Openings
Canada's new casino hotels: recent openings and what comes next
Last revision · fact check
The scorecard since 2020: five new casino hotels open, two under construction, and several older resorts mid-renovation. Below you'll find all three groups, each entry with an opening date and room count taken from the operator or a named report — plus the source link, so you can check our work.
What has opened since 2020
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa
A $350 million redevelopment of Rideau Carleton produced Canada's first fully integrated Hard Rock resort: round-the-clock gaming with 1,500-plus slots, Hard Rock LIVE (2,200 max) and Council Oak steaks. Strictly 19+ throughout.
Source: www.hardrock.com
Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto
Casino Woodbine, rebuilt into a resort next to the racetrack: a 5,000-capacity theatre, a pool with sauna and steam room, free parking and a free Pearson shuttle.
Source: www.mannpublications.com
Pickering Casino Resort Hotel
Hotel wing of Great Canadian's $500 million resort east of Toronto. Rooms run 388–775 sq ft (22 accessible); the casino opened with 2,200 slots and 90-plus live tables, and the arena/theatre holds 2,500.
Source: newswire.ca
Great Blue Heron Casino & Hotel
Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation's casino declared its hotel finished on November 1, 2021. Counts vary — 100 rooms per Wikipedia, 116 per travel listings, none given by the operator. The Nest event space takes up to 800 guests.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Dakota Dunes Resort
Whitecap Dakota First Nation owns it, Atlific Hotels manages it, and it adjoins Dakota Dunes Casino about 20 minutes south of Saskatoon. Ribbon cut October 8, 2020; 10,000 sq ft of meeting space and farm-to-table food.
Source: staymagazine.ca
Under construction
River Cree hotel tower
On top of the existing 249 rooms: 18 storeys, roughly 230–240 more rooms, 30-plus suites, a pool with two waterslides and a big ballroom. Exterior done as of June 2026.
Source: www.staymagazine.ca
Cascades Casino and Hotel Innisfil
Replacing Gateway's Georgian Downs casino: 1,000-plus slots, live tables and a seven-storey hotel, around 150,000 sq ft in all (BlogTO, September 2026).
Source: www.blogto.com
Recently renovated
- Casino Rama Resort — Rooms being redone since 2025; ground-floor spa; Chow (fall 2024), MATCH (May 2025), Atlas Steak and Fish (November 2025).
- River Rock Casino Resort — 2024 anniversary upgrades led by Gordon Ramsay Steak; KOI sushi in 2026; changed hands in June 2026.
- Grey Eagle Resort & Casino — Casino works phased across 2026–2027; pool shut for now; buffet closing January 2027 for renovation.
- Caesars Windsor — Glengarry garage fully reopened July 8, 2026; nightclub moved out in January 2026.
Traveller questions, answered
Which casino hotel opened last?
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa, open since July 3, 2025.
Are new casino hotels under construction?
Two: River Cree in Enoch, Alberta is building an 18-storey tower aimed at July 2027, and Gateway has Cascades Casino and Hotel Innisfil underway in Ontario with no announced opening date.
Recent openings near Toronto?
Two, both in 2023: the 275-room Pickering Casino Resort Hotel in January, then the 400-room hotel at Great Canadian's Toronto resort in August.