Great Canadian Gaming is the largest casino operator in Canada with locations sprinkled across Ontario, British Columbia, Atlantic Canada. The booming Ontario market is one of the highlights of this year’s expansion that would bring many new offerings to the province and diversify gaming opportunities.
With its 11 facilities welcoming Ontarians, Great Canadian Gaming has a solid presence on the market. Ever since 2005, the company has been working towards establishing its brand across the provinces and becoming a household name outside British Columbia.
This included branching out to Ontario and Nova Scotia, making it easier for players across Canada to get a taste of the diverse gaming offerings available at every Great Canadian Gaming location. Georgian Downs in Innisfil and Flamboro Downs in Hamilton were the first locations purchased by the casino operator.
Great Canadian Gaming Devotes 2019 to Expansion
Georgian Downs included a slots venue to its structure in 2009, introducing its full gaming potential. Throughout the years expansion focus has been on British Columbia, as the province is where it all started. However, the year 2015 was dedicated to a milestone expansion in Ontario, where Great Canadian Gaming brought to live its Shorelines Casino locations in Gananoque and Fraserville.
Shorelines Casino Thousand Islands and Shorelines Slots at Kawartha Downs were ready to give their community both the gaming opportunity and the regular gaming revenue allocations. Prior to the acquisition, the former location was known as OLG Casino Thousand Islands. As for the Kawartha Downs slots location, it was threatened by permanent closure towards the end of 2018.
Great Canadian Gaming was planning to relocate operation to Shorelines Casino Peterborough. The initial plan for action included the closure of Shorelines Slots at Kawartha Downs, as the new facility features a fully-fledged casino venue with diverse offerings. Mid-October it became clear that the slots location will close temporarily for renovation, only to relaunch operation mid-December. The year 2016 saw action towards Shorelines Casino Belleville, a milestone location for the region.
West GTA Gaming Bundle Diversifies Field
Great Canadian Gaming received approval to commence construction on site of the chosen parcel of land in Belleville. The 47,000-square-foot casino venue launched operation in January 2017 and ever since then the community has bagged more than CA$.7 million in non-tax gaming revenue. This casino venue was also the first one to be built in Ontario since 2006. Last year was especially busy for the casino operator, which acquired the Greater Toronto Area Gaming Bundle.
In January, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation granted the operator Casino Ajax, Casino Woodbine, and Great Blue Heron Casino. Casino Ajax was threatened by closure, as Durham Live entertainment complex is going to launch operation in Pickering and cannibalization was possible. Recently it was confirmed that the two casino venues will be of different scale and they will operate parallelly. Casino Woodbine is preparing for the launch of the new GO rail station near Woodbine Racetrack that will bring a flow of casino patrons.
Scugog Island First Nation managed Great Blue Heron Casino up until 2016. Following the bundle acquisition, the location saw plans for a new hotel tower, live performances, as well as additional slot machines and table games introduced by the end of 2018. The month of May 2018 saw the acquisition of West Greater Toronto Area Gaming Bundle including locations such as Casino Brantford, Slots at Mohawk Racetrack, Slots at Flamboro Downs, and Slots at Grand River Raceway.
Once under the new management, the locations were rebranded as Elements Casino Brantford, Elements Casino Mohawk, Elements Casino Flamboro, and Elements Casino Grand River. All of them are currently undergoing renovation and expansion, the latter one preparing for the official 2019 live season launch this Wednesday at Grand River Raceway.
