Great Canadian Gaming is a Canadian gaming, entertainment and

hospitality Hospitality is the relationship between a guest and a host, wherein the host receives the guest with some amount of goodwill, including the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers. Louis de Jaucourt, Louis, chevalier de J ...

company. Prior to its acquisition by

Apollo Global Management Apollo Global Management, Inc. is an American global private-equity firm. It provides investment management and invests in credit, private equity, and real assets. As of March 31, 2022, the company had $512 billion of assets under management, ...

in September 2021, the company was listed on the

Toronto Stock Exchange The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX; french: Bourse de Toronto) is a stock exchange located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the 10th largest exchange in the world and the third largest in North America based on market capitalization. Based in t ...

and was part of the

S&P/TSX Composite Index The S&P/TSX Composite Index is the benchmark Canadian index, representing roughly 70% of the total market capitalization on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) with about 250 companies included in it. The Toronto Stock Exchange is made up of over 1, ...

Overview

Great Canadian operates 25 gaming properties in Canada, consisting of casinos, horse

race tracks A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also use ...

(with slot machines), and smaller-scale gaming centres. It also runs hotels, restaurants, and entertainment facilities associated with its properties. As of the third quarter of 2017, 67% of revenue was from gaming. As of 2018, it had 9,400 employees. In 2016, 61% of revenues were from

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, 17% were from

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, 15% were from Atlantic Canada, and the rest were from the United States. In total, Great Canadian properties include 16,000 slot machines, 386 table games, 80 dining establishments and 500 hotel rooms. In 2017, the company's gross gaming revenue was about $1.2 billion, with net earnings for 2017 of $85.7 million.

History

The company was founded in 1982 as the Great Canadian Casino Company. It initially operated charity casinos and a casino at

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

Pacific National Exhibition The Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) is a nonprofit organization that operates an annual 15-day summer fair, 10-day winter fair, a seasonal amusement park, and indoor arenas in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The PNE fair is held at Hastings ...

. In 1986, it opened its first permanent casino in

. It held an IPO on the

TSX Venture Exchange The TSX Venture Exchange is a stock exchange in Canada. It is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, with offices in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. All trading through the Exchange is done electronically, so the Exchange does not have a "trading f ...

in 1992, and renamed itself the Great Canadian Gaming Company in 1997. In 2004, it listed on the

. In 2005, it acquired a number of casinos in Ontario and Nova Scotia. As a result of these acquisitions, it breached debt agreements in March 2006. Great Canadian has been investigated for money laundering that allegedly took place at their River Rock Casino Resort. The company has released a statement saying that it has followed all the necessary procedures. In August 2017, Great Canadian (in cooperation with Brookfield Property Partners) won a bidding process to take over the slots facility at

Woodbine Racetrack Woodbine Racetrack is a race track for Thoroughbred horse racing in the Etobicoke area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Woodbine Entertainment Group, Woodbine Racetrack manages and hosts Canada's most famous race, the King's Plate. The track ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

from the OLG. It also took over the slots at the

Ajax Downs Ajax Downs is a Quarter Horse race track located in Ajax, Ontario, a suburb east of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1969 as "Picov Downs" the name was changed in 2006 with the establishment of a new slot-machine gaming facility. The slots faci ...

track and the

Great Blue Heron Casino The Great Blue Heron Casino is located on Scugog Island, just east of the community of Port Perry, Ontario, and northeast of Toronto. Both the Casino and the land on which it is built are owned by the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation. ...

. The then-opposition Ontario PCs called for the deal to be halted due to the money laundering allegations. In December 2017, Great Canadian (in cooperation with Clairvest Group) won a process to take over four more OLG facilities. In January 2021, president and CEO Rodney Baker resigned after he and his wife were discovered to have booked a private plane to travel to

Beaver Creek, Yukon Beaver Creek is a community in Yukon, Canada. Located at kilometre 1870.6 (historical mile 1202) of the Alaska Highway, southeast of Beaver Creek Airport and close to the Alcan - Beaver Creek Border Crossing, it is Canada's westernmost communi ...

and deceived medical personnel by saying they were local motel workers to obtain doses of a

COVID-19 vaccine A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID19). Prior to the COVID19 pandemic, an e ...

intended for the indigenous community. In September 2021, the company was acquired by

in an all-cash deal and its shares were delisted from the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Properties

British Columbia

River Rock Casino Resort River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond, British Columbia is the largest casino in the province of British Columbia. The casino is owned by Great Canadian Gaming. The hotel has a total of 396 rooms, including standard rooms and suites and it is situ ...

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

, the largest casino in British Columbia. The property also includes a theatre and two hotels. This casino was opened in 2004, replacing a previous casino on the site. *

Hard Rock Casino Vancouver Hard Rock Casino Vancouver (formerly Boulevard Casino) in Coquitlam, British Columbia is the largest casino in the province of British Columbia by gaming space. The casino is open 24 hours a day and is owned by Great Canadian Entertainment. Acco ...

