The Best Casinos in Calgary for 2024

As Ontario’s capital city, Toronto is a prime spot for gambling. It offers a diverse selection of casinos, from cozy venues with under 600 slots to the biggest brick-and-mortar casino in Canada. Whether you’ve got a desire for bingo dabbing or want to perfect your poker face, you’re sure to find a land-based casino that suits your style. 

Most Toronto casinos offer a good range of games and amenities like free parking or complimentary soda, but the places on this list all have something unique that earns them the title of one of Toronto’s best. From racetracks and sportsbooks to wide bet limits and regular tournaments, these casinos are the cream of the crop. 

If you’re looking for some inspiration for your next gambling getaway, keep on reading for an expert guide to the best casinos in Toronto. 

We’re starting the list off strong with the largest casino in all of Canada! Booting the Montreal Casino out of the top spot, Great Canadian Casino Toronto technically opened its doors in 2023, but the original venue - the Woodbine Racetrack - was established way back in 1956. Guests who remember the former Woodbine can still pay a visit to the original casino, which is attached to the back of the new building. 

Great Canadian Entertainment promised to create the most impressive casino Canada has ever seen, and it certainly delivered in terms of numbers. There are more than 4,800 slots and 175 table games, all housed in a vast (and slightly Costco-esque) 328,000-square-foot building. There are also eight different dining options in the food court-style Eatery, offering everything from steak and noodles to Tim Horton’s and Mary Brown’s.  

With parking space for 3,800 vehicles and a 5,000-capacity entertainment space to boot, no other casino in Canada compares to its magnitude. The entertainment centre has an exclusive contract with event promoter Live Nation, so you’ll often see big names performing at the casino. But Great Canadian Casino is missing one pivotal thing: sports betting. Despite having a world-class racetrack on its doorstep, the casino doesn’t offer a racebook or sportsbook. 

Still, if you’re looking to turn your visit into an overnight getaway, you’re in luck. The rebrand included the construction of a 400-room hotel with panoramic views of the Woodbine racetrack, a fitness centre, and an indoor pool. The casino is quite far from downtown - roughly a 25-minute drive or an hour and a half’s train ride - but it’s only a 10-minute Uber from the Toronto Pearson Airport, making it the perfect pit stop during a layover. 

For more information, read our full Great Canadian Casino Toronto review.

The only bingo hall to make it on this list, Dolphin Gaming is an awesome little family-run business that gives back to the local community. Don’t let the brutalist exterior or industrial location put you off; the recently renovated facility is much more welcoming once you’re inside. Named after its restaurant predecessor, Dolphin Gaming is about as far from an ocean paradise as you can get, but it is a great place to get your bingo fix. 

Dolphin hosts five daily bingo games (reduced to four on Wednesday and Thursday). There are a number of ticket packages at different price points, so dabbers of all budgets can join in the fun. There are four special jackpots ranging from $2,000 to $10,000, plus an additional Upik8 game where lucky winners can walk away with a five-figure progressive jackpot. Despite its out-of-town location and lack of nearby hotels, Dolphin is always busy, and the atmosphere in the bingo hall is lively. 

Slots are prohibited inside bingo halls by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, meaning you won’t find any slot machines at Dolphin Gaming. What the OLG does permit, however, are Tap N Play games. They work pretty much the same as slots, except there’s a bingo game unfolding in one corner of the screen. Dolphin has more than 100 of these slot-style machines, each of which is hooked up to a progressive network. This jackpot, called Tap Tix, can be triggered when you hit a winning spin with the max bet. 

As far as dining goes, Dolphin is pretty limited. There’s just one on-site snack bar, which serves up a simple but solid menu. If you’re seeking a more upmarket dining experience, there are multiple sit-down restaurants serving up delicious food just around the block. One particular standout is August 8, which offers an all-you-can-eat dim sum buffet for less than $40. 

For more information, read our full Dolphin Gaming review.

Another Great Canadian Entertainment venue, Pickering Casino Resort, boasts the same Vegas-style casino as Great Canadian Casino, just on a smaller scale. Featuring over 2,200 slots, 90+ table games, 50+ electronic tables, a 24/7 poker room and a full-service sports betting lounge, it has all the gaming action you could need under one elegant roof. 

Meanwhile, its seven eateries, 2,500-seat entertainment Arena, and 275-room hotel tower provide all the on-site amenities you need for a relaxing getaway. The resort is almost an hour’s car ride away from downtown Toronto, so having everything in one place is pretty important. 

Most land-based casinos have a dedicated high-limit area, though at $25, their limits aren’t really that high. Pickering, on the other hand, is truly a high-roller dream casino. Its large collection of high-limit slots have maximum bets of $100, and you’ll find generous bet limits on its live dealer table games. Casual bettors are also well catered for, with regular slots starting at a penny. Table games often have high minimum bets of $25 during peak times, but the electronic tables are a lot more budget-friendly. 

All of the Great Canadian Entertainment casinos share the same rewards scheme, Great Canadian Rewards. When you sign up for the program, you can start collecting Comp Dollars for your slot and electronic table gameplay and use them in the casino’s restaurants. While Great Canadian Casino only lets you spend your dollars in two restaurants, Pickering gives you the freedom to spend them in any of its seven eateries. 

Pickering also offers several promotions to boost your gameplay. Players who register online for a Great Canadian Rewards membership get $25 freeplay, and there are weekly merchandise draws, prize wheels, slot tournaments and cash giveaways for members. 

We may as well preface this by saying that all of the remaining casinos on this list are owned by Great Canadian Entertainment. The company has something of a monopoly on Toronto’s gambling landscape, which is hardly surprising given they own 25 casino properties across Canada. 

