thumb|The former France Pavilion, now part of the Montreal Casino

The Montreal Casino (French: Casino de Montréal) located in Montreal, Quebec, is the largest casino in Canada. Situated on Notre Dame Island, in Jean-Drapeau Park, it consists of two former Expo 67 pavilion buildings. The casino is open to the public seven days a week, operating morning until late night. It opened on October 9, 1993.

The casino is owned and operated by the Société des casinos du Québec (a subsidiary of Loto-Québec), which owns three other casinos in the province. All profits go to the provincial Government of Quebec. As of 2019, it employed 2,800 people. The Montreal Casino was the first of the two casinos to be founded for the project and cost $95million to build. It also made use of the formerly vacant France pavilion, which was annexed via a constructed bridge way when both buildings were renovated to become the casino. During its opening year, it employed 700 people. In 1993, the Casino went through its first major expansion. In 1997, it extended its business hours to 24-hour operation. In July 2003, the Casino became a non-smoking establishment; closure of its smoking lounges followed in May 2006 with the passing of a new provincial law.

In 2013, the Casino saw a second major renovation A new installation featured a digital wall whose size stretched out over three floors.

In 2020, following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Casino terminated 24-hour operation for the first time since the implementation of around-the-clock operation in 1997, and began closing at 3:00a.m. (5:00a.m. on weekends).

In 2021, the casino's fine dining establishment L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon permanently closed.

Features and events

The casino consists of three interconnected buildings. Two of these, the France Pavilion and the Québec Pavilion, were built for Expo 67. The third is an annex built by the casino to the south and east of the main building. An enclosed bridge joins the annex to the former Quebec Pavilion. The main building has six floors, in addition to the annex and the secondary building (with four floors). The casino boasts a gaming floor of over . Within the three structures there are over 3,000 slot machines, over 80 gaming tables and large number of speed lotteries and virtual games. The casino also contains three restaurants,

five bars, Most events are free for visitors while others charge a fee for tickets. The casino invites DJs and musicians to the venue and features a giant screen showing the New Year's Eve countdown.

See also

  • Expo 67
  • Québec Pavilion
  • List of casinos in Canada
  • Montreal
  • Parc Jean-Drapeau
  • Polytope de Montréal

References

  • Montreal Casino Review