Canada has had an interesting history with gambling. While it was outlawed for a long time, the 1976 Montreal Olympics spurred on the legalization of lotteries. Since then, other forms of gambling have also been legalized. In modern day, you can (legally) visit around 89 land-based casinos in Canada across different provinces. Visiting each casino would take far too long, which is why we’ve put together a list for the best and most popular land-based casinos in Canada for each province. Naturally, not every province has the same amount of casinos, but you can find a favorite in each corner of the country.
New Brunswick
The best land-based casino in New Brunswick is the aptly named Casino New Brunswick. Of only four casinos in the province, Casino New Brunswick in Moncton is by far the most popular. This upscale hotel and casino offers more than just games and has a spa and other amenities as well. There is plenty of room for its shows and dining, making the Casino New Brunswick a Vegas-like experience at a stones’ throw away from the Atlantic. Players especially love the high-end feel this casino can bring.
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia offers two different types of casino: the Nova Scotia Casino (also not winning the most original name award) and several Indian casinos. Of the six different places to play, the Nova Scotia Casino in Halifax is the most popular, even beating its other location in Sydney. It’s easy to see why the Nova Scotia casino beats out the others in the province: it offers the complete experience, including shows, a hotel, three restaurant options, and an inspiring environment. This makes the Nova Scotia casino worthy of the capital city of this province.
Prince Edward Island
This tiny province still offers a casino, spread over two locations: a racetrack and a bona fide casino. The casino is the bigger location of the two, and offers slots, table games, and poker. The distance between the racetrack next to the casino and the racetrack across the province is about an hour’s drive. Aside from the gambling opportunities, the most popular casino on Prince Edward Island offers four dining venues. This makes it possible to enjoy a top-class restaurant combined with prime seating for the horse racing track.
Newfoundland & Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is one of the Canadian provinces without a land-based casino. Canadian players in Newfoundland and Labrador are still found visiting online casinos, but need to resort to other provinces for a brick-and-mortar version of their slots and table games. The closest alternative for most players from Newfoundland and Labrador is Casino de Charlevoix in the province of Quebec – well over 11 hours by car. No wonder punters from this province are undoubtedly excited about the hundreds of online casinos available in Canada.
Quebec
Quebec is one of the provinces with the most land-based casino in Canada. Players in Quebec have their choice of great casinos, which are mostly clustered around the heavily populated area near the US border. It’s hard to envision another favorite casino in the province of Quebec other than the Casino de Montréal. The biggest Canadian land-based casino is open 7 days a week and 24 hours a day. During those times, it offers the biggest selection of table games, five different restaurants and three bars. It also offers live music several times a week to further enhance your playing experience.
Ontario
Ontario is the province with the biggest selection in brick-and-mortar gambling venues. The land-based casino selection in Ontario offers almost 30 different venues. Although many of these venues are racetracks, Ontario offers plenty of amazing casino options. A favorite among players is the Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort, a casino that rivals the nearby falls in stature. It offers over 100 gaming tables, over 3,000 slots, a concert hall with 1,500 seats, a big hotel, a spa, 18 restaurants, a night club, and a shopping mall. The new event venue boasting 5,000 seats has a line-up with world-renowned artists including ZZ Top and Brad Paisley.
Manitoba
Manitoba offers a surprising amount of land-based casinos and gambling halls. This means players in Manitoba never have to drive too long to play their favorite slots and table games. As with most other provinces, the bigger casinos are found in the bigger cities: Winnipeg in the case of Manitoba. Winnipeg has two big casinos, but Club Regent takes the top spot for casinos in Manitoba.
Not only does Club Regent offer well over 1,000 slots and plenty of table games, it also offers the other amenities that make this casino stand apart from the others. The aquarium tunnel between the two buildings is just the beginning, since players can sit at one of ten poker tables, stay in the three-star diamond hotel with fitness center or enjoy one of the shows in the packed event calendar.
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is one of the provinces that added gambling quite recently, but by now offers a great selection of casinos. Although players in Saskatchewan have nothing but good options, Regina Casino is the favorite among players. Perhaps it’s the amazing environment: Regina Casino is built in the old train station and has kept many of its historical landmarks.
The schedule board still reflects the arrival and departure times of the last day the casino was still a train station, you can visit the jail cells that would hold prisoners on a lay-over, and the casino organizes tours of the complex. Aside from that, Regina Casino offers everything you’d want in a casino: nearly 1,000 slots, 35 table games, and a 9-table poker room. It also offers an entertainment venue and three different restaurants.
Alberta
If Ontario is the province with most casinos in Canada, Alberta is a close second. Players choose between 26 different land-based casinos and gambling venues in Alberta. Their favorite choice is the eye-catcher in the Ice District in Edmonton. This district offers a wide variety of entertainment options, including the stadium of the Edmonton Oilers and Grand Villa Casino Edmonton. Players have 600 slots to choose from, 28 tables, and three restaurants. All this takes place in an inspiring environment that rivals the resorts and casinos known around the world, but the location in the Ice District certainly helps make this casino stand out.
British Columbia
British Columbia has a number of great casino options to choose from, mostly centered around Vancouver. Between these great options, most players ultimately choose Hard Rock Casino Vancouver for their gambling needs. Not only is this casino the biggest in floor space, it also features 70 game tables, a poker room, and a high limit room. To take a break from these games, visitors can watch a show in the Molson Canadian Theatre or grab something to eat in one of seven venues. Several shows and entertainment options are usually offered throughout the year.