The B.C. First Nation that acquired the operations of two Great Canadian Entertainment casinos in the province last year announced on Thursday it is buying two more from the coast-to-coast operator, including the largest casino resort in Western Canada.
Petroglyph Development Group (PDG), a wholly owned corporation of the Snuneymuxw First Nation, has signed definitive agreements with Great Canadian to purchase the casino operations of River Rock Casino Resort and Chances Maple Ridge.
Once the deals close, PDG anticipates being the largest Canadian Indigenous-owned gaming operator by revenue in Canada, as well as one of the largest casino operators of any kind in B.C.
Snuneymuxw previously acquired Great Canadian’s Casino Nanaimo and Elements Casino Victoria in two separate deals that were announced last year and closed in January 2025. The operations of the four casinos, which will change hands from Great Canadian to Snuneymuxw, are overseen by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation.
“For over 20 years, River Rock Casino Resort has been the largest casino resort in Western Canada,” said Great Canadian Entertainment CEO Matt Anfinson. “Since its opening in 2013, Chances Casino Maple Ridge has been a cornerstone of the Maple Ridge community. PDG has proven to be a leader in casino operations. We are delighted to have the opportunity to transfer the ownership and operation of these two important properties to the PDG team.”
First the Island, now the mainland
Snuneymuxw is a First Nation of the Coast Salish People, located in Coast Salish territory on the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, the Fraser River, Burrard Inlet and the Howe Sound.
Snuneymuxw First Nation Chief Mike Wyse said the moves into owning gaming operations represented a firm step towards self-determination and self-sufficiency for the Indigenous nation. The Nation said that by generating its own source revenues from gaming and related activity, it is creating the capital needed to invest directly into its communities.
“Our growing partnership with Great Canadian Entertainment has brought us to what was envisioned by our Ancestors and guided by decades of Snuneymuxw Chiefs and Councils,” said Wyse on Thursday. “By securing ownership in four thriving casino operations, we are realizing a dream of long-term economic independence and creating lasting prosperity for our people and the communities we serve.”
Great Canadian President and Chief Development Officer Terrance Doyle said at a press conference on Thursday that Snuneymuxw is going to own the properties “forever, for the long term” and that he believed they would ultimately be better-managed under the First Nation’s ownership.
While the Nanaimo and Victoria casinos are on Vancouver Island, the River Rock and Maple Ridge venues are both on the Metro Vancouver mainland, on Musqueam and Katzie territory, respectively. Wyse said Snuneymuxw will continue conversations with both Nations to explore the economic development opportunities.
Seminal times for First Nations gaming?
PDG CEO Ian Simpson said on Thursday that the two new acquisitions are a milestone that represents “a major shift in British Columbia’s gaming landscape.”
Simpson previously told Canadian Gaming Business that Snuneymuxw had been “kicking the tires” on potential gaming acquisitions for the past few years, but the possibility only really materialized in early 2024.
“Gaming culture is very much part of the fabric of Snuneymuxw and there’s been a strong desire for many decades now for a casino to be owned by our nation,” Simpson told CGB. He added that he believed other First Nations in Canada could follow suit by buying casinos.
Since that interview and Snuneymuxw’s first acquisitions, there have been further developments. In June, Great Canadian agreed to sell the casino at the Vancouver-area Hastings Racecourse & Casino to another Coast Salish Nation, the Tsleil-Waututh Nation. Chief Jen Thomas cited the Snuneymuxw acquisitions as an inspiration.
Meanwhile, Indigenous Gaming Partners (IGP), a coalition of five Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw First Nations communities and casino company Sonco Gaming Inc., acquired the operating assets of Alberta’s Pure Canadian Gaming last December, taking over the operations of four casinos: two in Edmonton, one in Calgary and another in Lethbridge.
IGP Chairman Michael Peters and Sonco CEO Anthony Novac told Canadian Gaming Business in January that First Nations from coast to coast are well-positioned to enter the gaming industry, and that IGP would look for other casino opportunities in Alberta and across Canada.