Located on Scugog Island, Great Blue Heron Casino is one of its most unique destinations. Described as a “casino getaway with a view”, Great Blue Heron Casino undoubtedly has one of the most picturesque backdrops of any Toronto casino. Thousands of guests come here every year to escape Toronto’s busy lifestyle and enjoy some relaxed gambling while taking in the beauty of Lake Scugog. 

Great Blue is something of a micro casino compared to Great Canadian and Pickering, housing only 600 slots, 20 live tables and 10 electronic tables on its gaming floor. However, where the others are lacking in certain areas, Great Blue Heron excels. 

Unlike the casinos mentioned above, Great Blue Heron offers exclusive Lower Limits blackjack and poker tables. It is also one of the four Great Canadian Entertainment venues with a full-service sportsbook, kitted out with an exclusive bar and dining menu. When it comes to dining outside of the sportsbook, you get two options: the fine-dining Water’s Edge restaurant or the snacks and sandwich bar Quick Bites. 

It also has a poker room, which is open from 12pm until 4am. This room is super popular with guests and can fill up pretty quickly, but there are slots and electronic table games to keep you entertained while you wait for a space to free up. 

For more information, read our full Great Blue Heron Casino review.

The biggest of any Elements-brand casino, Elements Casino Mohawk has more than 1,300 slots and over 60 live dealer tables. Open daily from 12pm to 6am, Mohawk’s live tables offer Freebet Blackjack, Spanish 21, Mississippi Stud, Dragon Bonus Baccarat, Roulette, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, and more. Meanwhile, slots and ELTs are open 24/7. For late-night entertainment, Mohawk has a DJ every Friday and Saturday from 9pm to 1am. 

Aside from its large games collection, one of Elements Mohawk’s biggest attractions is its race track. Located alongside the casino in Woodbine Mohawk Park, the Mohawk Racetrack has races every Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. This famous track is host to a number of events, like the Pepsi North America Cup, Mohawk Million, and the Canadian Trotting Classic. Both the casino and the racetrack are fully wheelchair accessible.

Not only does Elements Mohawk have a race track right on its doorstep, but it’s also within a 10-minute drive of a number of stunning conservation areas. Those who want to check out some of the great Canadian outdoors before hitting the slots have numerous options within easy reach, including Hilton Falls (and the Hilton Waterfall), Rattlesnake Point, Crawford Lake, and the Kelso Summit. 

Elements Casino Mohawk has all the amenities you come to associate with a Great Canadian Entertainment property: free on-site parking (valet is also available), complimentary tea, coffee and pop, complimentary coat check, numerous ATMs, and more. Most casinos will return your winnings in CAD, but Elements Mohawk offers a convenient currency exchange service. 

Elements Casino Flamboro has just shy of 1,000 slots, a decent selection for a relatively small casino. It regularly updates its slot collection with fresh new releases, recently installing Canada’s first Buffalo Ultimate Stampede slot machine. The casino also hosts regular slot promotions where lucky players can win five-figure prizes and freeplay vouchers, plus all the exciting promotions offered with a Great Canadian Rewards membership. 

With just 12 live tables and 6 ELTs, table game enthusiasts may feel a little underwhelmed here. However, the tables they have cover a wide range of games, including blackjack, poker, roulette, and baccarat. Additionally, with $10 entry points on blackjack & double zero roulette and only $10 on novelty poker throughout the week, Flamboro has the lowest minimum bets of any Elements Casino. 

Like other Great Canadian venues, Flamboro has a dedicated poker room open daily from 10am to 4am. The poker room boasts a decent number of tables with expert dealers, plus free soda/coffee and slots to wager on while you wait. 

Elements Casino Flamboro is also the home of the Flamboro Downs. Described as the “ultimate harness racing experience”, Flamboro Downs is one of the best standardbred racing facilities in Canada and has been since it opened in 1975. The racebook simulcasts races from all over the world from 12pm to 11pm daily, while live harness races take place on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from September to May. There’s also a licensed patio bar, a buffet, and a snack bar on-site. 

The sixth and final Great Canadian Entertainment venue on this list is Elements Casino Grand River. This casino is located in Elora, a township in Wellington County that’s widely regarded as “Ontario’s most beautiful village”. Far from the 19th-century limestone architecture synonymous with Elora, Elements Casino Grand River is a stark concrete casino that’s - thankfully - a lot more welcoming inside. 

As the smallest of the four Elements casinos, Grand River offers a boutique gambling experience. There are around 500 slots, six ELTs and no live table games, so don’t expect a Vegas-level gambling experience. Situated right next to the Grand River Raceway, Elements Casino Grand River is more like an add-on to the racing rather than a standalone casino. In fact, it’s the Grand River Raceway that earned this casino a top spot on our list. 

Unlike Flamboro Downs, Grand River Raceway’s racing season begins in June, which makes it an ideal spot for tourists in the summer. Entry is free, and there is a full-service dining lounge and bar to wet your whistle. Grand River Raceway also has the greatest selection of off-season events, including truck pulls, comedy nights, and the ever-popular ‘Weiner Dog Race Night’. 

It’s less than a minute’s walk from the Raceway to the casino, so you can stroll over for some slot or electronic roulette action once the racing is over. If you’re looking to turn your trip into a weekend getaway, the Village Inn offers affordable rooms and is just a 10-minute walk away. 

Alongside having a quaint and pretty town to explore, Elora offers plenty of thrills beyond the casino doors. Go tubing down the Elora Gorge, swim in the Quarry, hike along the Cataract Trailway, or go ice climbing in Victoria Park.