Great Canadian Entertainment
Canadian gaming, hospitality, and entertainment operator running casinos, racetracks, hotels, restaurants, and associated leisure venues.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Great Canadian Entertainment is a Canadian gaming, hospitality, and entertainment company whose operations include casinos, racetracks with gaming facilities, smaller gaming centres, hotels, restaurants, theatres, and other property-based entertainment venues. The business was founded in 1982 as the Great Canadian Casino Company and initially operated charity casinos and a casino connected with Vancouver’s Pacific National Exhibition. It opened its first permanent casino in Vancouver in 1986, subsequently expanded through public-market financing and acquisitions, and became one of Canada’s largest regional gaming operators. The company’s principal activities have historically been concentrated in British Columbia, Ontario, and Atlantic Canada. Its portfolio has included destination casino resorts such as River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond, casino properties attached to racetracks, standalone regional casinos, slot facilities, and horse-racing venues. Gaming has included slot machines, table games, poker, and pari-mutuel or racetrack-related offerings, supported by restaurants, bars, hotel accommodation, theatres, and live entertainment. The company has generally operated through arrangements involving provincial gaming authorities, racetrack operators, municipalities, and First Nations communities. Great Canadian’s corporate identity evolved alongside its expansion. It was renamed the Great Canadian Gaming Company in 1997 and listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange in 2004. Acquisitions in Ontario and Nova Scotia in 2005 accelerated its national footprint but also contributed to debt pressure and a breach of debt agreements in 2006. Later growth included major Ontario operating agreements and partnerships. In 2017, the company and Brookfield Property Partners won a process to operate gaming facilities at Woodbine Racetrack and Ajax Downs, together with the Great Blue Heron Casino. In December of the same year, Great Canadian and Clairvest Group were selected to take over four additional Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation facilities. The company has also faced substantial governance and regulatory scrutiny. River Rock Casino Resort was investigated in connection with allegations of money laundering, while the company stated that it had followed required procedures. In 2021, president and chief executive Rodney Baker resigned after he and his wife travelled to Yukon and misrepresented their local status to obtain COVID-19 vaccine doses intended for an Indigenous community. These events intensified public attention on the company’s compliance systems and leadership oversight. Apollo Global Management acquired Great Canadian in an all-cash transaction completed in September 2021, after which the company’s Toronto Stock Exchange listing ended. Under private ownership, the business has continued operating Canadian gaming and entertainment properties. From 2024, it began withdrawing from most of its British Columbia casino operations through sales to local First Nations communities, while retaining Chances Dawson Creek according to the cited reference material. Great Canadian Entertainment therefore remains an active Canadian operator, but its geographic footprint and ownership structure differ materially from those of its former publicly traded incarnation.
History
Great Canadian Entertainment was established in 1982 as the Great Canadian Casino Company. Its early business was based on charity casinos and a casino operated at Vancouver’s Pacific National Exhibition. In 1986, the company opened its first permanent casino in Vancouver, marking a transition from temporary or event-linked gaming toward permanent commercial facilities. The company entered the public markets through an initial public offering on the TSX Venture Exchange in 1992. In 1997, it adopted the name Great Canadian Gaming Company, reflecting a broader operating model and ambitions beyond its original casino activities. The business later obtained a Toronto Stock Exchange listing in 2004. During this period, it expanded its portfolio in British Columbia and began building a larger presence in Ontario and Atlantic Canada. A major expansion phase followed in 2005, when Great Canadian acquired a number of casinos in Ontario and Nova Scotia. The acquisitions increased the company’s scale but also placed pressure on its balance sheet. In March 2006, the company breached debt agreements, illustrating the financial and integration risks associated with rapid expansion. It nevertheless continued developing a diversified property portfolio consisting of casinos, racetracks, slot facilities, gaming centres, hotels, restaurants, and entertainment venues. In British Columbia, the company developed and operated River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond, which became one of the province’s largest casino properties. The resort includes gaming, hotels, dining, and theatre facilities. The company also operated the former Boulevard Casino in Coquitlam, later renamed Great Canadian Casino Vancouver, together with Elements and Chances-branded properties and Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver. In Ontario, its portfolio grew to include racetrack gaming operations, regional casinos, and destination properties. Atlantic Canadian operations included Casino Nova Scotia in Halifax and Sydney and Casino New Brunswick in Moncton. The company’s operations attracted regulatory and political scrutiny. River Rock Casino Resort was investigated over allegations of money laundering. Great Canadian stated that it had followed the required procedures. In 2017, the company and Brookfield Property Partners won a competitive process connected with gaming facilities at Woodbine Racetrack and Ajax Downs and the Great Blue Heron Casino. Political opponents in Ontario called for the arrangement to be halted in light of the money-laundering allegations. In December 2017, Great Canadian and Clairvest Group were selected to take over four more Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation facilities. Leadership controversy emerged in January 2021, when president and chief executive Rodney Baker resigned. Baker and his wife had travelled to Beaver Creek in Yukon and were accused of misrepresenting themselves as local motel workers to receive COVID-19 vaccine doses intended for an Indigenous community. The episode became one of the most prominent governance controversies associated with the company. In September 2021, Apollo Global Management completed an all-cash acquisition of Great Canadian. The transaction ended the company’s status as a Toronto Stock Exchange-listed corporation. Great Canadian continued as a privately owned Canadian gaming and entertainment operator. Beginning in 2024, it started selling almost all of its British Columbia casino properties to local First Nations communities, retaining Chances Dawson Creek according to the cited reference material. This marked a strategic change in the company’s regional footprint while preserving its broader Canadian gaming and hospitality identity.
