Guide to Land Based Casinos in Canada - All You Need to Know For 2025

There’s no doubt about it: land-based casinos are highly popular in Canada for both locals and tourists. It is a big growth industry, despite the rise of online casinos, and there are currently over 100 land-based casinos across the country.

A report by the Canadian Gaming Industry revealed that Canadian gamblers spent over $17 billion in casinos in 2017 and this number has risen considerably since.

However, if you’re looking to visit a casino in Canada, then it pays to do your research first. That’s because gambling in Canada is governed independently by each province making the rules and regulations different depending on your location.

The types of games you can play, the minimum age you can visit casinos, and the number of land-based casinos varies significantly from province to province, so it can be a little complex to navigate.

So, with that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of all the things you need to know when visiting land-based casinos in Canada.

The Criminal Code of Canada written in 1892 prohibited all forms of gambling in Canada for a long time. As is usually the case in these situations, gambling still remained, however it went underground taking place behind closed doors in illegal gambling dens.

Soon enough, changes started being made to regulations and, in 1900, charitable raffles and bingo were permitted. In 1925, touring exhibitions and fairs were allowed to host gambling activities.

By 1969 there was growing pressure to relax gambling laws further and a decision was made to put responsibility in the hands of individual provinces and territories rather than a centralized governing body.

Initially it was just for lotteries and charitable gambling activities, but as public acceptance of gambling increased, the rules became a little more fluid. The 1970’s and 80’s saw a flurry of gambling halls starting to emerge such as Diamond Tooth Gertie’s Gambling Hall in Dawson City, Yukon in 1971, which is still open now. 

Over the years, as gambling became more advanced and electronic slot games hit the scene, a further revision was made (Section 207(1)(a)) to The Code in 1985. This signalled a huge shift in the casino landscape of Canada as it gave provinces a free reign over almost all gaming activities in their jurisdiction. Subsequently, Canada's first commercial land-based casino – Crystal Casino - opened in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1989 followed by many others. 

These days, Canada continues to manage and regulate its casinos on a provincial level. The Canadian Gaming Commission oversees the industry as a whole, providing support, information and responding to serious issues. However, the gambling laws vary according to each province and each is governed independently.   

Although this sounds a little haphazard, rest assured that each province has robust structures and authorities in place, making Canada one of the safest places in the world to gamble.

Each province usually has its own lottery corporation as well as a separate regulatory arm such as a gaming commission and they enact their own gaming legislation. For example:

British Columbia gaming is managed by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) and regulated by the Gambling Policy and Enforcement Branch (GPEB). 

Ontario gaming is regulated by Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporate (OLG) and the Gaming Control Act is enforced by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).

There are roughly 118 land-based casinos in Canada. However, they come in a variety of different forms. These are:

• Government-operated casinos – owned and managed by each provincial authority
• Private-casino operators – who are registered and licensed with the provincial authority
• Charitable casinos -  where the operator splits profits with non-profit organizations
• First Nation Casinos – located on reserve land and use their gaming proceeds for charitable and religious programs that benefit their community
• Racinos – racetracks that offer casino gambling of some sort
• Community Gaming Centres (British Columbia) – offering gambling activities such as slots, bingo and keno alongside other community activities

There is a lot of diversity not only between provinces but also in different gambling environments within each province.

For example, in British Columbia (BC), there are different registration classes for casinos, bingo, and horse racing, with casinos categorized into three different bands: Class A (800 or more slots), Class B (between 500 and 799 slots) and Class C (less than 500 slots).

🍁 Canadian Casino Mega-Resorts

Although the variation between land-based casinos in Canada can be vast, there are several huge mega-casino resorts that rival some of the best in the world. Here’s a summary of some must-visit casinos in Canada.

Casino De Montreal (Montreal Casino) – Quebec

The largest casino in Canada, Casino De Montreal has 526,000 square feet of gaming space over five floors. It has over 100 table games, over 3,000 slot machines and a large number of speed lotteries and virtual games. 

Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort– Ontario

Niagara Fallsview is a $1 billion complex built on a cliff overlooking the famous Horseshoe Falls. Its 200,000 square feet casino floor has over 3,300 slot machines and 130 gaming tables offering blackjack, roulette, Mississippi Stud, Three Card Poker, Mini Baccarat and more. 

Caesars Windsor – Ontario

Part of the well-known Caesars casino brand, Caesars Windsor has a two-story casino floor totalling around 100,000 square feet. You’ll find over 1,700 slot games, 85 table games, and a highly popular poker room with daily tournaments. 

