North Star Mohican Casino Resort in Bowler, Wisconsin, is a tribal casino hotel with approximately 1,080 slots, table games, weekend bingo, dining, and live entertainment. Its strongest selling point is convenience: you can gamble, eat, catch a show, and stay overnight in one place. The trade-off is a rural setting that calls for advance planning, especially around dining hours and transportation. I see it as a good fit for regional gamblers, couples, and event attendees, rather than visitors seeking walkable nightlife.
North Star Mohican Casino Resort: quick facts
| Address | W12180 County Road A, Bowler, WI 54416 |
|---|---|
| Property type | Tribal casino resort |
| Owner and operator | Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians |
| Casino hours | 24 hours daily; individual facilities have separate schedules |
| Minimum gambling age | 21 |
| Slots | Approximately 1,080 |
| Table inventory | 18 listed by the property; not necessarily all staffed simultaneously |
| Table games | Blackjack, roulette, Three Card Poker, Let It Ride, and Ultimate Texas Hold’em |
| Other gaming | Weekend bingo |
| Poker room | No |
| Retail sportsbook | No |
| Hotel | 129 rooms, including suites and accessible accommodations |
| Hotel smoking policy | Smoke-free rooms and suites; ask separately about casino-floor policy |
| Rewards program | Star Club |
| Phone | 715-787-3110 |
| Official website | North Star Mohican Casino Resort |
| Information collected | October 13, 2026 |
What kind of casino is North Star?
North Star is a regional casino resort, not a collection of hotel towers, luxury shops, and destination restaurants. Gambling is the centerpiece, while lodging and entertainment give the drive a second purpose. The property opened in May 1992 and is owned and operated by the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians.
The property’s overview and fast facts place it between Green Bay and Wausau, north of Highway 29 in Shawano County. This is a planned outing rather than somewhere you casually wander into after dinner downtown.
Compared with a stand-alone gambling hall, the hotel is a meaningful advantage. Compared with an urban casino hotel, you have less flexibility to improvise an evening around nearby restaurants and transportation. For alternatives, see our guide to Wisconsin casinos.
Casino games: slots, tables, and bingo
Slots and video poker
The property publishes an inventory of 1,080 slot machines, making machine selection a clear reason to consider North Star. Treat that as an approximate planning figure, since inventories change, rather than a guarantee that a particular cabinet will be waiting for you.
I would not build a special trip around an older machine list or assume a particular video-poker game or pay table is available. If video poker is your priority, ask about the current selection, then inspect the pay table before playing.
For slots, watch the total wager rather than the denomination. A penny machine does not necessarily mean a penny spin. Neither a jackpot photo nor a disappointed player’s report establishes a machine’s long-term payout rate, and a losing streak does not make it due.
Table games and weekend bingo
North Star lists blackjack, roulette, Three Card Poker, Let It Ride, and Ultimate Texas Hold’em among its 18 table games. That provides more variety than a slots-only property, although the inventory does not establish how many tables will be open during your visit.
If you are driving specifically for blackjack or roulette, call about availability first. Check the posted minimum, game rules, and blackjack payout before buying in. I would rather make that quick inspection than discover afterward that the game is less attractive than expected.
The property also describes weekend bingo sessions. Check the session schedule separately: a 24-hour casino floor does not mean continuous bingo or round-the-clock table staffing.
Poker room and sportsbook
North Star has no dedicated player-versus-player poker room or on-property retail sportsbook. Three Card Poker, Let It Ride, and Ultimate Texas Hold’em are casino table games, not cash games against other players.
Hotel: room choices, charges, and cancellation terms
The property lists 129 hotel rooms, including king rooms, double-queen rooms, two-room suites, and accessible accommodations. The strongest argument for staying here is straightforward: after dinner, gambling, or a show, you do not have another drive ahead of you.
I would compare that convenience against the full booking total, not an old advertised starting rate. For groups sharing a room, the occupancy charge matters. For anyone paying by debit card, the temporary hold deserves just as much attention.
