Apr 26, 2019 Great Canadian Gaming is getting out of the casino business in the United States. The Coquitlam-headquartered casino operator, which owns 10 casinos in B.C., including Richmond’s River Rock.
| Public | |
| Traded as |
|
|---|---|
| Industry | Gaming and Hospitality |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Headquarters | , Canada |
| Rod N. Baker (Chairman and Chief executive officer) | |
Number of employees | 9,400 (2018) |
| Website | https://gcgaming.com/ |
Great Canadian Gaming is a Canadian gaming, entertainment and hospitality company, listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and part of the S&P/TSX Composite Index.
- 3Properties
Business[edit]
Great Canadian operates 28 gaming properties in Canada and Washington State, consisting of casinos, horse race tracks (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.[1] As of 2018, it had 9,400 employees.[2] In 2016, 61% of revenues were from British Columbia, 17% were from Ontario, 15% were from Atlantic Canada, and the rest were from the United States.[2] In total, Great Canadian properties include 16,000 slot machines, 386 table games, 80 dining establishments and 500 hotel rooms.[3]
In 2017, their gross gaming revenue was about $1.2 billion, with net earnings for 2017 of $85.7 million.[4]
History[edit]
The company was founded in 1982 as the Great Canadian Casino Company.[5] It initially operated charity casinos and a casino at Vancouver's Pacific National Exhibition.[5] In 1986, it opened its first permanent casino in Vancouver.[5] It held an IPO on the TSX Venture Exchange in 1992, and renamed itself the Great Canadian Gaming Company in 1997.[5] In 2004, it listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.[5] In 2005, it acquired a number of casinos in Ontario and Nova Scotia.[6] As a result of these acquisitions, it breached debt agreements in March 2006.[7]
Great Canadian has been investigated for money laundering that allegedly took place at their River Rock Casino Resort.[8] The company has released a statement saying that it has followed all the necessary procedures.[9]
In August 2017, Great Canadian (in cooperation with Brookfield Property Partners) won a bidding process to take over the slots facility at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto from the OLG.[10] It also took over the slots at the Ajax Downs track and the Great Blue Heron Casino. The then-opposition Ontario PCs called for the deal to be halted due to the money laundering allegations.[11]
In December 2017, Great Canadian (in cooperation with Clairvest Group) won a process to take over four more OLG facilities.[12]
Properties[edit]
British Columbia[edit]
- River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond, the largest casino in British Columbia.[13] The property also includes a theater and two hotels. This casino was opened in 2004, replacing a previous casino on the site.[13]
- Hard Rock Casino Vancouver in Coquitlam, which also includes a theater. The casino originally opened as Boulevard Casino in 2001, and re-branded itself in 2013.
- Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver, which also includes 600 slot machines. The company acquired the race track in 2004.[5]
- Elements Casino in Surrey
- View Royal Casino in Victoria
- Casino Nanaimo in Nanaimo, opened in 1986[5]
- Chances Maple Ridge in Maple Ridge
- Chances Chilliwack in Chilliwack
- Chances Dawson Creek in Dawson Creek
- Bingo Esquimalt in Esquimalt
Ontario[edit]
- Casino Ajax at Ajax Downs in Ajax
- Casino Woodbine at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto
- Great Blue Heron Casino in Scugog Island
- Shorelines Casino Thousand Islands in Gananoque
- Shorelines Slots at Kawartha Downs, a race track in Fraserville, south of Peterborough. This track has been reopened in spring 2019 with only 150 slots and racetrack since the opening of the new 50,000 sq ft (4,600 m2) Shorelines Casino in Peterborough.[14]
- Shorelines Casino Belleville in Belleville. This casino opened on January 11, 2017, and was the first new casino in Ontario since 2006.[15]
- Shorelines Casino Peterborough in Peterborough, opened in 2018[16]
- Georgian Downs, a race track in Innisfil, acquired in 2005
- Elements Casino Flamboro at Flamboro Downs, a race track in Hamilton, acquired in 2005
- Elements Casino Brantford, 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, former OLG Slots Mohawk
Atlantic Canada[edit]
Great Canadian Casino Victoria Bc
- Casino Nova Scotia Halifax, acquired in 2005
- Casino Nova Scotia Sydney, acquired in 2005
- Casino New Brunswick in Moncton
References[edit]
Vancouver Canadians Store
- ^'Great Canadian Gaming Corporation - 2017 Q3 Financial Statement'. Great Canadian Gaming Corporation. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ^ ab'Great Canadian Gaming Corporation - Annual Information Form 2016'. Great Canadian Gaming Corporation. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ^'Great Canadian Gaming Corporation - Who We Are'.
- ^'Financials - Great Canadian Gaming Corporation'. Great Canadian Gaming Corporation. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
- ^ abcdefg'History - Great Canadian Gaming Corporation'. Great Canadian Gaming Corporation. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
- ^Luciw, Roma (February 13, 2006). 'Great Canadian Gaming sinks'. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
- ^'Great Canadian Gaming posts Q4 loss, may breach debt pacts'. CBC News. March 20, 2017. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
- ^'Great Canadian Gaming says its B.C. casino follows rules amid allegations of illegal activity'. BNN. October 23, 2017. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ^'Gaming Corporation responds to allegations of money laundering at River Rock Casino'. Global News. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ^Warmington, Joe (August 8, 2017). 'World-class casino slated for Woodbine'. Toronto Sun. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ^Wilson, Codi (October 30, 2017). 'Ontario PCs want deal with company chosen to run Woodbine Racetrack halted'. CTVNews Toronto. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ^'Great Canadian Gaming and Clairvest win Ontario casino deal'. Financial Post. December 19, 2017. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ^ abBitonti, David (March 7, 2013). 'River Rock: More than a house of gambling'. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ^Kovach, Joelle (August 10, 2017). 'Kawartha Downs workers fear job losses however since the reopening of Kawartha Downs a lot of those employees have been re hired'. Peterborough Examiner. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ^Miller, Jason (January 10, 2017). 'Casino announces opening'. The Belleville Intelligencer. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ^Kovach, Joelle (October 15, 2018). 'Lineups for opening of new Shorelines Casino Peterborough'. The Peterborough Examiner.