Casino Hotels

The setting comes first. The property stands on Île Notre-Dame in the St Lawrence River, inside pavilions that were built for Expo 67, with the city skyline across the water.

Architecture is the strongest card. The angular former French pavilion, with its glass and aluminium frame, still dominates the island, and the complex is lit up after dark.

Several restaurants and bars sit inside the building, and the gaming floor is one part of a bigger visit. Parc Jean-Drapeau, with its cycling paths and riverside lawns, surrounds the site.

Few hotels have a view this famous. The resort sits on the high ground above the Niagara River, and rooms on the upper floors of its tower look towards the falls.

It is built at resort scale. A hotel tower, a spa, a shopping arcade and many restaurants share the complex, and a large theatre brings in touring concerts and comedy.

The gaming floor is large, though plenty of guests come for the falls and the stage shows. Clifton Hill and the river walk are a short trip downhill.

Location is the selling point. River Rock stands beside the Fraser River in Richmond, minutes from Vancouver International Airport and linked to downtown Vancouver by the Canada Line.

The hotel side includes a tower of rooms and suites, many with river or mountain views. There is a show theatre, a pool, a range of restaurants and a marina on the river.

Its gaming floor is among the larger ones in western Canada. Even so, the resort works well as a practical airport-side stay for those not planning to play.

Lake country surrounds this one. Casino Rama Resort sits near the shore of Lake Couchiching, outside Orillia, and it stands on Rama First Nation land.

There is a hotel tower with rooms and suites, a spa, several restaurants and a sizeable entertainment centre that hosts headline concerts throughout the year.

The gaming floor runs alongside all of that. Many guests turn it into a weekend away, mixing a show with the lakes and cottage roads of the region.