Casino Hotels

The property occupies the former French and Quebec pavilions from Expo 67 on Île Notre-Dame, which gives it a silhouette no purpose-built resort would ever produce — angled, glassy, stacked in tiers above the water. It works as a city hotel with river and skyline views, restaurants across several levels and a large event and performance calendar. A licensed gaming floor runs through the lower levels as one facility among the others, and the surrounding Parc Jean-Drapeau puts cycling paths and gardens directly outside the door.

Fallsview sits on the escarpment directly above the Horseshoe Falls, and the sightline is the whole reason the building is shaped and oriented the way it is — public rooms, restaurants and a large share of the guest rooms face the water. Alongside the hotel there is a theatre that draws touring headline acts, a spa, an indoor shopping galleria and a covered walkway system linking the resort to the tourist district, so guests rarely need to go outside in winter. The licensed gaming floor is one of the facilities on the lower levels.

River Rock stands on the Fraser River a few minutes from Vancouver International Airport, with its own marina and a SkyTrain station at the entrance, which makes it a practical base for the region rather than a destination sealed off from it. The resort holds a large show theatre, a spread of restaurants including a well-regarded Chinese kitchen serving the surrounding Richmond community, meeting space and a spa. Gaming is licensed and occupies part of the ground floor.

Casino Rama is owned by the Chippewas of Rama First Nation and sits in cottage country near Orillia, a couple of hours north of Toronto, which gives it a resort character closer to a lakes hotel than an urban one. The Entertainment Centre is the draw for much of the year, booking touring musicians and comedians into a purpose-built five-thousand-seat room. There are several restaurants, a spa and conference facilities; the licensed gaming floor is one part of a property people also use as a weekend base for the Lake Couchiching area.