River Rock Casino Resort: History, Facts and Figures

River Rock Casino Resort is a large casino and hotel complex in Richmond, British Columbia, built on the banks of the Fraser River on Sea Island, next to Vancouver International Airport. Opened in 2004, it pairs a 24-hour gaming floor with a 396-room hotel, a live-entertainment theatre, a marina and a spa, and has long ranked among the busiest and highest-grossing casinos in the province. This profile sets out the venue’s verified facts and figures, its history, who owns and regulates it, and how it compares with other large Canadian casinos.

What is River Rock Casino Resort?

River Rock Casino Resort is a full-scale casino resort, meaning a single property that combines gambling, lodging, dining and entertainment. The casino floor covers roughly 70,000 square feet (about 6,500 square metres) and holds more than 1,200 slot machines and electronic table games, over 80 live table games, a dedicated poker room and a live racebook for horse-race betting. Around the gaming floor sit a hotel, a theatre, a marina, a spa and about ten food-and-beverage venues.

The resort is one of the largest casino destinations in Western Canada and has historically been British Columbia’s biggest and most profitable casino. It is part of the regulated, provincially run gambling system that governs all land-based casinos in Canada, rather than a privately licensed Las Vegas-style operation.

Where is River Rock Casino Resort located?

River Rock sits at 8811 River Road in Richmond, immediately south of the city of Vancouver. The location is unusually convenient for a casino: it is about five minutes from Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and connected to the regional transit network. The Canada Line’s Bridgeport Station, which opened in 2009, is directly across from the resort, and a large park-and-ride parkade serves both transit riders and casino visitors.

The property stands on Musqueam traditional territory along the Fraser River estuary, and its on-site marina gives it rare water access for a Canadian casino.

The history of River Rock Casino Resort

River Rock’s story began with local opposition. In 1998, Richmond councillors voted against expanding the city’s existing Casino Richmond and moved to block new casino developments. A later council reversed course and approved a much larger resort on an expanded site — the former Bridgepoint Market — that would replace the old casino. The new casino floor opened in June 2004 (Wikipedia records the date as June 25, 2004), with the hotel and resort amenities following.

The resort grew quickly into the province’s flagship venue. Its profile rose further in 2009, when the Canada Line rapid-transit extension opened with a station beside the property; River Rock helped finance that station. The resort was renovated the same year, and in 2024 its operator announced a further round of upgrades for the venue’s 20th anniversary, including new restaurants, refreshed event space, a theatre refurbishment and dredging of the marina.

River Rock has also been a notable live-poker and events venue, hosting the British Columbia Poker Championships in the mid-2000s and the 2006 Gemini Awards. For broader context on how gambling became legal and commercialised across the country, see our overview of the history of gambling in Canada.

Who owns and operates River Rock Casino Resort?

Ownership of River Rock changed hands in 2026. The resort was built and run for two decades by Great Canadian Gaming Corporation (later Great Canadian Entertainment). In October 2025 the companies announced an agreement to sell it, and in June 2026 Great Canadian Entertainment completed the sale to a partnership of two Indigenous-owned entities: Petroglyph Development Group, a corporation wholly owned by the Snuneymuxw First Nation, and Musqueam Capital Corp, the economic development arm of the Musqueam Indian Band — on whose territory the resort sits.

River Rock was the fifth British Columbia casino that Petroglyph acquired from Great Canadian, after Casino Nanaimo, Elements Casino Victoria, Chances Maple Ridge and Great Canadian Casino Vancouver. The companies say the deal makes Petroglyph the largest Indigenous-owned casino operator in Canada by revenue. The financial terms were not disclosed.

How is the casino regulated?

River Rock operates inside British Columbia’s “conduct and manage” model, not as an independently licensed casino. Under Canada’s Criminal Code, only provinces may conduct and manage gambling, and in British Columbia that role falls to the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC), a provincial Crown corporation. BCLC contracts a registered service provider to run the day-to-day operation of the gaming floor, while the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch (GPEB) regulates the industry. The change of owner does not change this structure — the casino remains a BCLC facility. You can read more about this framework in our guide to how gambling is regulated in Canada.

What is on the gaming floor?

The gaming floor is the core of the resort and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. According to figures reported at the 2026 ownership transfer, it contains:

• More than 1,200 slot machines and electronic table games — the reels-and-screens machines that make up the bulk of the floor.
• More than 80 live table games — including blackjack, roulette, baccarat and several poker-style games dealt by staff at a physical table.
• A dedicated poker room — offering cash games and tournaments. The casino itself runs around the clock, but poker-room hours vary (roughly around-the-clock on weekends with extended hours on weekdays), so check the current schedule before a visit.
• A live racebook — a seated area for betting on horse racing shown on screens.
• High-limit VIP gaming areas for larger-stake players.

