Casino Expansion in the Cards for Niagara Falls
Posted on: December 15, 2025, 05:25h.
Last updated on: December 15, 2025, 08:09h.
- Plan calls for adding land-based casinos to Niagara Falls
- Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment has exclusive rights to operate the two casinos in Niagara Falls until 2040
- Target is to double the region’s tourism impact
Ontario Premier Doug Ford today unveiled the government’s Destination Niagara Strategy aimed at attracting 25 million annual visitors to the world-renowned tourism destination, doubling the region’s tourism impact, generating an additional $3 billion for Ontario’s GDP every year, and opening new casinos is a big part of the plan.
“Niagara is home to the world-famous Niagara Falls, one of the most iconic tourism destinations on earth, along with a host of world-class restaurants, wineries, hotels, cultural events and so much more,” said Premier Doug Ford.
Our Destination Niagara Strategy will unlock the region’s full potential, supporting workers and creating new opportunities for tourists and families from Ontario and around the world to come and experience the best that the region has to offer.”
Airport Expansion
As we wrote here in November, Niagara District Airport announced its 2025-2045 master plan, focusing on changing the airport from a general aviation hub to a modern regional gateway, bringing in commercial aviation flights from across Canada and the U.S., connected to Premier Ford’s plan for the region first announced over a year ago.
The strategy announced by the Premier today with Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati at his side will target investments and developments across five key pillars. Tourism attractions, such as theme parks, will be a focus, along with promoting broader culinary tourism around the world-renowned wine industry.
Expanding the Number of Land-Based Casinos
The government wants to invest more in the region’s rich arts and culture scene, led by institutions like the Shaw Festival, and expand transportation (expanding the QEW highway in Niagara, twinning the Garden City Skyway, and “leveraging the Niagara District Airport by issuing a request for proposals to improve air access and better connect the Niagara Region to the Greater Golden Horseshoe and the world”.
Finally, the government wants to explore options to potentially expand the market to “multiple world-class casinos”, which would in turn attract new hotels, entertainment and top-tier dining options.
New Tourism Attractions
Right now, Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment has exclusive rights to operate the two casinos in Niagara Falls until 2040, but the provincial government wants to modify that deal and allow other companies to come in. The original deal with Mohegan was struck in 2018. That agreement obviously would have to change.
As we previously reported, Penn Entertainment President and CEO Jay Snowden was asked during a conference call reporting Q3 2025 financial results in November about the company’s interest in pursuing land-based casino opportunities in Canada, specifically to complement its iGaming digital properties in the country.
Mohegan’s Exclusive Deal
At this point, theScore BET is licensed in Ontario, with the company looking to expand to Alberta when that Ontario-style regulated market goes live, likely in 2026. People in Toronto will remember MGM Resorts International taking an aggressive run at building a casino downtown in 2013
That’s something that’s been on our radar before. There’s not a lot of options there. There are two larger operators in Canada from a retail perspective,” Snowden said.
The provincial government is using terms like “transformative investment” to boost the region as a four-season tourism destination.
$3 Billion Tourism Industry
We are protecting Niagara’s globally recognized tourism sector and unlocking the region’s enormous potential as an economic engine of the province,” said Stan Cho, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming. “Through this strategy, our government is investing in Niagara’s broader prosperity, which will strengthen the communities, workers and industries that keep our province moving.”
The government is also working on a potential new Niagara River Line attraction, which would be a fully accessible, all-season automated electric tram running 3.8 kilometres through Queen Victoria Park. Its suspended capsules would give visitors aerial views of Niagara Falls while connecting them to major attractions across the area.
Niagara Falls’ $3 billion tourism industry currently attracts 13 million visitors per year.
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