Wind River Hotel and Casino Review for April 2026

For most of its existence, Wind River Hotel and Casino operated completely dry. Imagine that, an alcohol-free casino.

As a tribal enterprise on the Wind River Indian Reservation, alcohol was prohibited across the entire property, an unusual distinction that set it apart from virtually every other casino in the country. That changed in July 2023, when the Fremont County Commission granted the Northern Arapaho Tribe a liquor license in what was described as a rare move, the first issued on the reservation in at least three decades.

The decision was not without controversy within the tribe itself, but today alcohol is available at the Watering Hole bar. It's a nuanced situation that's worth understanding before you visit, but also a reminder that this is a place with real community stakes beyond the gaming floor.

All of that context aside, Wind River in Wyoming is a genuinely impressive property for what it is. Let's take a much closer look.

The address is 180 Red Wolf Place, Riverton, WY 82501, just off Highway 789 about two miles south of town. For those unaware, Riverton sits in the heart of Wyoming's Fremont County, roughly equidistant between Casper to the east and Jackson Hole to the northwest.

From Casper it's around two hours. From the south entrance of Yellowstone you're looking at about two and a half hours depending on your route. From Jackson Hole and the Tetons it's a similar drive. The casino property is right next to Riverton's Central Wyoming Airport, which offers limited regional connections, with a shuttle service available between the hotel and the airport.

Once you’re actually there, parking is free and plentiful. The property also has 24 dedicated RV hookup spaces at $25 a night, which makes it a practical overnight option for road-trippers in larger rigs.

The casino floor is open 24 hours and runs entirely smoke-free, which is immediately noticeable and much appreciated. By me, anyway. If you’re a smoker, maybe not so much.

The floor itself is substantial for Wyoming. Over 800 Vegas-style gaming machines fill the main floor alongside live table games, a sportsbook, and paper pull tabs. The décor incorporates Northern Arapaho artwork and cultural references throughout, and there's a bison statue in the lobby that sets the tone before you've even reached the floor. It makes you want to shout ‘BUFFALOOOOOO’ at the top of your voice. Well, it does me, anyway. Maybe you’re a bit more normal.  

The staff are overwhelmingly tribal members, which gives the whole operation a community authenticity that definitely feels earned rather than performed.

Free non-alcoholic beverages, including Pepsi products, tea, hot chocolate, and a specialty coffee blend, are available from self-service stations on the gaming floor, a holdover from the property's dry years that remains a nice touch.

Table Games

Ten live table games cover the most popular options, and the dealers seemed patient, personable, and willing to walk through the rules with players who needed a refresher.

The table game selection includes Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, and Poker, with regular tournaments running throughout the year including the weekly Cruizin' Blackjack Tournament. It’s worth noting that the Sportsbook area also hosts table games on Friday and Saturday evenings from 4pm to midnight, and Sundays from 2pm to 10pm, which extends the table game options for weekend visitors.

Slots

Over 800 slot machines cover a wide variety of themes and formats, including classic slots, video reels, keno, and video poker. Popular titles on the floor include Wheel of Fortune, which comes in a fully interactive version with vibrating chairs that weirdly adds something to the experience, alongside a good selection of modern video slots with progressive jackpots such as Dragon Link, Lightning Link etc.

Sportsbook

The Buffalo Sportsbook is a decent setup with multiple large-screen TVs covering all the major leagues and events. Betting options include point spreads, totals, money lines, and parlays across Football, Basketball, Baseball, and Hockey, as well as futures wagering throughout the year. UFC fights were being broadcast live in the sportsbook when I was there, and it made for a lively atmosphere.

The sportsbook also functions as a bar and restaurant, with the Watering Hole now serving drinks alongside the food menu.

Rewards Club

The Wind River Rewards Club is free to join at the Player Services desk or via an enrollment kiosk on the floor, with a valid photo ID required. The card earns points on all tracked gaming play, redeemable for freeplay, meal vouchers at Red Willow, the Cee Nokuu Café, or the Morning Star, and hotel room vouchers.

New members receive a one-time $5 in free slot play just for signing up which, in truth, seems a bit pointless to me. Surely they can do better than $5?

