The Vancouver Island-based Snuneymuxw First Nation is buying Great Canadian Casino Vancouver, its latest landmark acquisition from coast-to-coast casino operator Great Canadian Entertainment.
The deal, announced on Dec. 19, will reduce Great Canadian’s operational footprint in British Columbia to just two venues. Eighteen months ago, the company operated nine casinos in the province. If the movement to sell properties to a range of First Nations groups out west continues, Great Canadian could soon be out of B.C. altogether.
Great Canadian Casino Vancouver in Coquitlam houses more than 900 slot machines, 37 table games and 42 electronic table games. It also hosts Gordon Ramsay Burger, the first of the celebrity chef’s restaurants in Canada, as well as the 1,050-seat Show Theatre and a variety of dining and nightlife options. Formerly under Hard Rock branding, it was taken over by Great Canadian in 2023.
“Great Canadian Casino Vancouver has thrived because of the passion and dedication of our team members and community,” said Great Canadian Entertainment CEO Matt Anfinson. “We are pleased to pass this legacy into the hands of Snuneymuxw First Nation and the vision they hold for the business’s future. We have every confidence that PDG and Snuneymuxw will continue to elevate this and their other properties for years to come.”
Snuneymuxw builds extensive BC portfolio
Snuneymuxw is a First Nation of the Coast Salish People. Its land is located on the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, the Fraser River, Burrard Inlet and the Howe Sound. It is one of the largest First Nations in B.C. with a population of about 2,000 members.
The major Vancouver location is the fifth that it has agreed to purchase from Great Canadian since June 2024. It closed the acquisitions of Casino Nanaimo and Elements Casino Victoria in January 2025 and has since struck agreements to buy Chances Maple Ridge and River Rock Casino Resort, the latter of which is the largest casino resort in western Canada.
Once the remaining pending deals close, the First Nation will become Canada’s largest Indigenous-owned gaming operator by revenue.
Chief Mike Wyse said the acquisition of the Vancouver casino is another step toward economic self-determination and long-term prosperity for the community.
“This latest agreement reinforces the strategy we’re executing and the proven results we’ve achieved across our gaming portfolio,” he added. “The confidence placed in us by Great Canadian Entertainment and the industry is grounded in our disciplined approach to sustainable growth.”
Ian Simpson, CEO of Snuneymuxw’s wholly owned Petroglyph Development Group (PDG), told Canadian Gaming Business that the First Nation held “a strong desire” to move into casino ownership for decades before the Great Canadian opportunities emerged in 2024. He also revealed that the company is assessing potential moves in other provinces, too.
A First Nations casino movement
Snuneymuxw’s is not the only First Nation that is buying a casino from Great Canadian. The company has also agreed to sell the casino operations and real estate at Hastings Racecourse & Casino to the Tsleil-Waututh Nation. The agreement does not include the racecourse or racing operations at the site, which shut down in December after more than 130 years following the provincial government’s announcement that it was pulling funding for horse racetracks.
Great Canadian is also divesting its Element Casino Chilliwack to the Ts’elxwéyeqw Tribe.
Assuming they are all completed, the various sales mean that the only casinos still under Great Canadian’s control are Elements Casino Surrey and Chances Dawson Creek. The company did not comment to Canadian Gaming Business when asked whether it could strike similar deals for those casinos. Great Canadian also operates a dozen casinos in Ontario, two in Nova Scotia and one in New Brunswick.
Meanwhile, the First Nations acquisition movement extends beyond B.C. Indigenous Gaming Partners (IGP), a group of Nova Scotia First Nations communities working with casino company Sonco Gaming, bought the operating assets of four Pure Canadian Gaming casinos in Alberta 12 months ago.
