Rama (Orillia), Ontario · entry age 19+
Casino Rama Resort: our review
Last updated · facts verified
Headliners at a 5,000-plus-seat Entertainment Centre are still what pull crowds up the 400 to Casino Rama, on Rama First Nation land outside Orillia. What's changed is everything around the stage: rooms under renovation since 2025, a spa newly built at ground level, and three restaurant openings — Gateway's Atlas Steak and Fish the most notable.
Ideal for: Headliner trips from the GTA, or a lake weekend with a casino attached.
Think twice if: You're relying on transit — Orillia is about two hours' drive north of Toronto.
The pitch
Casino Rama has stood on Rama First Nation land outside Orillia since July 1996 and is now being rebuilt from the inside. The plan, announced in November 2024 by operator Gateway Casinos together with OLG and Rama First Nation, touches nearly everything: rooms, a bigger spa and gym, the casino floor, the restaurants. By May 2025 renovation crews were working their way up from the second floor, and the new spa downstairs was already taking guests.
Sleeping
289 rooms. No detailed specs for the renovated rooms have been published, so the useful question when booking is simple: which floors are done? The answer decides whether you get a dated room or a new one.
Unwinding
The ground-floor spa brings saunas and steam rooms; the pool stays where it was, on level three. A larger fitness centre is part of the same project.
The Entertainment Centre
Over 5,000 seats makes this one of Canada's biggest casino stages. The late-2026 line-up announced so far includes Jesse Cook, the Righteous Brothers, Colin James and the Celtic Tenors, at ticket prices of roughly $25–$89 in those announcements.
Playing
The operator doesn't publish counts; Wikipedia gives 192,000 sq ft, about 1,800 slots and 50 tables, which we'd treat as ballpark. CTV reported a new look and upgraded machines on the floor in May 2025. Ontario's gaming age is 19.
Eating
Three openings in about a year changed the food here. First came Chow Lucky Noodle Bar in fall 2024 — wok dishes, soups, bowls. MATCH Eatery and Public House followed in May 2025, set just past the main rotunda. Then, in November 2025, the big one: Atlas Steak and Fish at St. Germain's, the first Ontario location of Gateway's flagship steak-and-seafood brand, carrying the name of George St. Germain, the late chief of Rama First Nation. A Tim Hortons covers coffee.
Around Rama
From Toronto, it's roughly two hours up Highway 400 to Orillia. Nearby: Couchiching Beach Park (sand, gardens), the Leacock Museum National Historic Site and, depending on the season, skiing or biking at Hardwood Ski and Bike.
Our take
The concert-plus-lake weekend in Ontario. Hold off until your floor has been renovated, reserve at Atlas, and buy headliner tickets — that's the trip most people are making.
Before you book: common questions
Is Casino Rama being refurbished?
Yes. Since the November 2024 announcement, work has touched rooms, the casino floor, a new spa and gym, and the restaurants; pieces opened during 2024 and 2025.
How far is Casino Rama from Toronto?
About two hours by car, north on Highway 400 to Orillia.
How big is Casino Rama's concert venue?
The Entertainment Centre has more than 5,000 seats.
Where our facts come from
- gatewaycasinos.com
- worldcasinodirectory.com
- destinationontario.com
- destinationontario.com
- ctvnews.ca
- en.wikipedia.org
- ctvnews.ca
- yogonet.com
- cdcgaming.com
- songkick.com
Last fact check: October 23, 2026, link by link through the list above. Hotels move prices, fees and hours without warning — ring or email the property before you commit. Out-of-date detail? Send it our way. Keep planning with Casino Hotels in Ontario or the full ranking.