The tiered structure includes Bear, Buffalo, and Eagle levels, with higher tiers unlocking point multiplier promotions and individualized birthday offers.

A nice touch is the Club 55 membership, which provides additional benefits for players 55 and older.

Also worth noting that if you are planning to stay on-site, getting a Rewards Card before arrival is strongly recommended since it unlocks the discounted hotel room rate, which can make a meaningful difference to the cost of a stay.

The 90-room smoke-free hotel is connected directly to the casino and it’s modern, clean, and well-maintained. It's not a luxury resort by any standard, but for a regional casino hotel in Wyoming it is perfectly good.

Rooms

All standard rooms come with 48-inch flat-screen TVs with satellite channels, free WiFi, microwaves, mini-fridges, coffee makers, hair dryers, irons, and a personal safe. All of that is pretty good in my experience. The loveseats and overstuffed armchairs are a nice touch for settling in after a session on the casino floor too.

It’s also worth nothing that the view of the Wind River Mountain Range from the upper floors is genuinely something. It's the kind of wide-open Wyoming panorama that reminds you you're a long way from a city, which is either exactly what you want or not what you came for.

Pet-friendly rooms are available, with nine designated rooms at an additional $25 charge.

Where to Eat

The food options at Wind River Hotel and Casino are quite basic but they will cover your needs for the most part.

Red Willow is the standout. The menu runs from hearty breakfasts to a full dinner service featuring premium steaks, fresh seafood, and pastas. For a quick idea of price, when I was there the ribeye was $42 and the filet mignon was $52.

What makes it more interesting than a generic casino steakhouse is the local character woven into the menu, including an Indian Country Breakfast featuring house-made fry bread with poached eggs and hollandaise, and a Southwest Chicken and Green Chile Omelet. Opening hours are 7am to 9pm daily.

The Cee Nokuu Café (Arapaho for "sit down") runs 24 hours and is the backbone of the property's food operation for most visitors. The Indian tacos and fry bread are the dishes people come back for specifically, and the burgers were pretty good. For a 24-hour casino café in a mid-Wyoming location, I’d say the quality was noticeably above average.

Pool and Spa

There's no pool or spa at Wind River Hotel and Casino. The property is focused on gaming, dining, and cultural experience rather than resort amenities. The 24-hour fitness center covers the basics for guests who want to keep active during their stay, and the surrounding Wyoming landscape offers hiking and outdoor options nearby. If a pool or spa is important to your trip, it's worth factoring that into your planning.

Entertainment

The entertainment offering at Wind River is distinctive and largely cultural rather than the concert-and-comedy format of bigger casino resorts. The centerpiece is the Northern Arapaho Experience Room, located just off the hotel lobby. The walls are lined with artifacts, paintings, photographs, and video installations telling the story of the Northern Arapaho people of the Wind River Reservation.

In summer, weekly traditional Northern Arapaho dance exhibitions take place, performed by tribal members in full ceremonial regalia and accompanied by singing and drumming. It's the kind of experience that doesn't happen at any other casino in the country that I know of, and it's worth timing a visit to catch one if you can.

Beyond the cultural programming, the Buffalo Sportsbook serves as the main entertainment hub for sport, with NFL, MLB, NHL, and live UFC broadcasts on the screens.

The casino also runs a busy promotions calendar with hot seat events, drawings, blackjack tournaments, and themed giveaways running most weeks across the year.

Wind River Hotel and Casino is Wyoming's largest casino and earns its status through a combination of solid gaming, delicious dining at Red Willow, a comfortable and well-maintained hotel, and a cultural authenticity that makes it unlike any other casino stop on a Western road trip.

The alcohol situation has evolved since 2023 and the property is no longer the dry operation it once was, though it remains more measured about alcohol than most casino floors. And anyone expecting resort amenities like a pool or spa will need to look elsewhere.

But if you're driving between Wyoming's national parks and want somewhere to stop that offers more than just a bed and a slot machine, Wind River delivers something genuinely worth the detour. The food is better than expected, the cultural experience through the Northern Arapaho Experience Room is something you won't find duplicated anywhere, and the Wind River Mountain Range backdrop from the hotel windows is the kind of view that makes waking up somewhere feel like an event in itself.