Getaway profile · rated 3.98 · 19+ to play
A getaway at Casino Rama Resort
Revised — hotel facts re-read
Head north up Highway 400 for a show at the Entertainment Centre, which seats more than 5,000, and sleep at a resort mid-transformation. On Rama First Nation land outside Orillia, Casino Rama has been renovating its rooms since 2025, opened a new spa on the ground floor and added three restaurants, the headliner being Gateway's Atlas Steak and Fish.
No. 7 of 12 getaways we rate
See prices & reserve ↗Find it on Google Maps ↗Route there
No partner here: the reservation button takes you to the hotel's booking page and earns us nothing.
You'll love it if…A concert getaway up from the GTA, or a cottage-country weekend with a night at the tables.
Look elsewhere if…You'd rather not drive; Orillia is about two hours north of Toronto and we found no transit option.
The essentials
The short version
Casino Rama opened in July 1996 on the land of Rama First Nation, a short drive from Orillia. In November 2024 Gateway Casinos, which runs it, announced, with OLG and Rama First Nation as partners, a sweeping refurbishment — upgraded rooms, a bigger spa and gym, new restaurants and a fresh look for the gaming floor. By May 2025 the ground-floor spa was open and the work on the rooms had begun, starting on the second floor.
Which room to book
There are 289 rooms. Rama hasn't put out full specs for the redone ones, so the useful question at booking is simple: which floors are finished? The answer decides whether you sleep in a renovated room or an old one.
Downtime
Downstairs, the new spa has saunas and steam rooms; upstairs on level three, the pool is where it always was. An enlarged gym is also on the list.
Showtime
Over 5,000 seats make the Entertainment Centre one of the biggest casino venues in Canada. The late-2026 line-up included Colin James, Jesse Cook, the Celtic Tenors and the Righteous Brothers, and recent announcements priced tickets between roughly $25 and $89.
At the tables
The operator doesn't publish its own counts. Wikipedia describes a 192,000 sq ft floor with roughly 1,800 slots and 50 table games, so treat those numbers as estimates. In May 2025 CTV reported a new look on the floor and upgraded slot machines. The minimum age in Ontario is 19.
Eating in
Three openings in little over a year changed how Rama eats. First, in fall 2024, came Chow Lucky Noodle Bar, with bowls, soups and food from the wok. In May 2025 MATCH Eatery and Public House took a spot by the main rotunda. Then in November 2025 Gateway brought its top steak-and-seafood brand to Ontario for the first time: Atlas Steak and Fish — its full name adds “at St. Germain's”, in memory of George St. Germain, who was chief of Rama First Nation. A Tim Hortons completes the line-up.
Getting in, and getting out
Allow two hours from Toronto via Highway 400. Away from the tables, there's Hardwood Ski and Bike (skis in winter, bikes in summer), the Leacock Museum, a National Historic Site, and a beach with gardens at Couchiching Beach Park.
The getaway verdict
Ontario's best lake-plus-concert weekend. Book once the renovation has reached your floor, reserve Atlas for dinner, and get tickets for whoever's headlining — the show is why most guests drive up.
The rating, part by part
- Room & suite (30%)3.75 / 5
- Things to do (25%)4.50 / 5
- Dining (20%)4.25 / 5
- Getting there (15%)3.00 / 5
- The casino (10%)4.25 / 5
- Getaway rating3.98 / 5
Good to know
- Stage: Entertainment Centre, room for over 5,000
- Getting there: about two hours up Highway 400 from Toronto
- Rooms: 289, being upgraded since 2025
- What's new: Atlas Steak and Fish, MATCH, Chow, and a spa downstairs
- Gaming (Wikipedia figures): around 1,800 slots and 50 tables
- Who runs it: Gateway Casinos, working with OLG and Rama First Nation
- Casino age: 19
5899 Rama Rd in Rama (Orillia) — front desk (705) 329-3325 · Find it on Google Maps ↗
Your route there
Planning the weekend at Casino Rama Resort? Here is how we would get there from the usual starting points. Hit a button for live directions; travel times we mention come from the source shown underneath.
Road trip — Union Station, Toronto
A classic cottage-country drive: Highway 400 north from Toronto, roughly two hours, to Orillia, per Destination Ontario.Info: Destination Ontario
Road trip — Toronto Pearson Airport, YYZ
Fly-in visitors pick up a car at Pearson; nobody publishes the time, so check it live.
Questions before you go
Is Casino Rama still under renovation?
In part. The plan Gateway announced in November 2024 takes in rooms, the gaming floor, new restaurants, and a new spa and gym; pieces opened in 2024 and 2025, and room work continues.
Toronto to Casino Rama — how long by car?
Allow roughly two hours, heading north on Highway 400 to Orillia.
How big is the Casino Rama Entertainment Centre?
It seats more than 5,000.
Where we read it
Gateway's newsroom (who owns it & what's new); the World Casino Directory (phone line & official pages); Destination Ontario (the trip downtown & days out nearby); Destination Ontario (children); the English Wikipedia (street address & the casino); CTV (what's new & refurbishments); CTV (the name & what's new); CDC Gaming (what's new & where to eat); Songkick listings (the name & who's playing); a Trip.com listing (arrival and departure times & what guests rate it).
We re-read these sources on 23 October 2026. Prices, opening hours and fees move — please confirm with the hotel before you go, and if something here has changed, tell us at [email protected]. Next: the Ontario region or the 2026 getaway ratings.