IGP Expands Alberta Casino Footprint with Gamehost Purchase

^{The Deerfoot Inn & Casino in Calgary will become part of IGP's Pure Casino portfolio once the Gamehost acquisition closes later this month. (Photo: : Brendan Nogue / Alamy)}

Indigenous Gaming Partners (IGP) has secured approval to purchase casino operator Gamehost, a move that will make the First Nations-owned group one of the most significant gaming operators in Alberta.

Currently, Gamehost owns three casinos in the province and two hotels in Grande Prairie. With the addition of these venues, IGP will now control seven casinos in Alberta. 

First Nations Add New Properties to Pure Casino Holdings

The casinos involved in the transaction include Deerfoot Inn & Casino in Calgary, Great Northern Casino in Grande Prairie, and the Rivers Casino and Entertainment Centre in Fort McMurray. 

The transaction will see Pure Casino Entertainment Limited Partnership – the operating entity of IGP – take control of the venues after a subsidiary of Pure purchases all outstanding common shares of Gamehost at $13.65 per share. 

Gamehost shareholders approved the sale at a special meeting on June 11. With the approval of the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta in place, the sale is expected to close later this month, according to a press release.

IGP is a partnership made up of five First Nations – the Glooscap First Nation, Millbrook First Nation, Annapolis Valley First Nation, We’koqma’q  L’nue’kati, and Paqtnkek Mi’kmaw Nation – working with Canadian casino management company Sonco Gaming. Through Pure, the group already owns and operates Pure Casino Edmonton, Pure Casino Calgary, Pure Casino Lethbridge, and Pure Casino Yellowhead.

While Pure is purchasing the operations at each Gamehost venue, the real estate will transfer to VICI Properties Inc, which is acquiring the properties through a sale-leaseback agreement. VICI has also owned the real estate of the Pure casinos since early 2023.

Pure Plans to Be Major Player in Alberta iGaming

The move will help secure IGP’s status as one of the major players in the Alberta gaming industry. That status will only grow when Alberta’s iGaming market opens on July 13, as Pure is among the 47 registered operators that have applied for a license to operate Alberta online casinos in the regulated commercial market.

Alberta iGaming Corporation CEO Dan Keene spoke with Casinos.com earlier this month about the province's upcoming iGaming rollout, saying First Nations groups have been part of the conversation from the start.

“We will always have an open door and a strong partnership and relationship with the Nations,” Keene said. “We’ve had some Nations reach out to us about launching their own iGaming site in the province, both on their own or with a partner.” 

IGP's story is one of many playing out across North America as tribal and First Nations groups are reshaping the gaming industry from the ground up. June is Tribal Gaming Month at Casinos.com, and we're celebrating the communities and casinos that are making the biggest impact in their local markets. Visit our tribal gaming page to share your pick and enter for a chance to win a trip for two to a luxury tribal resort.