Independent guide, not a casino. Paid links are marked Ad. 19+. Play responsibly.
Two casinos, one split screen, no winner
Checked October 7, 2026
Pickering Casino Resort and Casino Ajax sit 5.1 km apart in a straight line, and they are very different inside. Drag the split screen to see each side; nothing here is ranked, and this guide takes no bets.
Pickering Casino Resort is a resort with a 275-room hotel, 2,200+ slot machines, 90+ live table games and 50+ electronic table games. Its poker room has 18 tables on the hotel's third floor, and The Arena is a 2,500-seat theatre.
Parking is complimentary, in a multi-level garage and an outdoor lot.
Casino Ajax is a slots hall at Ajax Downs, a quarter-horse racetrack, with 500 slot machines and electronic table games. It is smaller and simpler: no live table games, no poker room and no hotel.
The 2026 Ajax Downs meet ends with race days on October 7, 12 and 21.
5.1km apart
For readers who would rather play online, the button leads to an online casino partner through a paid link, and this site earns a commission. Check that the site appears on the iGaming Ontario list at igamingontario.ca before going further.
Ontario only. Must be physically located in Ontario to play.
Play responsibly. Free, confidential help 24/7: ConnexOntario 1-866-531-2600, text CONNEX to 247247 or chat at connexontario.ca.
Compare
| Feature | Pickering Casino Resort | Casino Ajax |
|---|---|---|
| Live table games | 90+ tablesTemporaryReduced hours during the labour disruption | None |
| Poker room | 18 tables, normally 24/7TemporaryTemporarily closed | None |
| Slot machines | 2,200+ | 500 |
| Electronic table games | 50+ | Yes |
| Hotel | 275 rooms | None |
| Theatre | The Arena, 2,500 seats | None |
| Horse racing | None | Ajax Downs, quarter horses, 22 race days in 2026 |
| Restaurants | 8 listedTemporarySome closed during the labour disruption | 1 (Getaway, 19+)Temporary12 PM to 8 PM, reduced menu |
| Casino Shuttle | Yes, by reservation, 19+ | Not listed |
| Hours | 24/7 | 24/7 |
| Parking | Free, garage and lot | Free, outdoor lot |
| Rewards card | Great Canadian Rewards | Great Canadian Rewards |
| Age and ID | 19+, two photo IDs | 19+, two photo IDs |
Live tables divide the two. Pickering Casino Resort has 90+ live table games and a poker room with 18 tables, including two High Stakes private rooms. Poker games run from 1/3 No Limit up to 10/20 No Limit, plus 20/40 Omaha half-kill. Casino Ajax has no live table games and no poker room.
Casino Ajax has 500 slot machines and electronic table games. Pickering has 2,200+ slot machines and 50+ electronic table games, plus a 275-room hotel and The Arena, a 2,500-seat theatre. Casino Ajax has no hotel.
Pickering lists several restaurants, among them Copperhorn Meet House, Sun Sui Wah, Rock House Grill and Zio's in The District. Casino Ajax has one, the Getaway Restaurant, and it sits at Ajax Downs, which has 22 quarter-horse race days in 2026. The 2026 meet opened on May 6.
Both venues are run by Great Canadian Entertainment and use the Great Canadian Rewards card. Each is 19+, open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and parking is free. Holiday hours should be checked on the venue's own site.
Entry needs a valid, original government-issued photo ID and a secondary photo ID. The operator's code of conduct says: We ID under 30. Photos or photocopies of ID are not accepted.
As checked on October 7, 2026, Pickering Casino Resort has temporarily closed its Poker Room, Starbucks, the Casual and Copperhorn restaurants, the hotel pool and overflow lot. Slots and the hotel stay open 24/7, table games run reduced hours, and Casino Ajax's Getaway Restaurant opens 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM with a reduced menu. Check the venue's own page before going.
Pickering and Ajax casinos: what is closed now
Great Blue Heron Casino & Hotel is at 21777 Island Road, Port Perry, 41.3 km in a straight line from central Pickering. It is open 24/7 and has a 116-room hotel. The casino stands on the land of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation.
Beside Woodbine Racetrack in Etobicoke, Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto is at 1133 Queens Plate Dr, Toronto. From central Pickering, it is 43.5 km in a straight line. Doors are open 24/7, and the resort has a 400-room hotel.
Parking is free at both venues. Pickering Casino Resort has a multi-level parking garage and an outdoor lot, and Casino Ajax has an outdoor lot on site.
Without a car, the Casino Shuttle runs to Pickering Casino Resort seven days a week. It needs a reservation and is for guests 19+. It stops at Apple Markville Plaza on Bullock Drive and on Redlea Avenue by Milliken GO Station parking. The third pick-up is the YMCA entrance at Town Centre Court and Borough Drive, near Scarborough Town Centre.
888 Durham Live Avenue, Pickering, ON L1W 0C1
Open 24/7
Pickering Casino Resort guide: floor, hotel, pokerOfficial page50 Alexander's Crossing, Ajax, ON L1Z 2E6
Open 24/7
Casino Ajax at Ajax Downs: slots and racingOfficial pageOnline
Ontario's regulated online gambling market opened on April 4, 2022. iGaming Ontario conducts and manages it, and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) regulates it. The legal age is 19, as it is for casinos.
A public list of regulated sites is published by iGaming Ontario at igamingontario.ca. A site that is not on the list is not part of Ontario's regulated market. OLG.ca is the online site of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, the provincial agency.
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Online casino play in Ontario, explainedFor readers who would rather play at home, here is an online casino option.
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Play responsibly. Free, confidential help 24/7: ConnexOntario 1-866-531-2600, text CONNEX to 247247 or chat at connexontario.ca.
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Help
ConnexOntario offers free, confidential help 24/7: call 1-866-531-2600, text CONNEX to 247247, or chat at connexontario.ca.
OLG's My PlayBreak offers self-exclusion from Ontario casinos for 3 or 6 months or 1 to 5 years, via 1-800-387-0098, on-site staff or a PlaySmart Centre.
BetGuard at betguard.ca lets a person exclude themselves from all regulated Ontario gambling sites, including OLG.ca, for 6 months, 1 year, 5 years or a custom term.
Pickering Casino Resort has 90+ live table games and an 18-table poker room, normally open 24/7. As of October 7, 2026, the poker room is temporarily closed and tables run reduced hours. Casino Ajax has no live table games and no poker room.
Parking is free at both venues. Pickering Casino Resort has complimentary parking in a multi-level garage and an outdoor lot. Casino Ajax has a free outdoor lot on site.
Bring a valid, original government-issued photo ID and a secondary photo ID. The operator's code of conduct says: We ID under 30. Photos or photocopies of ID are not accepted.
This site is not a casino. It is an independent guide that takes no bets and has no accounts. It earns a commission from paid links, marked Ad, to an online casino partner, and the partner can change.
Ontario's regulated online gambling market opened on April 4, 2022, for players 19+. iGaming Ontario publishes the list of regulated sites at igamingontario.ca. A site that is not on the list is not part of Ontario's regulated market.