $50.00 to $1,500.00 for new members. The quoted passage does not provide award probabilities or redemption conditions, so it cannot support an expected-value calculation or a cash-budget offset. |
| Fair Grounds racing admission: Child admission policy | The racing page advertises free admission for children age 10 and under. This racing policy does not establish casino-floor access eligibility. |
| Fair Grounds racing reservations: Seasonal reservation contact | The property identifies its reservations line as seasonal, making it a more specific contact for racing hospitality planning than an assumption of year-round reservations service. |
| Fair Grounds slots floor: Advertised refresh | The operator advertises a refreshed gaming floor with more than 100 new slots. The passage does not say these represent a net increase in total machine inventory. |
| Fair Grounds dining: Advertised quick-service food | The homepage advertises Steakburgers, tallow fries, and shakes. It does not supply menu prices or operating hours for a meal-cost comparison. |
| Calculation | Result | Takeaway |
|---|---|---|
| Monday–Saturday slots operating window | 15 hours per day | The slots floor offers a morning-through-midnight visiting window Monday through Saturday; these hours do not establish racing or restaurant availability. |
| Sunday slots operating window | 14 hours per day | Sunday has a shorter visiting window than the other days because the slots floor opens later but keeps the same closing time. |
Research references: fairgroundsracecourse.com 1, fairgroundsracecourse.com 2, fairgroundsracecourse.com 3, fairgroundsracecourse.com 4, fairgroundsracecourse.com 5.
Method: Published inputs collected 2026-10-16. 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.
- A short slots stop: Free casino parking and a non-smoking floor simplify the logistics. Check the closing time before heading over after dinner.
- A racing afternoon with optional slots: The most distinctive Fair Grounds outing. Choose a live-racing date, then fit food and casino time around it.
- An overnight casino getaway: Less compelling here. Separate lodging and transportation replace a resort’s room-to-casino convenience.
Our take: who should visit?
I’d recommend Fair Grounds to slot players who value a non-smoking floor and free parking, especially racing fans who can match their trip to a live card. More than 600 machines give a slots-only stop substance, but the track is what makes the property distinctive. Visitors wanting a hotel upstairs, live table games, or gambling after midnight should choose another property; here, checking race dates and arranging transportation matter more than assembling a resort itinerary.
Frequently asked questions
Is Fair Grounds Casino open 24 hours?
No. It opens at 9 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday, closing at midnight every day.
How many slot machines does Fair Grounds have?
The operator advertises more than 600. That describes the published offering, not an exact machine inventory.
Does Fair Grounds have blackjack, poker, or a sportsbook?
No. It has no live table-game pit, dedicated poker room, or retail sportsbook. Horse-race wagering is a separate offering.
Is parking free at Fair Grounds?
The slots operation advertises free parking every day. Check separate special-event arrangements, and do not confuse parking with race admission.
Can you smoke inside the slots casino?
No. The slots operation describes itself as a non-smoking facility.
Does Fair Grounds have a hotel?
No. Arrange lodging elsewhere and plan transportation in both directions.
Are there live races whenever the casino is open?
No. Thoroughbred racing follows a seasonal calendar. Check the race schedule before planning a track visit.
Poker room and sportsbook
There is no dedicated poker room or on-site sportsbook.