Casino Nova Scotia
A Nova Scotia casino brand operating gaming and entertainment venues in Halifax and Sydney.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Casino Nova Scotia is a casino and entertainment brand operating two venues in Nova Scotia, Canada: the principal Halifax casino on the downtown waterfront and a sister property in downtown Sydney on Cape Breton Island. The brand opened its first temporary Halifax location at the Sheraton Hotel Halifax on June 1, 1995, and added the Sydney casino on August 1 of the same year. The Halifax operation moved to a purpose-built waterfront facility on April 24, 2000. The Halifax property was designed in a Vegas-inspired style by Steelman Partners, which also designed the Sydney casino. Its development presented substantial engineering challenges because the site included reclaimed harbour land and areas built over deep water. Engineers used caissons driven through the fill material into bedrock, together with a specialized pile-cap and support system, to create a stable foundation for the building. The casino is connected by a pedestrian link to the Marriott Halifax Harbourfront, formerly associated with the casino as the Sheraton Hotel Halifax, and the wider downtown network serving Purdy's Wharf, Scotia Square, and central Halifax. Casino Nova Scotia's gaming offer includes slot machines and table games. The Halifax venue has approximately 650 slot machines and table games, together with dining, lounges, live entertainment, meeting facilities, and event spaces. Its named hospitality areas include the 3Sixty Buffet Restaurant, the 3Sixty Lounge, the Compass Room, and the Schooner Room. These facilities allow the property to operate not only as a gaming venue but also as a destination for concerts, conventions, casual dining, buffets, and other entertainment. The business was initially associated with Caesars and was sold in October 2005 to Great Canadian Gaming Corporation, the Canadian gaming operator that later operated under the Great Canadian Entertainment name. The hotel associated with the Halifax casino was sold separately to Marriott at the time of the casino transaction. Casino employees voted to unionize in 2007, marking an important labour-relations development in the property's history. Casino Nova Scotia remains a regional, rather than globally distributed, gaming brand. Its customer base is centered on Nova Scotia and visitors to Halifax and Sydney. In January 2026, the provincial government announced plans by Great Canadian Entertainment to replace the Halifax waterfront casino with a new facility at Dartmouth Crossing, a suburban retail and commercial district. The announcement indicates a possible future change in the Halifax property's location, while the brand's longer-term operating status and the timetable for any replacement remain subject to implementation.
History
Casino Nova Scotia was established as a provincial casino brand in the mid-1990s, with its first Halifax operation opening on June 1, 1995, in a temporary location inside the Sheraton Hotel Halifax. The brand expanded quickly that year: on August 1, 1995, a second casino opened in downtown Sydney as an addition to Centre 200. The two properties gave the brand a presence in both the Halifax metropolitan area and Cape Breton's largest urban centre. The Halifax casino later moved from its temporary hotel setting to a permanent waterfront development. The new facility opened on April 24, 2000, as a large Vegas-style casino and entertainment complex in downtown Halifax. Steelman Partners designed both the Halifax property and its Sydney sister casino. The Halifax project required unusually complex structural work because the site incorporated reclaimed harbour land and areas extending over deep water. Much of the reclaimed ground consisted of loose rock and construction material that could not safely support the building without additional engineering. BMR of Halifax addressed the problem by using caissons that passed through the fill and reached the bedrock below. A specially designed pile-cap system supported the floor structure over the waterfront portion of the site. The Halifax property was integrated into the surrounding downtown infrastructure. A pedestrian connection links the casino with the Marriott Halifax Harbourfront, which was formerly the Casino Nova Scotia Hotel and before that the Sheraton Hotel Halifax. The pedestrian network also connects with Purdy's Wharf, Scotia Square, and the downtown core. The property therefore functions as part of a larger waterfront and central-business-district visitor environment rather than as an isolated gaming facility. Ownership changed in October 2005, when Great Canadian Gaming Corporation acquired Casino Nova Scotia from Caesars. The hotel was sold separately to Marriott in the same transaction. Under Great Canadian's ownership, the casino continued to combine gaming with hospitality and entertainment. The Halifax venue developed a broad non-gaming offer including buffet and casual dining, a lounge with live entertainment, concerts, conventions, and other programmed events. The venue's principal named spaces include the 3Sixty Buffet Restaurant, the 3Sixty Lounge, the Compass Room, and the Schooner Room. The Halifax casino has approximately 650 slot machines and table games, as well as a 550-vehicle parking structure with accessible parking spaces. Its operating model is that of a regional casino destination: gaming is supplemented by food service, live entertainment, private events, and visitor amenities. The Sydney property occupies a downtown location on George Street and was constructed as an addition to Centre 200. Labour relations became part of the brand's institutional history in 2007, when casino employees voted to organize a labour union. No executive roster or detailed labour agreement is identified in the supplied reference material. In January 2026, the Nova Scotia government announced that Great Canadian Entertainment planned to replace the Halifax casino with a new property at Dartmouth Crossing. The proposed move would represent a major strategic and geographic change for the Halifax operation, shifting it from the downtown waterfront to a suburban retail and commercial district. The available reference does not establish whether the replacement has received all approvals, when construction would begin, when it would open, or what would happen to the existing waterfront building. The Sydney casino is not identified as part of that proposed relocation.
