Hastings Racecourse & Casino in Vancouver

What Is Actually on the Gaming Floor

Hastings Racecourse & Casino is located at 188 N Renfrew St inside Hastings Park, roughly 6 km northeast of downtown Vancouver. The property does not operate like a big resort casino. There is no poker room, no dense table games pit, and no hotel upstairs. The focus is a floor with 600+ slot and electronic gaming machines, plus a year-round simulcast race book that runs whether or not live racing is on the schedule.

The race book is the key betting product on site. Wagering covers North American tracks and some international cards, so you are not tied to the local meet. Public sources do not confirm a sportsbook for hockey, football, or other non-racing events, so it is safer to assume there is no traditional sports betting window.

Operating Hours - Check Before You Go

Opening hours are inconsistent depending on which site you read, which makes planning a bit awkward. The schedule that comes up most often is:

1. Sunday to Thursday: 11:00 a.m. to midnight
2. Friday and Saturday: 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.

PlayCanada lists a flat 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. window for every day. Canadawin describes Hastings as 24 hours, but that does not match other sources.

In practice, it is better to confirm directly. We suggest calling ahead or checking hastingsracecourse.com on the day you plan to go, especially if you are aiming for late-night weekday play when hours can be tighter.

Using the Race Book

The simulcast race book operates independently from live races at the track. You can walk in on a random weekday and still bet on cards from different time zones.

In broad strokes, the process looks like this:

1. Bring government-issued photo ID that proves you are 19 or older and enter the casino.
2. Head to the race book area once you are on the floor.
3. Look over the day’s simulcast schedule on the posted boards or monitors.
4. Decide on the track, race number, and type of bet you want - for example win, place, show, exacta and similar pools.
5. Go up to a teller window, or use a self-service kiosk if one is in service.
6. Clearly state the track, race, bet type, horse number, and the amount you want to wager in CAD.
7. Take the printed ticket and hold onto it until the race is made official.
8. If your ticket hits, cash it at the teller counter.

All wagering and payouts are handled in CAD only. Public documentation does not show an online or mobile version of the Hastings race book, so at this point it is an in-person product tied to the physical venue.

Slots and Electronic Games

Slot and electronic game operations at Hastings are regulated by BCLC and follow the standard ticket-in/ticket-out format used across British Columbia. You feed the machine with CAD notes or an existing ticket, choose your denomination and lines, and when you are finished you hit the Collect button.

The machine prints a voucher that can be cashed at the cage or at a redemption kiosk. Minimum and maximum wagers depend on the particular game - nothing out of line with other BC casinos.

One simple habit helps: always check your machine balance and print your ticket before leaving a game. TITO slips are easy to forget in a hurry, and that usually means leaving money behind.

Venue and Facilities

The structure around Hastings is slightly unusual compared to standalone casinos. Hastings Park itself is owned by the City of Vancouver, which leases the racetrack operation to private operators. The casino building and gaming operations are carved out and handled on a separate basis. Great Canadian Entertainment currently runs the casino side of the business.

TripAdvisor, Wanderlog, and Canadawin all mention dining and lounge spaces on site, so food and drinks are part of the offer. Exact restaurant names and menus are not consistently listed in public material, so it is worth checking directly with Hastings if you want specific kitchen hours or cuisine information.

Regulation in British Columbia

Hastings operates under the provincial gambling framework for British Columbia. Two regulators sit over the operation.

The British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) is the Crown corporation in charge of legal gambling in the province, and the casino gaming at Hastings is integrated into the BCLC network. The Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch (GPEB), part of the BC Ministry of Finance, issues licenses and sets policy, and is also responsible for day-to-day enforcement for commercial casinos.

Together, BCLC and GPEB set rules around responsible gambling, anti-money laundering safeguards, and approvals for electronic gaming devices. For guests, the headline rule is simple: you must be at least 19 years old to enter a casino in BC, and staff will enforce that with ID checks.

History and the Recent Ownership Shift

Racing at the Hastings site dates back to 1889, when the original East Park track opened in northeast Vancouver. Multiple sources describe it as the city’s longest-running professional sports venue, with more than 130 years of thoroughbred racing before major changes started to line up.

Key milestones look like this:

1. 1889 - Racetrack opens under the name East Park.
2. 2004 - Great Canadian Gaming Corporation takes over the lease and racing operation from the City of Vancouver.
3. After 2004 - Casino gaming is introduced alongside the live thoroughbred program.
4. 2023 - Great Canadian Entertainment announces that live thoroughbred racing at Hastings will end, pointing to financial pressures; the casino and simulcast book remain in place.
5. November 7, 2025 - Tsleil-Waututh Nation and Great Canadian Entertainment sign a definitive deal for the sale of the casino business and related real estate interests.
6. 2026 - The Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association of BC reports that the Hastings racing season is not expected to be affected by the casino sale.

The Tsleil-Waututh Nation transaction covers the casino operation and certain property rights, but not the land that makes up Hastings Park itself. The City of Vancouver continues to own that land. That split creates a model where racetrack and casino components can move forward under different control, which is unusual even compared to other Canadian racing-casino hybrids.

Live Racing - What Sources Actually Say

Coverage on live racing at Hastings is mixed in public records. CBC News reported in 2023 that live thoroughbred racing at the track would come to an end after more than a century on the calendar. Later, Canadian Thoroughbred wrote in late 2025 that the 2026 live racing season at Hastings was expected to run as normal despite the casino sale.

Those two statements do not fully align and have not been clearly resolved in open sources. If your main reason to visit is live thoroughbred racing, the safest play is to contact Hastings directly and ask for the current season schedule before you spend on travel or tickets.

Key Facts at a Glance

Hastings sits in a small group of Canadian gambling venues with a long racing heritage, a casino-first present, and a transition to new Indigenous ownership already in motion. The slot floor, race book, and basic on-site amenities continue to operate within BC’s regulatory framework while the ownership and structure settle into their next phase.