Updated by Ziv Chen
Writer
Fact Checked by Michael Graham
Content Editor
Ontario is the most populated province in Canada. Home of the world-famous Niagara Falls, four out of five of Canada’s Great Lakes, hundreds of lively festivals, and Canada’s capital (shoutout to Ottawa), Ontario is incredibly popular with tourists and migrants alike.
More than 5 million tourists visit Ontario annually, many of whom will be looking to visit a casino or two during their trip. There are dozens to choose from, spread far and wide throughout the province.
Deciding which casino is right for you can be an arduous task, so we’ve done the hard work for you and compiled this list of the best casinos in Ontario.
If you’re planning a visit to Ontario (or if you’re a local looking to switch up your favourite venue), have a read through our recommended list. We’re sure you’ll find one that suits you to a T!
Caesars has arrived in Canada! Rather, it arrived three decades ago after taking over from the temporary Casino Windsor. The first brick-and-mortar casino in the province, the now Caesars Windsor property sits right on the Detroit-Windsor border and attracts millions of Canadian and US visitors yearly.
The colossal casino features over 1,700 slots, 85 live dealer tables, a poker room and several livestream e-gaming terminals. Caesars Windsor boasts the highest table limits in Ontario, including $15,000 on baccarat, $25,000 on blackjack, and a whopping $50,000 on roulette. Not only is it a high roller’s paradise, but its lower-limit e-gaming tables and penny slot machines cater to budget bettors, too. The dedicated poker room has tournaments every Friday night and Sunday afternoon.
If you fancy a break from casino gaming, the Legends Sports Bar has a full-service Caesars Sportsbook, a decent food and drinks menu, and wall-mounted TVs showing all the big games. For a more upmarket dining experience away from the sports crowds, Nero’s Steakhouse is the undeniable emperor of fine dining, though advanced reservations are needed to avoid disappointment.
The fun doesn’t stop when your gambling session ends. Visit the lively Ariius nightclub for more drinks and dancing, stop by the Cosmos Lounge for local live music, or head up to the VU Bar for panoramic views of the Detroit skyline. Alternatively, why not check out what’s playing in the Colosseum? This 5,000-seat entertainment venue has events every weekend, from live music and comedy to podcast tours and drag shows.
Guests coming in from out of town can enjoy a luxurious stay in one of the casino’s 700 hotel rooms. The Augustus Tower is family-friendly, while the Forum Tower is adult-only. You don’t have to be a guest of the casino to stay at Caesars, nor do you need to spend all your time on-site if you’re staying at the hotel. The casino’s downtown location means you can check out the local nightlife, wander around the popular tourist hotspots, or even venture over the border with a quick trip to Detroit.
For more information, read our full Caesars Windsor Ontario review.
Built on the Rama First Nation reserve and surrounded by the beautiful Lake Couchiching, Casino Rama is Ontario’s sole First Nation resort and one of Canada’s most scenic casinos. Boasting over 192,000 square feet of resort space, it is also one of the biggest gambling venues in North America.
The casino has a decent selection of games, including an impressive 1,800+ slots and 50+ table games. There’s a high-limit table gaming area for bettors with a flexible bankroll, while most slots are budget-friendly. There’s no dedicated poker room, but you can find various poker variants on the main gaming floor, including Caribbean Stud, Big Raise Stud, Texas Hold’em, Let It Ride, and Mississippi Stud.
Overnight guests can stay in the 292-room all-suite hotel, which has an entire floor of smoke-friendly suites. Your spacious suite includes access to the fitness facility, steam rooms, sauna, and indoor saltwater pool. Those who want to relax to the max can book in for a massage or facial at the full-service Spa.
Casino Rama’s remote location makes it the perfect place for a relaxing getaway, but it is tricky to access by public transport. As such, most of its guests are close to (or have already reached) retirement age and are visiting the casino as part of a coach trip or couples holiday. The higher-than-average age of its customers, combined with the scenic backdrop of Rama First Nation and the early closing time of its bars and restaurants, means you won’t find much nightlife here.
