Openings log
Casino hotels opened since 2020, and the ones still being built
Updated · hotel facts as of
The desk's openings log has three parts: two projects still on site, five hotels opened since 2020, and older resorts rebuilding piece by piece. Dates and key counts come from the operator or from an outlet we name and link, so every line can be checked. The projects still being built come first, because that is the news.
Being built now
River Cree hotel tower
Eighteen floors, roughly 230–240 new keys and 30-plus suites on top of today's 249 — with a ballroom and twin waterslides in a new pool. Outside walls were done as of June 2026.
Our source: STAY Magazine, River Cree expansion
Cascades Casino and Hotel Innisfil
Georgian Downs' successor, built by Gateway: about 150,000 sq. ft. holding upward of 1,000 machines, live tables and a hotel seven floors high (BlogTO, September 2026).
Our source: BlogTO, September 2026 report
Opened since 2020
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa
C$350 million turned the Rideau Carleton grounds into what the brand describes as its first fully integrated property on Canadian soil. Inside: 1,500-plus machines that never stop, a 2,200-capacity LIVE venue, Council Oak for steak, and no admission under 19 anywhere.
Our source: Hard Rock newsroom, opening announcement
Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto
Toronto's Woodbine casino reborn beside the track: a 5,000-capacity theatre, sauna and steam alongside the pool, a garage you do not pay for and an airport bus that costs nothing.
Our source: Mann Report, hotel opening notice
Pickering Casino Resort Hotel
Great Canadian spent C$500 million on this complex east of Toronto. Keys measure between 388 and 775 sq. ft. and 22 are accessible; the arena-theatre seats 2,500; on day one the floor held 2,200 machines and upward of 90 live tables.
Our source: Newswire, Pickering opening release
Great Blue Heron Casino & Hotel
A First Nations property (Mississaugas of Scugog Island) whose hotel was announced complete on 1 November 2021. Sizes conflict: 100 keys says Wikipedia, 116 say travel listings, and the operator stays silent. The Nest, its event room, fits 800.
Our source: Wikipedia, Great Blue Heron article
Dakota Dunes Resort
Ownership sits with Whitecap Dakota First Nation, management with Atlific Hotels. It stands beside Dakota Dunes Casino, a 20-minute drive south of Saskatoon, opened officially on 8 October 2020, plus 10,000 sq. ft. for conferences and a kitchen that buys from local farms.
Our source: STAY Magazine, Dakota Dunes opening
Older resorts mid-makeover
- Casino Rama: keys renewed one floor at a time from 2025, a spa downstairs, and new kitchens in sequence — Chow in fall 2024, then MATCH, then Atlas Steak and Fish in November 2025.
- River Rock: the 20th-birthday work of 2024 brought Ramsay's steakhouse; 2026 brought KOI (sushi) and, in June, a change of owner.
- Grey Eagle: the casino is being redone in phases through 2026–2027; the pool is shut meanwhile, and the buffet closes for its own works in January 2027.
- Caesars Windsor: the garage on Glengarry Avenue was fully usable again from 8 July 2026; ARIIUS, the club, relocated to Ouellette Avenue in January 2026.
Readers' questions
What is the newest casino hotel in the country?
The Ottawa Hard Rock — doors open since 3 July 2025.
Are any casino hotels being built at the moment?
Yes, a pair. In Alberta, River Cree's tower (18 floors, target July 2027); and Cascades Casino and Hotel Innisfil, Gateway's Ontario project, still without an opening date.
Has the Toronto area gained casino hotels lately?
Two in 2023: Pickering (275 keys, January) and Great Canadian at Woodbine (400 keys, August).