Great Blue Heron Casino & Hotel stands on Scugog Island near Port Perry, 41.3 km in a straight line from central Pickering. As of October 2, 2026, the casino and hotel were open 24/7 and operating as usual.
Hours at a glance
- Gaming floorOpen 24/7Open
- HotelOpen 24/7Open
- The BuffetFri to Sat: 3:30 PM to 10 PM.Sun: 3:30 PM to 9 PM
Checked October 7, 2026Official page
The tables, seen from Pickering
The gaming floor at Great Blue Heron carries 20 live table games. Blackjack, roulette and squeeze baccarat are part of the mix. Great Canadian Entertainment operates the property, which sits on the land of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation.
For a reader in Pickering, the differences are easy to set side by side. Casino Ajax offers slot machines and electronic table games but has no live tables and no hotel, so Great Blue Heron has two things Ajax lacks. Pickering Casino Resort, in turn, has 90+ live table games, 2,200+ slot machines, a poker room and a 275-room hotel.
Hours differ between the venues as well. As of October 7, 2026, the Pickering poker room is temporarily closed. Table games there keep reduced hours. The Port Perry floor was running as usual on October 2, 2026.
Rooms, stage and food
The hotel offers 116 rooms and is 100% smoke-free. For guests who need them, there are King Accessible rooms and King Suites fitted with roll-in showers. The Nest, a room for live shows and special events, holds nearly 800 people. It opened on January 18, 2024.
Water's Edge Restaurant and Quickbites serve guests of every age. The Buffet keeps weekend hours only: Friday and Saturday from 3:30 PM to 10:00 PM, and Sunday from 3:30 PM to 9:00 PM. Holiday hours should be checked on the venue's own site.
Getting there from Pickering
The casino is 41.3 km in a straight line from central Pickering, at 21777 Island Road, Port Perry, ON L9L 1B6. No scheduled bus stop serves the area near the property, so the trip means a car, a taxi or a lift from someone.
Parking on site is free. As of October 2, 2026, every property entrance was open. The phone number for the property is 905-985-4888.
FAQ
Is Great Blue Heron affected by the strike at Pickering and Ajax?
As of October 2, 2026, the hotel and casino on Scugog Island were open 24/7, operating as usual, with all property entrances open.
Can someone without a car get there by bus?
There is no scheduled bus stop near the casino. Visitors from Pickering without a car will need a taxi or a ride from someone else.
Are the restaurants open to all ages?
Water's Edge Restaurant and Quickbites both welcome guests of any age. The casino floor follows Ontario's legal casino age of 19, so younger family members can eat on the property but cannot enter the gaming area.