Calder Casino & Race Course · Miami Gardens

About Calder Casino & Race Course

Calder Casino & Race Course is a Florida-licensed pari-mutuel gaming facility at 21001 NW 27th Avenue in Miami Gardens, Florida, owned by Churchill Downs Inc. The facility opened in 1971 as the Calder Race Course, a thoroughbred horse racing track that hosted spring and fall racing meets through 2012. Churchill Downs ended live horse racing at Calder in 2012 and converted the operation to a slot machine and electronic gaming casino under Florida’s pari-mutuel gaming authorization. The current operation runs 1,100 slot machines, Electronic Blackjack, Electronic Roulette, Lucky Wheel, and Video Poker, with Bingo and simulcasting available under the pari-mutuel license. The casino is smoke-free. The Players Club loyalty program serves regular guests. The minimum gambling age is 21, and gaming is regulated by the Florida Gaming Control Commission. Phone: (305) 625-1311; website: caldercasino.com.

Miami Gardens is a city in Miami-Dade County in southeastern Florida, approximately 15 miles north of downtown Miami via I-95 and FL-826 (Palmetto Expressway). The NW 27th Avenue address is adjacent to the Hard Rock Stadium (home of the Miami Dolphins), making the Calder Casino location an established entertainment corridor for the greater Miami metropolitan area.

Churchill Downs Inc. — the Louisville, Kentucky-based company that owns Churchill Downs Racetrack (home of the Kentucky Derby), various other tracks, and an expanding network of regional casino operations — operates Calder Casino as part of a national gaming portfolio that has prioritized regional casino development alongside the core horse racing business. The 2012 decision to end live racing at Calder and focus exclusively on slots and simulcasting reflected Churchill Downs’ strategic assessment of the South Florida gaming market.

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Calder Casino & Race Course

Miami Gardens, Florida

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Calder Casino & Race Course in Miami Gardens, Florida

Gaming at Calder Casino

Calder Casino runs 1,100 slot machines alongside Electronic Blackjack, Electronic Roulette, Lucky Wheel, and Video Poker. Bingo is also available under the pari-mutuel license. Horseracing simulcasting provides year-round wagering on thoroughbred, harness, and other races.

Electronic Blackjack and Electronic Roulette are semi-live formats in which a live dealer interacts with the game at the table while players place bets on individual electronic terminals — a configuration permitted under Florida’s slot machine authorization for pari-mutuel facilities. Lucky Wheel is an electronic wheel-of-fortune-style game in which players spin a wheel for variable multiplier payouts — a format more common in Florida’s pari-mutuel machine inventory than in traditional casino slots markets. A poker room component is detected in our data; confirm current poker availability at caldercasino.com.

The casino is smoke-free — a meaningful differentiator in the South Florida gaming market. ADA accessibility is also confirmed.

Players Club Loyalty Program

Calder Casino operates a Players Club loyalty program with a diamond tier for high-volume players. Members earn free play and reward credits through slot machine and gaming activity. Current enrollment details, tier benefits, and promotions are at caldercasino.com. Calder maintains active promotions and events calendars.

History: From Calder Race Course to Casino

Calder Race Course opened in 1971 on a site adjacent to what is now Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. The track hosted thoroughbred racing with spring meets (May through August) and fall meets (October through January) for over four decades, sharing the South Florida racing calendar with Hialeah Park (which had closed by 2001) and Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach. Calder was acquired by Churchill Downs Inc. in 2004 as part of the company’s regional expansion strategy.

In 2012, Churchill Downs ended live horse racing at Calder Race Course and transitioned the facility to a gaming and simulcasting operation — a decision reflecting the economic challenges of competing in a three-track South Florida thoroughbred market and the relative profitability of slot machine gaming under Florida’s pari-mutuel slot authorization. The casino opened with the slot machines and electronic table game configuration that has operated since.

Location

Calder Casino & Race Course is at 21001 NW 27th Avenue in Miami Gardens, Florida. Downtown Miami is approximately 15 miles south via I-95 and FL-826. The Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Dolphins) is adjacent to the casino site. Valet and self-parking are on site.

★ Editor note

Churchill Downs' Miami Gardens casino — 1,100 smoke-free slots, diamond-tier Players Club, and simulcasting at the Hard Rock Stadium corridor

Calder Casino & Race Course is Churchill Downs' South Florida slot machine operation: 1,100 machines in a smoke-free, ADA-accessible environment with a diamond-tier Players Club, adjacent to Hard Rock Stadium. Live horse racing ended in 2012; the 'Race Course' in the name is historical, but simulcasting continues year-round. Electronic Blackjack and Roulette round out the gaming floor. Confirm current poker room availability and casino hours at caldercasino.com or (305) 625-1311.

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Priya Sharma

Responsible Gaming Editor