- 2024
Begins divestment of British Columbia casino properties
[1]The company began selling almost all of its British Columbia casinos to local First Nations communities, with Chances Dawson Creek identified as an exception.
- 2021
Rodney Baker resigns
[1]The president and chief executive resigned after the Yukon COVID-19 vaccine controversy.
- 2021
Acquired by Apollo Global Management
[1]Apollo completed an all-cash acquisition, after which Great Canadian was delisted from the Toronto Stock Exchange.
- 2017
Ontario gaming-facility award with Brookfield
[1]Great Canadian and Brookfield Property Partners won a process involving Woodbine Racetrack, Ajax Downs, and Great Blue Heron Casino.
- 2017
Additional Ontario facilities awarded with Clairvest
[1]Great Canadian and Clairvest Group won a process to take over four additional Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation facilities.
- 2006
Debt-agreement breach
[1]The company breached debt agreements following its acquisition-led expansion.
- 2005
Expansion into Ontario and Nova Scotia
[1]Great Canadian acquired a number of casinos in Ontario and Nova Scotia.
- 2004
Toronto Stock Exchange listing
[1]The company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
- 1997
Renamed Great Canadian Gaming Company
[1]The company adopted the Great Canadian Gaming Company name as its operating scope broadened.
- 1992
Initial public offering
[1]Great Canadian completed an initial public offering on the TSX Venture Exchange.
Products and positioning
A large Canadian regional gaming and entertainment operator combining casino and racetrack operations with hospitality, dining, accommodation, and entertainment services.
Gaming · 1982
Casino gaming
The company’s core offering has historically consisted of land-based casino gaming, including slot machines, table games, and poker. These services are delivered through destination resorts, regional casinos, and smaller gaming centres operating under Great Canadian, Elements, Chances, Shorelines, and property-specific names.
Racing and gaming
Racetrack and slot operations
Great Canadian has operated horse-racing venues and gaming facilities connected with racetracks. Examples have included Hastings Racecourse, Woodbine Racetrack, Ajax Downs, Georgian Downs, Flamboro Downs, Kawartha Downs, Grand River Raceway, and Mohawk Racetrack.
Hospitality
Hospitality and entertainment
Associated hospitality services include hotels, restaurants, bars, theatres, and live entertainment. These amenities support the company’s casino-resort and destination-property model, particularly at larger venues such as River Rock Casino Resort.
Controversies
2021
Rodney Baker Yukon vaccine controversy
Rodney Baker and his wife travelled to Beaver Creek, Yukon, and deceived medical personnel by claiming to be local motel workers in order to obtain COVID-19 vaccine doses intended for an Indigenous community. Baker resigned as president and chief executive after the incident.
River Rock Casino money-laundering investigation
Great Canadian was investigated over allegations that money laundering took place at River Rock Casino Resort. The company stated that it had followed the necessary procedures. The allegations also became a political issue during debate over the company’s expansion of gaming operations in Ontario.
Brand decisions
2024
Reduce British Columbia exposureStrategyBackground
The company reassessed its regional property portfolio after becoming privately owned.
Action taken
Great Canadian began selling almost all of its British Columbia casinos to local First Nations communities.
Aftermath
The company began withdrawing from most of the British Columbia market while retaining Chances Dawson Creek according to the cited reference.
2021
Accept Apollo Global Management acquisitionM&ABackground
Great Canadian had been a Toronto Stock Exchange-listed public company before the transaction.
Action taken
Apollo Global Management completed an all-cash acquisition of the company.
Aftermath
Great Canadian became privately held and its shares were delisted from the Toronto Stock Exchange.
2017
Pursue Ontario racetrack and casino opportunities with BrookfieldStrategyBackground
Ontario was reorganizing the operation of gaming facilities associated with racetracks and other properties.
Action taken
Great Canadian partnered with Brookfield Property Partners and won a process involving Woodbine Racetrack, Ajax Downs, and Great Blue Heron Casino.
Aftermath
The award expanded Great Canadian’s Ontario operating footprint but attracted political criticism because of the contemporaneous money-laundering allegations involving River Rock.
2017
Expand Ontario operations with ClairvestStrategyBackground
Ontario conducted a further process for the operation of additional gaming facilities.
Action taken
Great Canadian and Clairvest Group won the process to take over four additional Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation facilities.
Aftermath
The decision further strengthened the company’s Ontario portfolio.
Recent events
Great Canadian Gaming appoints interim CEO[2]
Reported:
Great Canadian Gaming appointed Terrance Doyle, its president of strategic growth and chief compliance officer, as interim chief executive.
Great Canadian Gaming CEO resigns[2]
Reported:
Great Canadian Gaming Corp. president and chief executive Rodney Baker resigned on Sunday; the company also said he resigned as a member of its board of directors.
Weekdays and relative dates follow the original report; their exact calendar dates have not been verified.
- Unconfirmed
Court approves Great Canadian Gaming takeover[3]
Reported:
Great Canadian Gaming said the Supreme Court of British Columbia approved the $45-per-share takeover offer from a fund affiliated with Apollo Global Management.
Sources5 sources
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