River Rock Casino Resort
A casino, hotel, entertainment and marina resort in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
River Rock Casino Resort is an integrated casino and hotel complex in Richmond, British Columbia, on the Fraser River and close to Vancouver International Airport. The property is operated by Great Canadian Entertainment and has historically been described as one of British Columbia's largest and most commercially significant casinos. Its facilities combine gaming, accommodation, live entertainment, dining, events, transportation access and a marina-oriented waterfront setting. The resort opened to the public on June 25, 2004, on the site of the former Bridgepoint Market. Its casino has historically offered approximately 80 table games and 1,150 electronic gaming machines, including slot machines and electronic table games. The property also includes a poker room and an off-track betting parlour. The hotel contains 396 rooms, including standard rooms and suites, while the wider resort has event and performance facilities and a marina with 144 berths. River Rock's location has been central to its operating model. It is situated near Highway 99, approximately five minutes from Vancouver International Airport, and directly opposite Bridgeport Station on the Canada Line SkyTrain. TransLink and local authorities supported transportation and parking infrastructure serving both the casino and the station area. The resort has consequently functioned as a destination for local and regional gaming customers, hotel guests, concert audiences, event attendees and visitors arriving through the Vancouver area. The venue has also hosted public entertainment and cultural events. It presented the British Columbia Poker Championships in 2005, 2006 and 2007, and hosted the premier event of the Johnny Chan Poker Championship in 2007. The 2006 Gemini Awards were held there, marking the ceremony's first West Coast presentation. The property has been used as a filming location for Vancouver-area productions and has hosted the Miss Chinese (Vancouver) Pageant as well as performances by Cantopop artists touring North America. The resort has faced significant scrutiny connected with gambling-related financial crime and alleged loan-sharking activity. British Columbia Lottery Corporation data cited in reporting showed that a substantial share of provincial casino exclusions for suspected loan sharking occurred at River Rock. The property was also discussed in connection with a 2016 audit concerning the acceptance of casino-chip purchases by high rollers using funds from lenders subject to anti-money-laundering restrictions and investigation. These issues formed part of wider public debate in British Columbia about casino oversight, suspicious cash transactions, organized crime and the effectiveness of regulatory controls. In 2024, Great Canadian Entertainment announced a major renovation program tied to the resort's twentieth anniversary. The announced plans included new restaurants such as Gordon Ramsay Steak, Koi and Miku, expanded and renovated event spaces, refurbishment of the River Rock Theatre and dredging of the marina to support restoration of marina service. In October 2025, the Snuneymuxw First Nation announced plans to acquire the resort from Great Canadian Entertainment in partnership with the Musqueam First Nation, whose traditional territory includes the land on which the resort is located. The reported purchase price was undisclosed, and the ownership status should be verified against current official records.
History
River Rock Casino Resort was developed on the former Bridgepoint Market site in Richmond, British Columbia. The property opened to the public on June 25, 2004, as a large integrated casino and hospitality destination serving the Vancouver region. Before opening, the project required several variances from the City of Richmond, including adjustments to liquor and operating permissions that allowed alcohol service in the casino's theatre under the conditions sought by the operator. From its early years, the resort combined casino gaming with hotel accommodation, entertainment and event programming. Its gaming floor has historically contained about 80 table games and 1,150 electronic gaming machines, including slots and electronic table games. The property also developed a poker room and an off-track betting parlour. Its hotel includes 396 rooms and suites, while the broader complex has performance, meeting and dining facilities and a 144-berth marina. River Rock became a venue for poker and televised or formal entertainment events. It hosted the British Columbia Poker Championships in 2005, 2006 and 2007, and the premier event of the Johnny Chan Poker Championship in 2007. In 2006, it hosted the Gemini Awards, bringing the national Canadian television awards ceremony to the West Coast for the first time. The resort has also served as a location for Vancouver-based film and television productions. During filming of Blonde and Blonder in November 2006, a dispute involving photographers on a restricted hotel balcony and actress Denise Richards generated press attention after a laptop was allegedly thrown from the balcony and struck an elderly woman in a wheelchair. The venue has maintained a broader entertainment role beyond gaming. It hosted the Miss Chinese (Vancouver) Pageant in 2009 and has been used for North American tour performances by Cantopop artists from Hong Kong. Its proximity to Vancouver International Airport, Highway 99 and Bridgeport Station has supported its role as a regional visitor destination. In 2006, TransLink reached an agreement involving land and cash contributions toward a 1,200-space parkade serving the casino and the Bridgeport park-and-ride area. River Rock's history has also been shaped by controversy concerning financial crime and illegal lending. British Columbia Lottery Corporation information reported that 34 of 56 provincial incidents in which casino patrons were barred for suspected loan-sharking activity occurred at River Rock. The issue became particularly prominent after Rong Lilly Li, identified in reporting as a suspected loan shark, disappeared after being last seen entering a van outside the casino on May 26, 2006. Her body was recovered in September of that year. The case contributed to wider concerns in Richmond about alleged connections among casinos, loan sharking, kidnapping, extortion and violence. A June 2016 audit further implicated River Rock in British Columbia's debate over casino money laundering. The audit concluded that the casino knowingly allowed high rollers to buy chips using funds from lenders who were subject to anti-money-laundering restrictions and were under RCMP investigation. The issue formed part of broader provincial scrutiny of suspicious cash activity and casino compliance practices. It remains important to distinguish documented audit findings from wider allegations and unresolved claims concerning individual patrons or criminal networks. In 2024, operator Great Canadian Entertainment announced a renovation program for the resort's twentieth anniversary. The plan called for new restaurant concepts, including Gordon Ramsay Steak, Koi and Miku, as well as expanded and renovated event spaces, refurbishment of the River Rock Theatre and dredging of the marina to enable restoration of marina service. In October 2025, Snuneymuxw First Nation announced that it intended to acquire the property from Great Canadian Entertainment in partnership with Musqueam First Nation. The announcement identified Musqueam's relationship to the land on which the resort stands, but the consideration was not disclosed and the completion and legal status of the transaction require confirmation from authoritative current sources.