Casino Rama – Ontario

Ontario’s only First Nation commercial casino – Casino Rama has 192,000 square feet of gaming space. This includes 1,800 slots, 50 live table games and six poker tables. Casino Rama is also known for its spacious guest rooms and high-profile entertainment.

River Rock Casino – British Columbia

The 72,000 square foot casino at River Rock Casino houses 1,100 slots, over 100 electronic table games, 75 live table games and a busy poker room. Situated in a waterfront location in Vancouver, River Rock has the popular Chairmans Room Buffet and busy calendar of shows and events. 

🆔 What Age Can I Gamble at a Canadian Land-Based Casino?

Depending on which province you are gambling in, you either have to be 18 years or 19 years of age to play in a Canadian land-based casino.

In almost all Canadian provinces the minimum age is 19 years – this includes Ontario, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. However, in the provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec the legal gambling age is 18. Always ensure you bring your photographic ID to enter a land-based casino. 

💰 What is the Minimum Player Payout in Canadian Land-based Casinos?

It is unclear what the minimum player payout is across the country. However, in Ontario, the Commission has established a minimum theoretical payout of 85% of money wagered on slot machines. 

This is fairly low, considering most slot games are developed with a Return to Player (RTP) of between 90% – 98% anyway. Nevertheless, the fact that the AGCO have published this information, shows that regulations and standards are in place. 

🧾 Do I have to Pay Tax on Land-based Casino Winnings in Canada?

In Canada, gains made from gambling by casual casino-goers are not considered income and are therefore not taxable.

However, the exception to this is if you are classified as a gambler by occupation.

According to the Canada Revenue Agency, only gambling winnings that qualify as "income, from a business, profession or occupation carried on for profit or gain '' are subject to taxation. 

🍸 Do Canadian Land-based Casinos offer a Free Drinks Service?

Unlike casinos in Las Vegas, land-based casinos in Canada do not offer free alcoholic drinks on the casino floor. This is due to regulations set by each province governing body rather than at the casino level.

However, many Canadian land-based casinos offer complimentary coffee, tea, soft drinks, water and juice to patrons while playing casino games. I was once in Red Rock Casino in BC, and a lady circulated the casino floor with a trolley offering free tea, coffee and soft drinks all day.

If you do want to drink alcoholic while gambling in a Canadian land-based casino, you can either buy a drink at the bar and take it with you. Alternatively, most casinos will offer a waitress service, in which you pay the waitress for the drink and she will bring it back to you in your seat. If you make use of this service, always remember to tip. 

🍔 Food and Drink options at Land Based Casinos in Canada

Most Canadian land-based casinos will offer some sort of food and drink option on-site. This can range from all-you-can-eat buffets and celebrity chef restaurants to popular chain restaurants and quick eats. The biggest and best Canadian mega casino resorts will have a variety of each.

As an example, Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort has twenty dining options. This includes fine Italian dining at Ponte Vecchio, award-winning Club 21 Steak and Seafood, as well as BarBurrito, Burger King and Tim Horton’s too. 

🎤 Entertainment at Land Based Casinos in Canada

Again, this varies from casino to casino and province to province, however, some of the bigger land-based casino resorts have a busy calendar of events, including high profile acts too.

Casino Rama and Niagara Fallsview, for example, both have 5,000 seat capacity theatres and their upcoming events include Tom Jones, Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Tim Allen and Avril Lavigne.

Prior to August 2021, only parlay-style wagering was available across Canada which limited sports betting activities. 

However, in August 2021, the law preventing single-game sports wagering was repealed via amendment C-218 of paragraph 207(4)‍(b) of the Criminal Code.

This made it lawful for single-game sports betting to take place and for it to be, once again, managed at a provincial level instead of centralized government. 

Within months most provinces launched some kind of sports betting outlet.  Some also launched an online sports betting operation too. 

As with all gambling activity in Canada, sports betting therefore varies according to province. 

Some casinos, such as Niagara Fallsview Casino, have extravagant sportsbooks. Other casinos such as Elements Casino Grand River just provide sports betting kiosks and other casinos will only provide a racebook or no sports betting facilities at all.

Interestingly, some provinces have sports betting facilities at places such as convenience stores, newsstands and pharmacies instead of casinos. 

It really is a case of doing your research, so you know exactly which land-based casinos offer sports-betting on site. 

Data accurate as of February 2025

Is online casino gambling allowed in Canada?

Online casinos are allowed in Canada. However, Ontario is currently the only province that allows third party companies to offer gaming and betting services directly to their residents. 

All other provinces manage their own online gaming services such as www.playalberta.ca 

There is speculation on whether other provinces will follow Ontario’s lead and implement a similar iGaming regime allowing third party involvement, however, this is currently not the case.