Coquitlam Coquitlam ( ) is a city in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Mainly suburban, Coquitlam is the List of cities in British Columbia, sixth-largest city in the province, with a population of 148,625 in 2021, and one of the 21 municipa ...

, which also includes a theatre. The casino originally opened as Boulevard Casino in 2001, and re-branded itself in 2013. *

Hastings Racecourse Hastings Racecourse and Casino has been capturing the hearts and minds of visitors since 1889, featuring live thoroughbred racing, nearly 450 slots, dining, and more. A horse-racing facility and casino at Hastings Park, four miles from downtown Va ...

, which also includes 600 slot machines. The company acquired the race track in 2004. * Elements Casino Surrey in

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

* Elements Casino Chilliwack in

Chilliwack Chilliwack ( )( hur, Ts'elxwéyeqw) is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Chilliwack is surrounded by mountains and home to recreational areas such as Cultus Lake and Chilliwack Lake Provincial Parks. There are numerous outdoor ...

* Elements Casino Victoria in

View Royal View Royal is a town in Greater Victoria and a member municipality of the Capital Regional District of British Columbia, Canada. View Royal has a population of 10,858 residents. With over of parkland, View Royal includes Thetis, McKenzie, Pike a ...

* Casino Nanaimo in

Nanaimo Nanaimo ( ) is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. As of the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census, it had a population of 99,863, and it is known as "The Harbour City." The city was previously known as the "H ...

, opened in 1986 * Chances Maple Ridge in Maple Ridge * Chances Dawson Creek in

Dawson Creek Dawson Creek is a city in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. The municipality of had a population of 12,978 in 2016. Dawson Creek derives its name from the creek of the same name that runs through the community. The creek was named after ...

* Bingo Esquimalt in

Esquimalt The Township of Esquimalt is a municipality at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. It is bordered to the east by the provincial capital, Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria, to the south by the Strait of Juan de ...

Ontario

* Casino Ajax at

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Greek ...

* Casino Woodbine at

Scugog Island Scugog is a township in the Regional Municipality of Durham, south-central Ontario, Canada. It is northeast of Toronto and just north of Oshawa. The anchor and largest population base of the township is Port Perry. The township has a population ...

Shorelines Casino Thousand Islands The Shorelines Casino Thousand Islands, formerly known as the OLG Casino Thousand Islands, the Thousand Islands Charity Casino and the Thousand Islands Casino, is a small casino located in Gananoque, Ontario. It is owned by Great Canadian Entertai ...

Gananoque Gananoque ( ) is a town in the Leeds and Grenville United Counties, Leeds and Grenville area of Ontario, Canada. The town had a population of 5,383 year-round residents in the 2021 Canadian census, 2021 Canadian Census, as well as summer resident ...

* Shorelines Slots at Kawartha Downs, a race track in Fraserville, south of

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

. This track has been reopened in spring 2019 with only 150 slots and racetrack since the opening of the new Shorelines Casino in Peterborough. * Shorelines Casino Belleville in Belleville. This casino opened on January 11, 2017, and was the first new casino in Ontario since 2006. * Shorelines Casino Peterborough in

, opened in 2018 * Georgian Downs, a race track in

Innisfil Innisfil is a town in Ontario, Canada, located on the western shore of Lake Simcoe in Simcoe County, immediately south of Barrie and north of Toronto. It has historically been a rural area, but due to being geographically sandwiched in between ...

, acquired in 2005 * Elements Casino Flamboro at

Flamboro Downs Flamboro Downs is a half-mile harness horse racing track in Flamborough, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It is also home to Flamboro Slots, which has a total of 808 slot machines. The racetrack was founded in 1971 by Charles Juravinski and acquired in ...

, a race track in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

, acquired in 2005 *

Elements Casino Brantford Elements Casino Brantford formerly known as OLG Casino Brantford, and the Brantford Charity Casino, is a charity casino located in Brantford, Ontario. Summary Since its opening in 1999, the casino has drawn a small number of tourists into thi ...

, formerly OLG Casino Brantford, acquired in 2018 * Elements Casino Grand River at Grand River Raceway, formerly OLG Slots Grand River * Elements Casino Mohawk at

Mohawk Racetrack Mohawk Racetrack (branded as Woodbine Mohawk Park) is a harness racing track in Campbellville, Ontario. It is owned by Woodbine Entertainment Group (formerly the Ontario Jockey Club) and is about 40 km southwest of the company's other racet ...

, former OLG Slots Mohawk

Atlantic Canada

Casino Nova Scotia Casino Nova Scotia is located in Nova Scotia, Canada, and has locations in Halifax and Sydney. Steelman Partners designed Casino Nova Scotia and its sister casino Sydney Casino. Halifax casino The Casino Nova Scotia opened a temporary location ...

Halifax, acquired in 2005 *

Sydney, acquired in 2005 * Casino New Brunswick in

Moncton Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the The Maritimes, Maritime Provinces. The ...

, acquired in 2015

References

{{Reflist Apollo Global Management companies Companies based in Coquitlam Gambling companies of Canada Companies formerly listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange Gambling companies established in 1982 1992 initial public offerings