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Openings

Recent openings: Canada's newest casino resorts on file

File date · sources re-read

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.

Opened, 2020 onward

  1. ›

    Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa

    Date
    Opened 3 Jul 2025
    Location
    Ottawa, ON
    Rooms
    150 rooms, 22 of them suites
    Reported by
    Hard Rock International

    Rideau Carleton, rebuilt for $350 million, reopened as a full Hard Rock resort — a Canadian first for the brand. Gaming never stops (over 1,500 slots), Council Oak grills steaks, and Hard Rock LIVE takes up to 2,200. Strictly 19+ throughout.

  2. ›

    Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto

    Date
    Rooms from 1 Aug 2023; casino opened 20 Jun
    Location
    Toronto (Etobicoke), ON
    Rooms
    400 keys incl. suites
    Reported by
    Mann Report

    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.

  3. ›

    Pickering Casino Resort Hotel

    Date
    Opened 16 Jan 2023
    Location
    Pickering, ON
    Rooms
    275 rooms, 33 of them suites
    Reported by
    Newswire

    The hotel part of a $500 million Great Canadian project 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.

  4. ›

    Great Blue Heron Casino & Hotel

    Date
    Hotel complete Nov 2021
    Location
    Port Perry (Scugog Island), ON
    Rooms
    Around 100 rooms (counts vary)
    Reported by
    Wikipedia

    Hotel finished on 1 November 2021, per the owners, the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation. Counts vary — 100 rooms per Wikipedia, 116 per travel listings, none given by the operator. The Nest event space takes up to 800 guests.

  5. ›

    Dakota Dunes Resort

    Date
    Opened Oct 2020
    Location
    Whitecap Dakota First Nation lands, Saskatchewan
    Rooms
    155 rooms
    Reported by
    Stay Magazine

    Whitecap Dakota First Nation owns it, Atlific Hotels manages it, and it adjoins Dakota Dunes Casino about 20 minutes south of Saskatoon. The ribbon was cut on October 8, 2020. Meeting space totals 10,000 sq ft, and the kitchen works farm-to-table.

Under construction

  1. ›

    River Cree hotel tower

    Date
    Target: July 2027
    Location
    Enoch (Edmonton), AB
    Reported by
    Stay Magazine

    An 18-storey addition to today's 249 rooms: around 230–240 rooms more, over 30 suites, a two-waterslide pool and a large ballroom. The shell was complete by June 2026.

  2. ›

    Cascades Casino and Hotel Innisfil

    Date
    Under construction, opening date not announced
    Location
    Innisfil, ON (239 Reive Blvd, off Hwy 400)
    Reported by
    blogTO

    Gateway's successor to its Georgian Downs casino. BlogTO (September 2026) reports a seven-storey hotel, more than 1,000 slots and live tables — about 150,000 sq ft in total.

Mid-refurbishment

Openings questions

Q.Which casino hotel opened last?

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa, open since July 3, 2025.

Q.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.

Q.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.