Prairie Meadows Casino, Racetrack & Hotel

Throw your money in the toilet .I went this Friday night .I love casinos Its nice to walk in and kind of stay even most of the night im not looking for the big win just like to play… This place is locked up so tight even the penny machines will beat you for 100 in a half hour .I used to love stopping here years ago because it was one of the better ones .Not now Greed has taken over and they would rather see you come in Friday night drop your money and go .To never return they dont care.

It’s a fun casino. Nice restaurant and plenty of slots and card games. Some slot machines don’t pay out well so you have to find ones you like. Plenty of table games. If you get a card they give you free drinks here and there and other points and promotions.
Overall I have fun when I come here. Drinks are also reasonably priced and they let you take more than one at a time unlike Lakeside casino.

its real fun u can spend lots a money there thogh. i took my girl friend there one time for are annaversery n she loves it too. go to Praire meadows if you want to play slot machines they are the most fun n they got cheap drinks. race track is fun.

We recently visited family in Des Moines and made a trip to Prairie Meadows while we were there (to watch the races). I have to say it was a really fun way to spend an afternoon! The event wasn’t very crowded, so it pretty much felt like we had the place to ourselves! Our waitress was a little all over the place (shouting over the railings lol) but was really nice and provided timely service. We ordered a few buckets of beer and a bottle of wine. We all also ate at the buffet (which was a first for me)! I thought it was good. I mainly just ate the soups but I also tried some fried chicken which was tasty and the desserts also looked great! A buffet is definitely a great option if you’re very hungry or looking to over-​indulge. I personally didn’t place any bets but a few people in my party did and they were very happy with the service (and the winnings lol). Our overall experience was very good — four stars indeed!

Nice casino. Not the best one I’ve ever been to. The track was closed on the day that I went, so I guess I didn’t get the full effect. I’d go back, but I’d definitely make sure that it’s on a day that the track is open.

When you just need someplace to relax and have adult time, this is the place to be. First there’s a few places to eat here. I’ve done the buffet, steak house, and the grab a snack style place upstairs. They all are good. A little overpriced for the buffet at times. Also the food can on occasion taste like it’s been out for to long. They have their days. The steak house is always spot on. If I’m hitting the reels, I grab a snack and they have all been able to hit the spot. Horse racing is a must do at least once. It’s pretty fun and relaxing. Also I love the new brighter updates inside. It’s got a very modern feel now. The slots are where I love to be. If you head, in take only what your willing to lose. It can be pretty addictive if you don’t. You also lose track of time. Which is awesome if you need to kill time and have fun to. I tend to head to penny machines, but on occasion try out some fancy and flashy ones. Overall plan to get lost and have fun

Absolutely DETEST the remodel! You took away anywhere in the horse betting area to have a nice cigar and unwind from a week while I bet on races. Good buy Prairie Meadows. I’ll miss you

I’m not much of a gambler, but my girlfriend and her family are! Sometimes you win, sometimes you don’t! (DUH)But it’s fun to come here and take your chances! Bar drinks are decently priced and they keep the facility very clean. Fun to come watch the horse races in the summer… The hotel facilities feature a saltwater pool and hot tub. Fun fun fun!

I’ve been coming to Prairie Meadows for years, live in Johnston so it’s close by. I’ll never return after my experience this morning. I arrived around 2am this morning with the intention of spending a couple of hours gambling. The weather is cold and windy, so I decided to valet my vehicle. I have a keyless vehicle, so I took my FOB off my key ring and handed it to the valet guy when I got out of my car. He took it, gave me a ticket, and I went about my gambling. Fast forward to 4:15am when I requested my vehicle from valet. Went outside and waited and waited and waited. Mind you, this is 4:15 in the morning, there was only one other vehicle being returned by valet. 10 minutes after I requested my vehicle, a valet guy came up and asked if my vehicle was a black SUV. I said, yes, that’s mine. He responded saying he came up to get the key for it and it should be up here shortly. Another 10 minutes goes by and no vehicle. A different valet guy approached me saying they couldn’t find my key. He asked if I had it. I said, no, I specifically took it off my ring and handed it to the valet guy when I left my vehicle. He said «oh» and walked off. Five minutes later, still no vehicle and no valet guys to be found. I went back into the casino and approached the security guy. As I’m doing that, the original valet guy returns and comes inside with my FOB. He said he found it under my seat, perhaps that’s where I left it. I said, no, I handed it directly to the valet guy after I got out of my car. Long story, short, the valet guy tells me that the car won’t recognize the key and won’t start. He tells me the battery must be dead in my FOB. I obviously was upset to begin with and this just made me angrier. I told him, how is it possible that a perfectly functioning FOB goes dead in 2 ½ hours. His response is, well, it could happen. He asked me if I had a spare one. I said, of course, at home. He suggested I go home to get it. I know, you’re probably wondering, how the h*ll am I supposed to get home to get it. They ended up getting a manager who came over and asked what was going on and I explained that apparently my FOB died in the 2 ½ hours that the valet had it, which apparently they didn’t have because the valet guy left it under my seat, on purpose. He wrote on their slip that my key was under the seat. Yep, how awesome is that! With my FOB under the seat, that means they clearly could not lock the vehicle as it won’t lock with the FOB in it. So my vehicle was sitting unlocked with the FOB in it the entire time I was in the casino & the valet person knew it because he’s the one that left the FOB in the vehicle. I told the manager that if this is their protocol, then they should be sued because they’re putting everyone’s vehicles and contents in jeopardy of being stolen. The manager ended up going out with the valet guy and got the vehicle started, apparently my FOB had gotten cold having sat in my unheated vehicle for 2 ½ hours and thus wasn’t working. He warmed it up and it worked just fine.
The casino itself is fine, but I wanted to post this so everyone is aware of the potential security issue with their valet service. I won’t ever return to this establishment because of this incident. I’m disgusted by the blatant disregard for a customer’s property like that.

