Canada’s Biggest Resort Opens This Summer

Posted on: March 9, 2023, 09:09h. 

Last updated on: March 9, 2023, 10:12h.

Canada’s largest casino resort will open in Toronto this summer, developer Great Canadian Entertainment (GCE) said Wednesday.

The $1 billion Great Canadian Casino Toronto is currently under construction next to the Woodbine Racetrack in the city’s Etobicoke district. The resort will span 33 acres, with a modern “Vegas-style” casino, a 400-room hotel, a 5,000-seat live entertainment venue, and multiple on-site dining options, according to the presser.

The existing Casino Woodbine will continue without interruption until the new operation opens its doors.

We see this as an unprecedented opportunity to introduce an entirely new, world-class experience in Canada that will bring together the best in casino gaming, exceptional live entertainment, dining, and accommodation in one very special place,” said Matthew Anfinson, CEO of GCE.

Anfinson said the company will reveal more about the property’s features and its grand opening in the coming weeks.

Toronto Gambling Expansion

GCE, known as Great Canadian Gaming Corp. until its rebrand last April, is the largest casino operator in Ontario, the country’s most populous province. Since September 2011, it has been owned by US private equity giant Apollo Global.

The company has been behind recent large-scale gaming expansion in the area. Its $500 million Pickering Casino in the town of Pickering, a 40-minute drive away, opened in July 2021. GCE opened the property’s adjoining hotel in January this year.

The Pickering Casino was the first casino to open in Toronto since 2005. It’s the centerpiece of a massive new multibillion-dollar entertainment district, Durham Live, which includes a year-round indoor waterpark, a 16,000-seat amphitheater, cinemas, a film studio, three luxury hotels, restaurants, and a shopping mall.

GCE announced in a separate presser this week that the Pickering Casino’s 2,500-seat arena will open on April 26 with a special performance by Canada’s foremost adult-contemporary soft rocker, Bryan Adams.

Racetrack Not Impacted

Meanwhile, gaming at the existing Casino Woodbine generates around $16 million per year for the city. The new development is expected to bring in around $26 million to $31 million per year. That’s according to projections from 2018 when city officials gave the project the green light.

The new casino complex won’t supplant the racetrack, which has been in operation since 1956 and has different ownership.

The owner, Woodbine Entertainment, recently announced plans to develop some of the land at the racetrack into an 8,000-seat soccer stadium and training facility. This could become the home of Canadian Premier League team York Utd.