The published hotel terms specify:
- Check-in and check-out: Check-in is at 3:00 p.m., and check-out is at 11:00 a.m. An unapproved late departure can incur additional charges.
- Additional occupants: $10 plus tax per person, per night, above two occupants per room.
- Incidental authorization: $50 per day, in addition to lodging and taxes. This is a card hold, not automatically a settled expense or resort fee.
- Cancellation: Cancel at least 72 hours before scheduled arrival. Later cancellations and no-shows incur the first night’s cost. If the first night is complimentary, the cancellation fee is $60 plus applicable taxes.
- Smoking: Rooms and suites are smoke-free, including vaping. Evidence of smoking can bring a minimum $250 cleaning charge plus applicable taxes.
- Pets: Pets are prohibited; the prohibition does not apply to service dogs.
The terms warn that released holds may take up to seven business days to become available for domestic-bank guests and up to 30 days for international-bank guests, with possible additional debit-card delays. Keep available travel funds separate from your gambling bankroll.
If you need an accessible room, discuss the bathroom, bed configuration, and route to the casino before booking. Room-location requests are not guaranteed.
Restaurants and bars: check the kitchen hours
The useful dining comparison here is which kitchen will still be serving when you want to eat. The official dining listings show a noticeable difference between weekday and weekend options.
- Embers Grill: Published hours are 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Do not count on it for a Monday-through-Thursday dinner.
- The Groove: American favorites, draft beer, and local entertainment. Food service is listed daily from noon to 8:00 p.m. A later bar closing does not extend kitchen hours.
- Aroma Deli & Café: Burgers, hoagies, wraps, sandwiches, and salads. Published hours extend to midnight Sunday through Thursday and 2:00 a.m. Friday and Saturday, making it the later-food option.
- Gravity Bar: A central casino bar for drinks and meeting up between games. Confirm its current hours directly.
My takeaway: a weekday evening can still include an on-property meal, but not necessarily at Embers. On an event night, leave time to eat rather than assuming the kitchen and show schedules will line up.
Loc8NearMe’s guest-review summary describes favorable comments about meals alongside reports of occasional slow restaurant service. That is a limited, mixed picture, not a promise of quick service or evidence that every visit involves a wait.
Published buffet benchmarks include a $17.95 Sunday breakfast from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and a $22 Taste of Italy dinner on Fridays in the supplied October listing. The latter is date-specific, not a year-round dinner price. Confirm specials before traveling, and do not assume a hotel reservation includes breakfast.
Trip-budget examples: charges versus card holds
These examples use published prices with illustrative party sizes and stay lengths. They are not records of actual guest spending, and they separate expenses from temporary card authorizations.
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 |
|---|---|
| Casino Resort: Casino-floor operating schedule | The property publishes a 24/7 casino-floor schedule; dining outlets have separate, shorter schedules. |
| Casino Resort: Minimum age | The official homepage states that visitors must be 21 or older. |
| Casino Resort: Published machine inventory | The property’s fast facts list 1,080 slot machines, supporting a machine-led visit without establishing any payout rate. |
| Casino Resort: Published table-game inventory | The property lists 18 table games, including blackjack, roulette, Three Card Poker, Let It Ride, and Ultimate Texas Hold’em; this inventory does not establish table hours or minimum wagers. |
| Casino Resort hotel: Published lodging inventory | The property publishes 129 hotel rooms and identifies suites, ADA rooms, double-queen rooms, and king rooms. |
| Casino Resort hotel: Check-in, check-out, and late-departure exposure | Check-in is at 3 p.m., and check-out is at 11 a.m.; an unapproved late departure can incur additional charges, including another night’s stay. |
| Casino Resort hotel: Additional occupants | Occupants above two per room incur a $10.00 charge plus tax per person, per night, making party size relevant to the final lodging cost. |
| Casino Resort hotel: Incidental card authorization | The published card authorization includes lodging, taxes, and $50.00 per day for incidentals; an authorization should be distinguished from a settled expense. |