This is a second review for us here… And we just can’t find anything to complain about! We love it. The hotel is just as clean and crisp as it was when it opened. Service from all departments is excellent. We love the high styled bright décor. The whole casino/​hotel experience is as good or better than what we experience when staying in other cities… including Las Vegas. We have even booked our next stay a year in advance. Thank you Prairie Meadows Hotel!
Richard Hornaday

This update is for the Buffet on the first floor. Went for the brunch, my friend said it is cheaper to go for the brunch. Gotta tell you, before you load up your plate, walk down the entire length of the buffet to decide what you want. If you just start loading your plate, you will run out of plate and say to yourself, «Oh dang, I don’t have room for that item I should have gotten instead of this item.» Among the assortment of drinks offered was some juices. One of the juice selections was Peach Juice. GET IT! It’s TOO DIE FOR! It tasted like they took some peaches and ran it through a juicer. I had two glasses of it! I also had unsweetened ice tea, it was good.
Didn’t like the chicken all that well, can’t really say why. The roast beef was good.
I’m leaving this at three stars because of the previous review of Paddock Grill.

The 4^th of July fireworks 2014 were GREAT! We viewed them from just outside the track but the display was more than expected. The crowd was manageable and well monitored by the local police. The show was longer than expected & had mini finales about a third and again at two thirds the way thru. The real finale was spectacular lasted about 7 – 10 minutes!
I have posted pics!

I admit it, I love to gamble! I maybe do it once a year, and have been on a bad streak the last few years! But a couple years back I went to Prairie Meadows for one of the free concerts on the track! We saw TOTO, you know the band that sings, «Africa,» it ruled and it was fun being down on the track where it’s usually just horses!
I must have been with lady luck that night cause the guys from TOTO were giving Ashley the eye! For good reason, right! And we may have been the youngest people there as well! But after the show we went up and we played a little black jack, and we quickly won 160 bucks! BOOM. And we had the power to stop and leave! So we got a free concert, and made some fat cash! So yes I love Prairie Meadows! As for the races, they are filled with top notch horses that compete at other tracks all the time!
The races are family friendly but the inside Casino you can still smoke in, so that might detour some!

We have tried to stay here before but were unable to due to availability. We were able to stay for a couple of nights while visiting relatives in Des Moines area this time. Love the hotel. The staff of the hotel is very friendly and helpful and the room was great. I loved having a walk in shower instead of a bathtub. The bed was very comfortable and they have a Keurig coffee maker in the room. The room was nicely laid out and was a good size. I loved the added security of needing your key card to access any of the hotel room floors via the elevator or the walkway. The hotel is non-​smoking. Nice amenities.
As far as the Casino goes, they are currently going through renovations but still have a large selection of slots. I agree with M.E.W.‘s review that the slots aren’t very loose but they do hit, just moderate payouts. Maybe because it is not high season yet might explain the quietness of the casino but it just seamed quiet.
I played some roulette also and found the dealers at all the tables to be professional and while they interacted with the players, they were quiet about it.
The Casino is smoking but it has a good air system to keep the smoke under control. The non-​smoking section of the slots is located by the racetrack side of the building. The non-​smoking table games are on the 3^rd floor and the Poker Room is on the 4^th floor. You have to go through the smoking sections to find these non-​smoking locations as the access points are in the middle of the casino.
We did the café for breakfast which was good and had a nice selection. Did not get to AJ’s or the buffet this time. Overall it was a very nice experience. I am looking forward to my next visit.

This is the closest casino in town and it rocks! I’ve been to other casinos and this one is not as BIG or GRAND as others, but it is definitely cool. The staff members are friendly here and it is not overly-​crowded. I usually come with a few friends who just want to play a bit of black jack or roulette. We usually eat the buffet every time we come here as well.

Huge variety of slots! Not very loose, however. The table dealers are kinda grumpy — couldn’t care less if you win or lose. :(It seems older, but it’s pretty clean — a decent place to play.

Nice casino (and more improvements on the way). I would say this is my preferred casino in central Iowa. (Although the games tend to be a bit stale after a while.) I wish there was more turnover on the slot games.
The nights of horse racing, there are a fair number of families outside watching the horses.
Casino is not overly smoky… but it is NOT smoke free.
Buffet is OK as far as buffets go. On holidays the line is usually fairly long for the buffet.