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Maple Casino Hotels

Rama (Orillia), Ontario · gaming age 19+

Casino Rama Resort: our review

Page revised · data checked

Casino Rama, on Rama First Nation land outside Orillia, is mid-renovation and improving fast: new rooms rolling out since 2025, a ground-floor spa, and three new restaurants including Gateway's Atlas Steak and Fish. The 5,000-plus-seat Entertainment Centre keeps headliners coming up Highway 400.

  • Rooms & views7.5
  • Casino floor8.5
  • Dining8.5
  • Shows & events10.0
  • Pool, spa & fitness8.0
  • Getting there6.0

Book it for: GTA concert getaways and lakeside weekends with gaming on the side.
Look elsewhere if: You're travelling without a car — the resort is about two hours north of Toronto, near Orillia.

A refresh in progress

Rama dates from July 1996, on Rama First Nation land near Orillia. Its current chapter began in November 2024, when Gateway Casinos — working with OLG and Rama First Nation — announced a large-scale refurbishment covering hotel rooms, a bigger spa and fitness centre, the gaming floor and new restaurants. By May 2025 room work was under way from the second floor up, and the new spa was already operating on the ground floor.

Rooms: ask about your floor

Rama has 289 rooms. Because the resort hasn't released details of the renovated ones yet, the smart move is to ask, when you reserve, whether your floor is finished — that decides whether you get the old product or the new.

Spa and pool

Saunas and steam rooms are in the new ground-floor spa. The pool is still on the third floor, and an enlarged fitness centre is part of the plan.

A big stage up north

With over 5,000 seats, the Entertainment Centre is one of the country's biggest casino venues. Late-2026 bookings announced included the Celtic Tenors, Colin James, the Righteous Brothers and Jesse Cook, and the ticket prices quoted in those announcements ran from about $25 to $89.

Gaming

Gateway doesn't publish its own machine count. Wikipedia's figures — a 192,000 sq. ft. floor with roughly 1,800 slots and 50 tables — are best treated as approximate. CTV reported in May 2025 on a refreshed floor with upgraded slots. Players must be 19, as everywhere in Ontario.

New restaurants

Three new restaurants since fall 2024. Chow Lucky Noodle Bar came first, in fall 2024, with wok dishes, soups and bowls. MATCH Eatery and Public House followed in May 2025, just inside the main rotunda. Then, in November 2025, Atlas Steak and Fish at St. Germain's arrived — the first Ontario location of Gateway's signature steak-and-seafood brand, named in honour of the late Rama First Nation chief George St. Germain. There's also a Tim Hortons.

Around Orillia

Plan on about two hours from Toronto via Highway 400. Nearby: Couchiching Beach Park (sand and gardens), the Leacock Museum National Historic Site and Hardwood Ski and Bike, open in winter and summer.

Our advice

Think of Rama as a concert-plus-lake weekend. Book once your floor is renovated, reserve a table at Atlas, and build the trip around a headliner — most guests do.

What travellers ask us

Is Casino Rama being renovated right now?

Yes. The refurbishment announced in November 2024 covers rooms, a new spa and fitness area, the gaming floor and new restaurants; several parts opened in 2024 and 2025.

How far is Casino Rama from Toronto?

Around two hours' drive north on Highway 400, near Orillia.

What is the capacity of the Casino Rama Entertainment Centre?

Over 5,000 seats.

Where our facts come from

Checked against the sources above on October 23, 2026. Hotels change prices, fees and hours without notice, so confirm with them before you pay. Out-of-date detail? Email us. Next: Casino Hotels in Ontario · the hotel top 10.