- 2026
Proposed Halifax replacement at Dartmouth Crossing
The provincial government announced plans by Great Canadian Entertainment to replace the Halifax casino with a new facility at Dartmouth Crossing.
- 2007
Employees vote for union organization
[1]Casino workers voted in favor of organizing a labour union.
- 2005
Ownership transfers to Great Canadian Gaming
[1]Great Canadian Gaming Corporation acquired Casino Nova Scotia from Caesars in October. The associated hotel was sold separately to Marriott.
- 2000
Halifax waterfront facility opens
[1]The Halifax operation moved into a purpose-built Vegas-style facility on the downtown waterfront on April 24.
- 1995
Temporary Halifax casino opens
[1]Casino Nova Scotia opened its first Halifax location in a temporary space at the Sheraton Hotel Halifax on June 1, establishing the brand's initial operating presence.
- 1995
Sydney casino opens
[1]A sister Casino Nova Scotia property opened in downtown Sydney on August 1 as an addition to Centre 200.
Products and positioning
A regional casino and entertainment destination combining gaming, food and beverage, live performances, events, and hospitality services in two Nova Scotia urban markets.
Casino property · 2000
Halifax casino
The Halifax flagship is Casino Nova Scotia's principal venue. It operates on the downtown waterfront and combines approximately 650 slot machines and table games with restaurants, lounges, live entertainment, event rooms, conventions, and visitor parking. The facility is linked by pedestrian routes to nearby hotels, office properties, shopping areas, and the downtown core. A proposed future replacement at Dartmouth Crossing was announced in 2026, but no confirmed delivery timetable is available.
Casino property · 1995
Sydney casino
The Sydney property is Casino Nova Scotia's Cape Breton venue. It opened in August 1995 on George Street in downtown Sydney as an addition to Centre 200. The supplied material identifies it as a sister casino designed alongside the Halifax property, but does not provide a detailed current inventory of its games, restaurants, or entertainment facilities.
Restaurant
3Sixty Buffet Restaurant
A buffet restaurant at the Halifax casino offering regular buffet service and a Sunday brunch buffet. It forms part of the property's broader food-and-beverage offer, complementing the casino floor and entertainment facilities.
Lounge and entertainment venue
3Sixty Lounge
A casual dining and lounge space at the Halifax property that also hosts live entertainment. The venue extends the casino's offer beyond gaming and supports a social, evening-oriented visitor experience.
Events and entertainment spaces
Compass Room and Schooner Room
Named event spaces within the Halifax casino used for concerts, conventions, and other attractions. Together they support the property's role as an entertainment and events venue as well as a casino.
Brand decisions
2026
Proposed relocation and replacement of the Halifax casinoStrategyBackground
The provincial government announced that the existing Halifax casino was planned for replacement rather than indefinite continuation in its current waterfront location.
Action taken
Great Canadian Entertainment plans to develop a new Halifax-area casino at Dartmouth Crossing, a suburban retail and commercial district.
Aftermath
The proposal could materially change the Halifax property's location and relationship with downtown Halifax. Approval status, construction timing, final design, and treatment of the existing facility are not specified in the supplied material.
2005
Sale to Great Canadian Gaming CorporationM&ABackground
Casino Nova Scotia was initially associated with Caesars before ownership changed in October 2005.
Action taken
Great Canadian Gaming Corporation acquired the casino operations, while the associated Sheraton hotel was sold separately to Marriott.
Aftermath
Casino Nova Scotia became part of Great Canadian's Canadian gaming portfolio, later associated with the Great Canadian Entertainment operating name.
Recent events
- 2026
Great Canadian Entertainment plans a replacement Halifax casino at Dartmouth Crossing
Other
The Nova Scotia government announced that Great Canadian Entertainment plans to replace the existing Halifax waterfront casino with a new facility in Dartmouth Crossing. The announcement points to a potential relocation and redevelopment of the Halifax operation, but the available material does not provide a construction schedule, final design, investment amount, or confirmed opening date.
- 2007
Casino Nova Scotia employees vote to unionize[1]
Other
Workers at Casino Nova Scotia voted in favor of organizing a labour union, creating a formal collective labour-relations structure at the casino.
- 2005
Great Canadian Gaming acquires Casino Nova Scotia[1]
M&A
Casino Nova Scotia was sold to Great Canadian Gaming Corporation in October 2005. The hotel associated with the Halifax casino was transferred separately to Marriott.
Sources1 sources
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