However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to do here. A veritable playground for outdoor enthusiasts, numerous hiking trails and watersports activities are available just a stone’s throw from the resort. There’s also a 5,000-seat entertainment space hosting huge celebrity acts, with concerts from iconic performers like Carrie Underwood, Avril Lavigne, Dolly Parton, and Ringo Starr.
For more information, read our full Casino Rama Ontario review.
Playtime Casino Wasaga Beach is part of the Gateway Casinos & Entertainment chain. Opened in 2022, Playtime is one of the newer brick-and-mortar casinos in Ontario. A 15-minute drive from Wasaga Beach, this micro casino is a great way to spend a few hours if you’re already in the area.
At just 25,000 square feet, Playtime Casino is one of the smallest venues on this list. There are less than 250 slots and e-tables and no live dealer tables. However, the games it does have are high quality, and the casino itself retains the high standards set by the Gateway group. There’s free soda and coffee for all patrons, twice-daily Happy Hours on food and drinks in the MATCH restaurant, live entertainment on weekends, and plenty of casino and dining promotions.
Guests staying overnight can take advantage of the “Stay + Play” scheme, where you can claim a free $10 casino voucher when you stay at a participating hotel. The casino is wheelchair accessible, more so than some of the larger casinos on this list. Numerous accessible parking spots are available right by the casino entrance, and there are more than enough general parking spots for every guest.
While Playtime is certainly not the largest casino on this list, everything it offers it does to a high standard. It is one of the most consistently well-reviewed casinos in the province, with customers praising everything from the food quality and customer service to the cleanliness and uncrowded atmosphere. If you’re looking for a relaxed way to play your favourite slots and ELTs and enjoy some delicious meals while you’re at it, then it could be the ideal casino for you.
Starlight Casino Point Edward is yet another Gateway property, this time under its 1950s-inspired, Grease-esque Starlight branding. Nestled along the St. Clair River shoreline, the original Point Edward Charity Casino was rebranded and refurbished in 2017 to become the Starlight Casino we see today.
With just over 450 slots and around a dozen live table games, Starlight Casino Point Edward is by no means a large casino. However, it is perfect for those seeking a more intimate casino experience. Slot bets range from a penny to $25, making them ideal for budget bettors and high rollers alike.
Similarly, table games have wide betting limits to accommodate all types of players. There are various blackjack, roulette, and poker variants to choose from, though there are currently no live baccarat tables or electronic gaming terminals.
MATCH is the only on-site restaurant. If you’ve ever been to a Gateway property, you’ll know there’s no need for any others. The food quality in MATCH is unbeaten by any other in-house chain restaurant, and the service and value for money are similarly unmatched. Boasting twice-daily Happy Hours and daily food specials, MATCH is the creme de la creme of casual casino dining.
Overnight guests can use Gateway’s Stay + Play scheme and claim $10 freeplay by staying at a participating hotel. Additionally, earn more freeplay and exclusive promotions by signing up for Gateway’s in-house rewards scheme, My Club Rewards.
As you might expect from one of Canada’s biggest attractions, the Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort is huge. Complementing over 200,000 square feet of gaming space is a 12,000-square-foot nightclub, 20+ dining options, a swimming pool, a fitness centre, 370+ luxury hotel rooms, 30,000 square feet of convention space, dozens of shops, and panoramic views of the world-famous Horseshoe Falls.
The colossal casino floor houses more than 3,500 slots and 130 table games. Alongside all the most popular blackjack, roulette, poker and baccarat tables, you can take advantage of progressive side wagers on Royal 9 Progressive Baccarat, Super 4 Progressive Blackjack, and Nexus Progressive Five Card Bonus Hand. In addition to the main gaming tables, there’s a dedicated poker room on level 2 with 18 tables, open from 12pm until 4am daily (though be aware that Texas Hold’em isn’t available).
High rollers are in luck, for there are three distinct high-limit areas. Salon Privé boasts table gaming with five-figure betting, while the Sapphire Room has high-limit slots ranging from $5 to $100 (a rarity when ‘high limit’ usually means $25). Meanwhile, the High Limit Slots Room offers games with the same upper limit but with an additional cash cage, lounge area, and private washroom.