It is worth understanding that every casino game is built with a mathematical advantage for the house, so over time the venue keeps a percentage of all money wagered. No playing style, system or demo-mode practice changes those odds. Our explainer on how casino games work covers the house edge and the real odds behind slots and table games.

Is River Rock the largest casino in Canada?

No — River Rock is not Canada’s largest casino by gaming-floor size, despite the claim appearing on some promotional and third-party pages. By floor area the largest casino in Canada is Casino de Montreal in Quebec, at roughly 526,000 square feet, followed by large Ontario venues such as Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort at about 200,000 square feet. River Rock’s gaming floor is roughly 70,000 square feet.

What River Rock can fairly claim is that it has historically been British Columbia’s largest and most profitable casino by revenue, and its operator describes the property as the largest casino resort in Western Canada. A BC Lottery Corporation figure cited by The Globe and Mail put River Rock at about $301 million in gaming revenue in 2011–12 — far ahead of the next-busiest casino in the province. The table below puts the floor-size question in perspective.

Beyond the casino: hotel, dining and entertainment

River Rock is a resort, so most of the property is not a gaming floor at all. The key non-gaming features are:

• Hotel: 396 guest rooms and suites across 12 floors, with an indoor pool, fitness centre and 24-hour front desk.
• Theatre: the River Rock Show Theatre, a roughly 1,000-seat venue used for concerts and live events.
• Dining: around ten food-and-beverage venues, including Gordon Ramsay Steak — reported to be the celebrity chef’s first restaurant in Canada — plus buffet, lounge and quick-service options.
• Spa: Absolute Spa, with treatment rooms for facials, massage and body treatments.
• Marina: a 144-berth marina on the Fraser River.
• Meeting and event space for conferences and banquets.

River Rock and money-laundering scrutiny

River Rock features prominently in British Columbia’s public reckoning with casino money laundering. During the Cullen Commission — the provincial inquiry into money laundering in B.C. — testimony and earlier audits described large, suspicious cash buy-ins at the resort, and a BCLC report linked a majority of the province’s loan-sharking-related gambling bans to River Rock. The inquiry led to tighter cash-handling and source-of-funds rules across B.C. casinos. These events are part of the venue’s documented history and are included here for completeness, not as a judgement of current operations.

Visiting River Rock: age, hours and access

The minimum age to enter the gaming floor is 19, the legal gambling age in British Columbia. The casino is open 24 hours a day. The resort is reached by car via Highway 99, by SkyTrain to Bridgeport Station on the Canada Line, or by a short trip from Vancouver International Airport. Paid parking and a park-and-ride parkade are available on site.

Common misconceptions about River Rock

A few recurring mistakes are worth clearing up before a visit or when researching the venue:

• “It’s Canada’s biggest casino.” It is British Columbia’s biggest by revenue, but not Canada’s biggest by floor size — that is Casino de Montreal.
• “The poker room is always open 24/7.” The casino floor runs around the clock, but the poker room’s hours change through the week; confirm the schedule first.
• “Great Canadian still owns it.” As of 2026 the resort is owned by Petroglyph Development Group and Musqueam Capital Corp, though it remains a BCLC facility.
• “Practising in demo mode improves your odds.” The house edge is fixed by the maths of each game; practice does not change the long-run outcome.

A note on responsible gambling: gambling is entertainment, not a way to make money, and the odds always favour the house over time. In British Columbia you must be 19 or older to gamble, and BCLC runs the GameSense program at its casinos to provide information and support. If gambling is causing harm for you or someone you know, free help is available — see our guide to responsible gambling resources in Canada.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

When did River Rock Casino Resort open?

The casino floor opened in June 2004, on the site of the former Bridgepoint Market in Richmond, British Columbia. The hotel and resort amenities followed, and the property has been renovated and expanded several times since.

Who owns River Rock Casino Resort now?

Since 2026 the resort has been owned by a partnership of Petroglyph Development Group, a Snuneymuxw First Nation corporation, and Musqueam Capital Corp, the economic development arm of the Musqueam Indian Band. It was previously owned and operated by Great Canadian Entertainment. The casino is still conducted and managed under the BC Lottery Corporation.

How many slot machines and tables does River Rock have?

Figures reported at the 2026 ownership transfer put the venue at more than 1,200 slot machines and electronic table games and more than 80 live table games, plus a poker room and a live racebook, across a gaming floor of roughly 70,000 square feet.

Is River Rock the largest casino in Canada?

No. River Rock has historically been British Columbia’s largest and most profitable casino by revenue, and it is one of the largest casino resorts in Western Canada, but by gaming-floor size Canada’s largest casino is Casino de Montreal in Quebec.

What is the minimum gambling age at River Rock?

You must be at least 19 years old to enter the gaming floor, which is the legal gambling age across British Columbia.