Casino Hotels

The complex occupies the former French and Quebec pavilions from Expo 67 on Île Notre-Dame, a man-made island in the Saint Lawrence a few minutes from downtown Montreal. The original modernist structures — angular, glassy, stacked in terraces — have been extended repeatedly, and the upper levels still give the long views over the river and the city skyline that the pavilion architects were chasing in the first place.

Alongside the gaming floor the site runs a spread of restaurants from a casual buffet to a formal dining room, a cabaret-style performance space and extensive event facilities, with hotel accommodation operated on the same site. The parkland of Parc Jean-Drapeau surrounds the whole island, which gives the property something most urban casino hotels lack: somewhere to walk that is neither a corridor nor a car park. Access is restricted to adults, and the operator publishes responsible-gambling resources on site.

Fallsview is built into the escarpment above the Horseshoe Falls, which determines everything about it. The complex steps down the cliff so that its public levels, restaurants and a large share of its hotel rooms look directly at the water; the best of them take in both the Canadian and American falls at once. Inside, the scale is resort-sized — a long retail galleria, a spa, and a broad spread of dining from food hall to steakhouse.

The Avalon Theatre seats around fifteen hundred and books touring names year-round, which means a substantial number of guests arrive for a concert and treat the gaming floor as incidental. Accommodation is in a hotel tower connected directly to the complex, with covered links to neighbouring properties — useful in a town where winter spray freezes on the pavements. The gaming floor is adults-only and provincially regulated.

River Rock sits on the Fraser River in Richmond, a short drive from Vancouver International Airport and a straight run on the rapid transit line into downtown Vancouver, which makes it one of the most conveniently placed large hotels in the region. The site includes its own marina, and the rooms on the upper river-facing floors look across the water to the North Shore mountains on a clear day.

The hotel component is genuinely full-service: a spa, a fitness centre, a range of restaurants from noodle counter to buffet to grill, and a show theatre used for concerts, comedy and banquets. Because of the airport proximity a good share of guests are there for one night between flights rather than for the gaming floor, which operates under British Columbia regulation, is restricted to adults, and publishes responsible-gambling information on the premises.

Casino Rama stands on the lands of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation near Orillia, in the lake country north of Toronto, and its identity is tied to that: the design language, the artwork and much of the staffing reflect the community that hosts it. The setting is rural rather than urban — trees, water and a two-hour drive from the city — so the resort functions as a destination in itself rather than as a stop.

The Entertainment Centre seats around five thousand and has hosted a long list of touring musicians and comedians, making it one of the larger concert venues outside Toronto. Around it sit hotel accommodation in linked towers, a spa, a fitness centre and a spread of restaurants. The gaming floor is regulated by the province, restricted to adults, and accompanied by the responsible-gambling resources the operator is required to provide.