How it ended up at Woodbine
Toronto city council decided this in two votes. In May 2013 it voted down a downtown casino. In 2015 council voted 25-19 in favour of expanding gambling at Woodbine, with conditions.
Woodbine already had gaming by then. Casino Woodbine opened in 1999 as a slots parlour beside the racetrack, which had opened on June 12, 1956. Table games were added in 2018. At the 2023 opening, the operator said the City of Toronto had received more than $357 million in gaming revenue since Casino Woodbine was introduced.
The new casino, Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto, opened on June 20, 2023. Its hotel followed in August 2023. The older floor next to it, once Casino Woodbine, now goes by the Grandstand Casino. Both connect directly, at 1133 Queens Plate Dr beside Woodbine Racetrack, and the poker room is on the Grandstand side, Level Two.
What you will find there
Slot machines and e-tables number 4,500+, alongside 164 table games. Poker runs 24/7 in the Grandstand Casino, Level Two, with walk-in registration. No Limit stakes go from 1/3 up to 10/20, and the Omaha games are 20/40 half-kill plus Pot-Limit Omaha starting at 2/2.
The resort also has a 400-room hotel, opened in August 2023, and a concert venue called The Theatre. For a meal without leaving the resort, you have Copperhorn Meet House, Pizzaiolo, Lobster Legend Noodle Bar, Casual Toronto, Chopsticks Noodlehouse and The Northern Lights Bar. Smoking and vaping are allowed only in designated areas, and the hotel is 100% smoke-free.
Questions
How far is it from Union Station or City Hall?
The casino is 18.9 km from Toronto City Hall in a straight line. No separate figure is given for Union Station. For anyone without a car, Woodbine Racetrack Loop (Main Entrance) is reached by TTC bus 37A, which you board at Islington Station on Line 2.
Is it open all night?
Yes, the casino, hotel and poker room are all open every hour of every day. For holiday hours, check the venue's website directly. Overnight, TTC 336 Finch West Blue Night runs between Finch Station and Woodbine Race Track.
What is the next casino after this one?
Pickering Casino Resort is next, 33.9 km from City Hall in a straight line. Casino Ajax follows at 39.1 km.