Richmond, British Columbia · entry age 19+
River Rock Casino Resort: our review
Last updated · facts verified
For car-free travellers, River Rock wins outright: step onto the Canada Line next door and YVR is seven minutes off, downtown Vancouver eighteen. Then there's the stay itself — 396 rooms including some very large suites, Gordon Ramsay Steak (his first in Canada), a pool with a water slide and a marina on the Fraser.
Ideal for: YVR flyers, food-focused weekends and anyone happy to go car-free.
Think twice if: A stadium-scale headliner is the plan — the theatre holds 965.
The pitch
Richmond, on the Fraser River, since 2004. River Rock marked twenty years with upgrades, the most talked-about being Gordon Ramsay Steak — Ramsay's debut fine-dining restaurant in Canada. In June 2026 the resort changed hands: Great Canadian Entertainment closed its sale to a First Nations-led partnership. None of that matters as much to guests as this: the Canada Line's Bridgeport station is next door.
Sleeping
Two towers, one sky bridge, 396 rooms. Standard rooms live in the Hotel Tower — King, Two Queen or accessible King, each 325 square feet. Cross to the Casino Tower for suites, which escalate quickly: one- or two-bedroom at 525 to 650 square feet, Executive suites with a sunken lounge, Penthouses of 1,000 to 1,200 square feet with the Fraser spread out below, and finally the Presidential — 2,800 square feet, fireplaces, and a starlight ceiling above the bed. Every room has blackout curtains, a safe, a coffee maker and a mini fridge. Nobody under 19 can check in.
Eating and drinking: the main event
Food is why River Rock ranks where it does. Gordon Ramsay Steak dry-ages for 28 days and has added indoor-outdoor seating looking onto the marina. Sea Harbour covers Chinese seafood and dim sum (dim sum 10 am–3 pm). KOI, from the Kuns Omakase team, took over Miku's former room in 2026 for sushi. Late and casual: Chopsticks Noodlehouse until 3 am, burgers at Rock House. The Chairman's Room hosts the Grand Weekend Dinner Buffet (Fri–Sun, 4–9 pm; $85 adult, $80 senior, $35 child) and Sunday brunch, 9 am–3 pm. Privé Bar: 11 am–2 am daily.
Unwinding
The pool, with its water slide, runs 6 am–10 pm every day. Absolute Spa sits on level 2 — six treatment rooms, 10 am to 6 pm. Also on site: a fitness centre and a river marina.
Playing and shows
A 24-hour, 19+ casino with a poker room and a racebook. Slot and table counts aren't published on River Rock's website, so you won't find them here either. Encore Rewards, used across B.C.'s casinos, is the loyalty card. The Show Theatre seats 965: comedy and tribute acts, yes; arena tours, no.
Fees and pets
Budget $19.99 a day per room for the resort fee; it includes West Lot parking, about five minutes' walk from the entrance. Pets cost $35 each a night, with no more than three nights billed, and come with a bed and bowls supplied.
Our take
Flying via Vancouver? This is the smartest casino hotel you can book, and you'd come for dinner alone. If the night is about a big stage show, though, look further east.
Before you book: common questions
What's the easiest way from YVR to River Rock?
The Canada Line to Bridgeport station — about seven minutes from the airport, per the resort.
Does River Rock still have a buffet?
It does: The Chairman's Room runs the Grand Weekend Dinner Buffet Friday through Sunday, 4–9 pm, plus a Sunday brunch.
What does River Rock charge for pets?
$35 per pet per night, billed for three nights at most.
Where our facts come from
- riverrock.com
- riverrock.com
- riverrock.com
- riverrock.com
- riverrock.com
- riverrock.com
- casinosbc.com
- supernaturalbc.com
- intergameonline.com
- en.wikipedia.org
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 British Columbia or the full ranking.