If sports betting is more your style, you can wager on all the most popular players, teams, or games via one of the 20+ sports betting kiosks in the Overtime Sports Lounge. The lounge also features HD TVs screening all the major sporting events, plus a 260-seat restaurant serving elevated pub food in a casual and lively setting.
Not only is the gaming at Fallsview extensive, but the entertainment is, too. The OLG Stage is a 5,000-seat theatre, ranked first in Canada and tenth in the world based on sheer size. Meanwhile, the Avalon Theatre is a more intimate venue where you’re no further than 100 feet from the performers on stage.
Just a three-minute drive from Fallsview, Casino Niagara is another casino in the heart of the Niagara Tourism hub. At 95,000 square feet (and with only one restaurant inside the sports bar), it’s a much more scaled-back venue than Fallsview, making it a great alternative for those seeking the same high-quality casino experience but within a more boutique and intimate setting. Unlike Fallsview’s busy and sometimes overcrowded atmosphere, Casino Niagara attracts an older crowd.
Casino Niagara fits plenty of gaming into less than 100,000 square feet of casino floor space. There are over 1,300 slots and video poker machines, with denominations ranging from a penny to $5. Since it takes a more relaxed approach to gambling than Fallsview, you won’t find any dedicated high-limit areas or slots with bets above $5.
There aren’t any live dealer tables at Casino Niagara, but you can play electronic multiplayer games via the 30 electronic gaming terminals. Offering a mix of automated and dealer-dealt games, these terminals allow you to wager on your favourite blackjack, roulette, poker and baccarat games for a lower minimum bet (and with less pressure) than a real dealer table. The dealer-dealt tables at Casino Niagara are connected to the live dealer tables at Fallsview, a world-first endeavour that connects multiple properties to the same tables!
Casino Niagara features over 350 progressive jackpot games alongside its large collection of fixed jackpot slots. You’ll also find a range of Powerbucks slots that link the jackpot prize pool between the physical machine inside the casino and the same game on mobile casino sites. Casino Niagara and Fallsview Casino are the only venues in the province where you can wager on such games.
The casino has multiple weekly slot promotions to up the ante on your regular gameplay, including Momentum Dollars giveaways, cash prize giveaways, and slot tournaments. Sports betting is available in the LEV2L Sports Bar, with 15 sports betting kiosks ready and waiting to take a wide variety of wagers.
Shorelines is a chain of casinos from Great Canadian Entertainment. Owners of Canada’s largest brick-and-mortar casino, Great Canadian Casino Toronto, Great Canadian Entertainment are experts at providing the complete gambling package. Thousand Islands is one of four Shorelines casinos in Ontario, the others being in Belleville, Peterborough, and Kawartha Downs.
Claiming to offer “all the perks of the big city” in a much cozier setting, this hometown casino has over 450 slots, a dozen live table games, and a handful of electronic gaming tables. There’s no poker room, but you can play games like Caribbean Stud and Three Card Poker on the main gaming floor. Thousand Islands has the most diverse selection of table games of any Shorelines casino and offers variants you won’t find at the other locations, including Spanish 21, EZ Squeeze Baccarat, High Card Flush, and Let It Ride.
Each Shorelines casino has a mix of promotions to reward members, and Thousand Islands offers plenty. From one-off prize draws on holidays like Canada Day to weekly slot tournaments and freeplay giveaways, there’s always one opportunity or another to score some freebies for your gameplay.
All you need to do to get involved in these promotions is sign up for Great Canadian Rewards, the company’s exclusive loyalty program. Even if you don’t win a prize, you can accumulate points with your gameplay and spend your Comp Dollars for freeplay or in the casino’s restaurants. You can spend your dollars at any of the four Shorelines locations.
One of the most significant advantages of small casinos like Thousand Islands is the attention paid to good customer service. The staff here are polite and friendly, the food is fast and delicious, and the atmosphere is relaxed and inviting. While you won’t find many patrons coming for a wild and lively night out, it’s a grand little casino that perfectly suits the little town.
Ziv Chen has been working in the online gambling industry for over two decades in senior marketing and business development roles. Ziv writes about a wide range of topics including slot and table games, casino and sportsbook reviews, American sports news, betting odds and game predictions. Leading a life full of conflict, Ziv constantly struggles between his two greatest loves: American football and US soccer.
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