An honest guide to the casinos of Atlantic Canada and the hotels beside them — a marquee resort in Moncton, a Marriott on the Halifax harbourfront, a Cape Breton waterfront room and PEI's racetrack casinos. We stay, we play and we rank them.
Atlantic Canada keeps its casinos small and close to the water. From the region's marquee resort in Moncton to a Marriott on the Halifax boardwalk, a waterfront room in Cape Breton and a pair of racetrack casinos on Prince Edward Island, each pairs a real gaming floor with a genuine sense of place — and, in two cases, a hotel of its own.
This guide reviews the casinos of Atlantic Canada and the hotels beside them, and ranks them out of ten. For each we weigh the same four things: the casino floor, the rooms or where to stay, the dining and extras, and the location. The scores are our own — we take no payment for a place in the ranking.
Every casino here is a real, licensed, land-based venue, adults-only at the gaming floor and a place to relax first and play second. Figures are approximate and change, so confirm the details with the venue before you travel.
Every venue below is a real, licensed casino, from Moncton to Cape Breton and PEI. Here is how they stack up.
Atlantic Canada's marquee casino-hotel: a resort in Moncton pairing the region's biggest gaming floor with a comfortable hotel, a spa and an entertainment centre. The east coast's go-to stay-and-play.
A waterfront casino attached to the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront, right on the boardwalk in the heart of the city. Harbour-city gaming with a full four-star hotel a covered step away.
A waterfront casino on the Sydney boardwalk in Cape Breton, with harbour views and a relaxed island feel. No hotel of its own — but downtown Sydney's rooms are minutes away.
A harness-racing track and casino at Charlottetown's historic Driving Park, pairing live standardbred racing with a gaming floor. No hotel on site — but the PEI capital's rooms are close by.
A waterfront racetrack casino in Summerside, PEI's second city, pairing harness racing with a gaming floor by the harbour. No hotel of its own — but the town's rooms are close at hand.
The casino, the rooms and our score for every venue in the guide.
| # | Hotel | City | Casino | Rooms | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Casino New Brunswick | Moncton, NB | The Maritimes' marquee floor | Around 125 rooms | 9.2 |
| 2 | Casino Nova Scotia Halifax | Halifax, NS | Halifax harbourfront floor | Around 350, Marriott | 9.0 |
| 3 | Casino Nova Scotia Sydney | Sydney, NS | Cape Breton waterfront casino | Nearby town hotels | 8.5 |
| 4 | Red Shores Racetrack & Casino | Charlottetown, PE | Racetrack casino | Nearby city hotels | 8.4 |
| 5 | Red Shores Summerside | Summerside, PE | Waterfront racetrack casino | Nearby town hotels | 8.2 |
We stay, we play and we score against the same four measures every time. Read the full method on our Auroraandante page.
How big and how good the gaming is — the table games, the electronic gaming, the slots and any racing — and how it feels to spend an evening there.
The quality, comfort and value of the hotel on site, or the strength of the rooms nearby when there is none.
The restaurants, bars, racing, boardwalks and scenery that turn a night at the tables into a proper getaway.
Where it sits, how easy it is to reach, what else is nearby, and whether the package is worth the money.
Where the region's casinos sit — New Brunswick, the Halifax harbourfront, Cape Breton and Prince Edward Island.
Casino New Brunswick in Moncton is the region's marquee stay-and-play, with the biggest floor in Atlantic Canada and a resort hotel attached.
Casino Nova Scotia sits on the Halifax boardwalk, attached to the Marriott Harbourfront in the heart of the city.
Casino Nova Scotia's Sydney room is the island's only casino, on the waterfront and close to the Cabot Trail.
Red Shores runs racetrack casinos in Charlottetown and Summerside, pairing harness racing with gaming.
Casino New Brunswick and the Halifax Marriott have rooms on site; for Sydney and the two Red Shores tracks, stay nearby.
New to the region's casinos? Begin at the top of the ranking, or pick the province you can reach most easily.
Casino New Brunswick in Moncton runs the largest gaming floor in Atlantic Canada, and is the only one in the region with a full resort hotel of its own attached.
Two do: Casino New Brunswick has its own resort hotel, and Casino Nova Scotia in Halifax is attached to the Marriott Harbourfront. For Sydney and the two PEI Red Shores tracks, we point you to hotels nearby.
The venues in this guide operate a strict 21+ door policy. Bring valid photo ID, checked at the casino entrance.
No. This is a guide to real, land-based casinos you can visit in person. It is not an online casino, and no real-money play takes place on this site.
Each venue is scored out of ten against four measures — the casino floor, the rooms or where to stay, dining and extras, and location and value. Scores are our editorial opinion; we take no payment for the ranking.
A casino visit should be entertainment first. We only recommend playing within your means — and every venue here is treated as strictly 21+ with ID at the door.
Decide your budget and time before you play, and treat the casino as one part of the trip.
Confidential provincial helplines and ResponsibleGambling.org are there whenever you need them.
Every casino in this guide is for adults only, with photo ID checked at entry.
Start at the top of the ranking, or pick the province you can reach most easily and build a trip around it. Every review is an honest, independent take — stay, play and enjoy responsibly.