Getting Started at Pickering Casino Resort
Pickering Casino Resort sits at 888 Durham Live Avenue in Pickering, Ontario, operated under the Great Canadian Entertainment banner. The casino floor started welcoming players on July 26, 2021 as part of the growing Durham Live entertainment district. Through 2022 the property added hotel rooms and other facilities. By now it functions as one of the bigger land-based gaming hubs in the eastern Greater Toronto Area, close to Highway 401 and reachable from both Pickering and Ajax without much detour.
Registration here is not a single form or one counter. It actually breaks into three separate tracks, depending on what you are planning to do: enter poker tournaments, reserve a hotel room, or sign up for the Great Canadian Rewards loyalty program. Each track has its own steps and its own main contact points. Picking the correct path before you start generally avoids back-and-forth emails or unnecessary calls.
Every official registration route funnels through Great Canadian Entertainment and its main site at greatcanadian.com. Other websites that echo or slightly alter the resort name are not connected to the operator. Keeping that in mind matters before entering card numbers or personal payment details anywhere online.
Before Anything Else - Eligibility
In Ontario, the legal minimum age for casino entry and for poker tournament participation is fixed at 19 years. Anyone registering for anything related to the casino needs a valid piece of government-issued photo ID. Guests arriving from outside Ontario, and guests who appear to be under 30, can be asked to show an additional, second piece of government-issued photo ID. This does not change depending on whether you are here for poker, the hotel, or the rewards account.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Minimum age | 19 years |
| Primary ID | Valid government-issued photo ID |
| Secondary ID | Required for out-of-province guests and guests appearing under 30 |
| Currency | CAD |
| Resort fee (hotel) | $9.99 + tax per night |
One practical note that fits any trip, not just Pickering Casino Resort registration: if you are traveling specifically for a tournament or a prepaid reservation, take a moment the day before to confirm all key details by phone. Tournament times can shift, room pricing and fees may change, and that quick call is usually faster than dealing with surprises at check-in.
Poker Tournament Registration
The dedicated poker room is located on the third floor of the resort. It operates around the clock, 24 hours a day and seven days a week, with 18 tables covering both cash-game action and structured tournament play. Current weekly tournament lineups appear in the promotions section attached to the official Great Canadian website.
To get your name onto the list for a specific poker tournament, players are directed through a simple sequence:
- Go to greatcanadian.com/destinations/ontario/pickering/poker/ and look over the posted schedule.
- Pick out the tournament date and structure that fits the day you plan to visit.
- Call the poker room directly at 289-539-0552 ext. 8762 to speak with staff.
- During that call, confirm the exact registration rules for that event, including whether you need to pay the buy-in immediately or only on arrival.
- Provide your full legal name over the phone and confirm you meet the age requirement.
- Ask for your registration confirmation and write down the time you need to check in before cards are in the air.
- On the day, bring valid government-issued photo ID, and a secondary ID if the earlier criteria apply to you.
- Head up to the poker room on the third floor at the agreed time and finalize your on-site registration.
Entry fees for tournaments are not kept as a fixed public list on the poker page. They shift, so a quick call ahead is realistically the only dependable way to find out what a specific event will cost that day. It is safer not to assume or rely on older information.
Poker Room Contact Details
| Contact Method | Details |
|---|---|
| Poker room phone | 289-539-0552 ext. 8762 |
| General resort line | 289-539-0552 |
| Toll-free line | 833-629-0552 |
| Poker page | greatcanadian.com/destinations/ontario/pickering/poker/ |
| Hours | 24/7 |
Hotel Reservation Registration
Booking a room at the Hotel at Pickering Casino Resort runs as its own process, completely separate from tournament sign-ups or slot and table registration. A nightly resort fee of $9.99 plus applicable tax is added to every stay, on top of the advertised room rate you see online.
To put a hotel reservation in place:
- Open greatcanadian.com/hotels/pickering/ on your computer or phone.
- Use the date picker to set your check-in and check-out days.
- Choose a room type that matches the number of guests and any basic preferences.
- Enter your full legal name, your contact details, and a valid CAD-based payment method.
- Check the full price summary, including the $9.99 + tax resort fee per night, before you press confirm.
- Submit the reservation and keep a copy of the confirmation number sent to your email or phone.
- When you arrive on site, present that confirmation and a valid government-issued photo ID at the hotel front desk.
Some guests prefer to reserve by phone. For that, the resort can be reached at 289-539-0552, or toll-free at 833-629-0552. The hotel web page handles date changes and most other booking management tasks digitally, which usually ends up as the faster route, especially for simple one or two night stays.