- 2025
Proposed First Nations acquisition
[1]Snuneymuxw First Nation announced a planned acquisition in partnership with Musqueam First Nation; the purchase price was not disclosed.
- 2024
Twentieth-anniversary renovation plans
[1]Great Canadian Entertainment announced plans involving restaurants, event spaces, the theatre and marina infrastructure.
- 2009
Miss Chinese (Vancouver) Pageant venue
[1]The resort hosted the Miss Chinese (Vancouver) Pageant.
- 2007
Johnny Chan Poker Championship event
[1]The premier event of the Johnny Chan Poker Championship was held at the resort.
- 2006
Gemini Awards move to the West Coast
[1]River Rock hosted the 2006 Gemini Awards, the ceremony's first presentation on Canada's West Coast.
- 2005
First listed British Columbia Poker Championships appearance
[1]The resort hosted the British Columbia Poker Championships, beginning a series that continued through 2007.
- 2004
Public opening
[1]River Rock Casino Resort opened to the public on June 25 at the former Bridgepoint Market site in Richmond.
Products and positioning
An integrated entertainment and hospitality resort combining casino gaming, hotel accommodation, live events, dining, meetings and waterfront amenities, with convenient access to Vancouver International Airport and the Canada Line.
Casino gaming · 2004
Casino gaming floor
The resort's principal offering is a casino floor historically described as having approximately 80 table games and 1,150 electronic gaming machines. The electronic area includes conventional slot machines and electronic table games. The casino also provides poker and off-track betting facilities, making it a multi-format gaming venue rather than a table-game-only property.
Hospitality · 2004
Hotel accommodation
River Rock's hotel contains 396 rooms, including standard accommodation and suites. The hotel supports casino visitors, tourists, event participants and entertainment audiences, and forms part of the resort's integrated destination model near Vancouver International Airport and the Canada Line.
Live entertainment · 2004
River Rock Theatre
The River Rock Theatre is the resort's principal performance venue. It has hosted awards programming, poker-related events, pageants, concerts and touring performers, including Cantopop artists. Great Canadian announced plans in 2024 to refurbish the theatre as part of the property's twentieth-anniversary program.
Events and meetings · 2004
Event and conference spaces
The resort offers spaces for awards ceremonies, pageants, entertainment events and other organized functions. The 2024 renovation announcement included expansion and refurbishment of event areas, indicating an effort to strengthen the non-gaming hospitality and events business.
Waterfront hospitality · 2004
Marina
A 144-berth marina forms part of River Rock's waterfront setting on the Fraser River. In 2024, Great Canadian announced dredging plans intended to support restoration of marina service.
Controversies
2016
Anti-money-laundering audit findings
A June 2016 audit found that River Rock knowingly allowed high rollers to purchase chips with funds from lenders subject to anti-money-laundering restrictions and RCMP investigation. The finding contributed to broader scrutiny of British Columbia casino controls and suspicious cash activity.
2006
Loan-sharking and violent-crime concerns
River Rock was associated with wider Richmond concerns about alleged loan sharking, kidnappings, extortion and violence. The disappearance of Rong Lilly Li after she was last seen outside the casino became the most prominent case cited in connection with the controversy; her body was recovered in September 2006.
2006
Filming-location balcony incident
During filming of Blonde and Blonder, photographers entered a closed section of the hotel's balcony while attempting to photograph Denise Richards. A dispute reportedly followed, and a laptop was allegedly thrown from the balcony, striking an elderly woman in a wheelchair.
Brand decisions
2025
Proposed transfer to First Nations ownershipM&ABackground
Snuneymuxw First Nation announced a planned acquisition from Great Canadian Entertainment in partnership with Musqueam First Nation.
Action taken
The parties announced the proposed purchase of River Rock Casino Resort, without disclosing the transaction value.
Aftermath
The supplied material does not establish whether the acquisition closed or whether operational control changed.
2024
Announce twentieth-anniversary renovationStrategyBackground
Great Canadian positioned the renovation as an anniversary-related reinvestment in the resort.
Action taken
The announced program included Gordon Ramsay Steak, Koi and Miku restaurants, expanded event spaces, River Rock Theatre refurbishment and marina dredging.
Aftermath
The plans were intended to renew the resort's dining, events, entertainment and waterfront offerings; completion details are not established in the supplied material.
2004
Launch an integrated casino resortStrategyBackground
The property was developed as a combined casino, hotel, entertainment and waterfront destination on the former Bridgepoint Market site.
Action taken
River Rock opened with gaming facilities, hotel rooms, theatre and related hospitality services, subject to municipal licensing variances.
Aftermath
The resort became a major casino and entertainment venue in the Vancouver-area market.
Sources2 sources
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