| Casino Resort hotel: Release of authorized funds | Released holds can take up to seven business days for domestic-bank guests and up to 30 days for international-bank guests; debit-card users may face an additional delay. |
| Casino Resort hotel: Paid versus complimentary cancellation exposure | Cancellation within 72 hours or a no-show incurs the first night’s cost for a paid stay. A stay with a complimentary first night instead carries a $60.00 cancellation fee plus applicable taxes. |
| Casino Resort hotel: Smoke-free rooms and cleaning charge | Rooms and suites are smoke-free. Evidence of smoking carries a minimum $250.00 room-cleaning fee plus applicable taxes, and the restriction also covers vaping products. |
| Casino Resort hotel: Pets versus service dogs | Pets are prohibited, but the published prohibition does not apply to service dogs. |
| Embers Grill: Weekday versus weekend meal availability | Embers lists closing at 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday, versus 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday. It is not a published weekday dinner option. |
| Aroma Deli & Café: Late-night food schedule | Aroma lists midnight closing Sunday through Thursday and 2 a.m. closing Friday and Saturday, making it a later-food option than Embers under the published schedules. |
| The Groove: Food service versus bar service | The Groove lists daily food service from noon to 8 p.m., while its Friday and Saturday bar schedule extends later. A late-open bar does not imply a late-open kitchen. |
| Embers Grill Sunday breakfast buffet: Published breakfast cost and window | Sunday breakfast is listed at $17.95 from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., providing a published meal-budget benchmark rather than evidence of an included hotel breakfast. |
| Taste of Italy buffet: Date-specific dinner price | The supplied October listing advertises $22.00 per person on Fridays from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.; it should not be treated as a year-round dinner price. |
| North Star casino app: New-user free-play offer | The official homepage advertises $10.00 in free play for new app users. This is promotional play, not a documented cash discount on lodging or meals. |
| The Groove: Players-card dining discounts | The Groove advertises Star Club discounts that vary by card level, so membership alone does not establish a uniform discount rate for a cost calculation. |
| Calculation | Result | Takeaway |
|---|---|---|
| Additional room-occupant charges for four guests staying two nights | 40 US dollars, excluding tax and the base room rate | Sharing a room does not make additional occupants free; include the occupancy surcharge when comparing lodging options. |
| Incidental authorization for two chargeable hotel days | $100.00 of temporarily authorized funds | An incidental hold is not automatically a hotel expense, but it can reduce available spending money. Keep that money separate from your gambling budget. |
| Sunday breakfast buffet for two guests | $35.90 for two meals, before any unlisted taxes or gratuities | Use the breakfast total as a separate food-budget item rather than assuming breakfast is included with a hotel stay. |
| October Friday Italian buffet for two guests | $44.00 for two meals, before any unlisted taxes or gratuities | Compare this dinner allowance with the Sunday breakfast allowance when budgeting an overnight visit, but confirm the date-specific Italian buffet before traveling. |
Research references: northstarcasinoresort.com 1, northstarcasinoresort.com 2, northstarcasinoresort.com 3, northstarcasinoresort.com 4.
Method: Published inputs collected 2026-10-13. 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.
- Four guests sharing a room for two nights: $40 in additional-occupant charges before tax, on top of the base room rate. Sharing can still be economical, but extra occupants are not free.
- Two days subject to the incidental authorization: A $100 temporary hold. That is not automatically money spent, but it affects available funds.
- Sunday breakfast for two: $35.90 at the listed buffet price, before any unlisted taxes or gratuities.
- October Friday Italian buffet for two: $44 at the listed price, before any unlisted taxes or gratuities. Confirm that the date-specific offer applies to your visit.
The meal examples are separate food allowances, not a package total or a promise that both buffets will fit your dates.
Entertainment, golf, and other amenities
The Orion Event Center hosts concerts and comedy, while The Groove advertises free local-band entertainment. Check the calendar, ticket requirements, and age restrictions before making an event the centerpiece of your visit. Historical performer lists are not upcoming schedules.
