Casino Hotels

Few hotels start life as a world's fair. This one occupies the former French and Québec pavilions from Expo 67, on an island in the St Lawrence. The French pavilion's angled aluminium fins are still the building's signature.

Rooms, restaurants and a performance hall sit inside the complex, with a gaming floor as one feature among several. Outside, the island is mostly parkland and water: a rowing basin, a racing circuit, long paths. Downtown Montréal is a metro ride away.

• Expo 67 pavilions
• Island setting
• Restaurants
• Live shows

Fallsview stands on the escarpment above the Horseshoe Falls. Its hotel tower looks straight down the gorge, and many rooms trade on that view.

Inside, it runs like a small town. There is a spa, a theatre that books touring acts, several restaurants and a casino floor. The riverside parkland is downhill on foot. Toronto is roughly ninety minutes by road; the US border is closer still.

• Above the Horseshoe Falls
• Hotel tower
• Theatre
• Spa

River Rock sits on the middle arm of the Fraser River in Richmond. A Canada Line station stops at the property, so guests can arrive from the airport or downtown Vancouver without a car.

There's a marina on the river, a theatre for concerts and shows, a spa and a spread of restaurants. The gaming floor is part of the mix, not the whole of it. Richmond's Asian restaurants and its summer night market are close by.

• Fraser River marina
• SkyTrain at the door
• Theatre
• Near YVR airport

Casino Rama Resort stands on the lands of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation, near the shore of Lake Couchiching. Orillia is a short drive; Toronto is around ninety minutes south.

The hotel has its own spa and a set of restaurants. A large entertainment centre brings in touring musicians and comedians. The casino floor is one wing of the property. Beyond the car park, this is lake and cottage country, with trees on most sides.

• Lake Couchiching
• Rama First Nation
• Entertainment centre
• Spa