Additional offerings include a fitness room, business center, gift shop, meeting facilities, and RV camping. Travel Wisconsin’s property listing also highlights Pine Hills Golf for a golf-and-casino itinerary. Arrange that outing separately, including seasonal availability and transportation, rather than treating it as a walk-out hotel amenity.
These extras support a short getaway, but I would book primarily for gaming, entertainment, and overnight convenience rather than assume a full family-resort recreation program.
For RV travelers, Travel Wisconsin’s campground listing notes that full hookups are seasonal because of cold weather. Confirm availability before treating camping as your hotel alternative.
Directions, transportation, and visit planning
Use W12180 County Road A, Bowler, WI 54416 as your navigation destination. The resort is between Gresham and Bowler, north of Highway 29. Set your destination to the property itself rather than the center of Bowler.
Driving is the practical starting point for this rural itinerary. Do not rely on an unconfirmed late-night rideshare, taxi, or airport transfer. Ask directly about parking arrangements, RV availability, or access needs that matter to your group.
The casino’s transportation overview advertises its North Star Express bus with no reservations required. Check current pickup locations and the return schedule, especially if you plan to stay for an evening show.
- Bring valid government-issued photo identification. The minimum gambling age is 21.
- Confirm availability of your preferred table game and intended restaurant.
- Ask about casino-floor smoking arrangements if you are smoke-sensitive. Smoke-free hotel rooms do not establish the gaming-floor policy.
- Allow for winter road conditions and the return journey.
- Read your booking confirmation for the final price, cancellation deadline, and package-specific terms.
Star Club rewards
North Star’s loyalty program is Star Club. Ask about eligible play and available offers before starting, and present your card where appropriate. The Groove advertises dining discounts that vary by card level, so membership alone does not establish one discount rate for everyone.
My usual advice applies: compare a member offer with the public price, but do not gamble extra merely to chase a meal discount or room benefit. A comp is not much of a bargain if obtaining it costs more than buying the thing outright.
Our recommendation
North Star suits regional slot players, couples, and event attendees who want gaming, meals, and a hotel in one place, with an overnight stay removing the late drive home. Limited dining feedback includes both favorable meal comments and occasional slow-service reports, so leave breathing room before a show. I would choose another property for walkable nightlife or a weekday dinner centered on Embers Grill, which closes at 2:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Checking schedules and booking terms is part of getting good value here.
Frequently asked questions
Is North Star Mohican Casino Resort open 24 hours?
Yes, the casino floor is open 24 hours daily. Table games, bingo, restaurants, and bars have separate availability or schedules.
How old do you have to be to gamble at North Star?
You must be 21 or older.
Does North Star have a hotel?
Yes. The property lists 129 rooms, including king rooms, double-queen rooms, suites, and accessible accommodations. Check-in is at 3:00 p.m., and check-out is at 11:00 a.m.
Does North Star have a poker room or sportsbook?
No. It has neither a dedicated player-versus-player poker room nor an on-property retail sportsbook. Its poker-themed table games are separate offerings.
Can you eat late at night?
Aroma has the latest published food hours among the listed outlets: midnight Sunday through Thursday and 2:00 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Confirm the schedule for your visit; the casino’s 24-hour operation does not mean 24-hour food service.
Are hotel rooms smoke-free?
Yes. Rooms and suites are smoke-free, including vaping. Ask separately about current casino-floor smoking arrangements.
Is a complimentary room free to cancel at the last minute?
No. The published terms specify a $60 fee plus applicable taxes for a complimentary first night canceled less than 72 hours before arrival, or for a no-show.
Sources and information date
This guide draws on property information and published terms collected October 13, 2026, Travel Wisconsin listings, and the limited review summary linked above. Sources appear beside their relevant sections. Inventory, dining hours, offers, and event schedules can change. For reservations and current visitor information, use the official North Star website or call 715-787-3110.
Poker room and sportsbook
There is no dedicated poker room or on-site sportsbook.