Edgewater Casino
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA Vancouver casino that operated from 2005 until its replacement by Parq Vancouver in 2017.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Edgewater Casino was a casino in Vancouver, British Columbia, located at 760 Pacific Boulevard in the city’s Plaza of Nations complex. It opened in February 2005 in Enterprise Hall and operated as a temporary gaming facility while Vancouver considered the longer-term development of a permanent downtown casino and entertainment destination. The property was established by investors Leonard Libin and Gary Jackson and began operations with approximately 600 slot machines and 75 table games. The casino’s temporary status shaped much of its business history. Although it provided a substantial gaming venue in central Vancouver, its physical location and scale were not intended to represent the final form of a major downtown resort. In 2006, after entering bankruptcy, Edgewater was acquired by Paragon Gaming, a Nevada-based casino operator that was also developing River Cree Resort and Casino in Alberta. Under Paragon, the casino became the subject of several relocation and expansion proposals. In 2010, Paragon proposed a new approximately $500 million casino beside BC Place. The proposed facility would have been about three times the size of Edgewater, with plans for roughly 1,500 slot machines and 150 table games. Although the relocation of the casino licence received approval, Vancouver City Council rejected the proposed expansion of gaming. This forced a redesign of the project and led Paragon and its investment partners to pursue a broader urban-resort model rather than simply enlarging the existing casino. In 2013, Paragon announced a revised development concept. The proposed resort would combine casino operations with two upscale hotels, restaurants, and event spaces. Unlike the earlier expansion plan, the casino component was intended to retain approximately the same number of slot machines and table games as Edgewater. The resulting $640 million development became Parq Vancouver, which opened on September 27, 2017, near BC Place and the former Edgewater site. Edgewater closed earlier on the same day that Parq Vancouver opened. Its employees were transferred to the new resort, providing continuity of employment and casino operations during the transition. The Edgewater name therefore ended as a standalone operating brand in 2017, while its licence, staff base, and business function were incorporated into the successor property. In addition to gaming, Edgewater was known for hosting public and cultural events. It hosted the Canada International Film Festival from 2009, including the 2014 edition, and served as the venue for the 2016 Karaoke World Championships. The casino also generated payments or revenue for the City of Vancouver during its final years, with reported annual amounts increasing from $6.6 million in 2013 to $8.6 million in 2016. Edgewater’s history is consequently tied both to Vancouver’s debate over casino expansion and to the redevelopment of the city’s entertainment district around BC Place.
History
Edgewater Casino opened in February 2005 at Enterprise Hall in Vancouver’s Plaza of Nations. It was conceived as a temporary casino while the city considered the future of a permanent downtown gaming and entertainment complex. The original investors were Leonard Libin and Gary Jackson. The casino opened with a gaming floor containing approximately 600 slot machines and 75 table games. The property encountered financial difficulties and was acquired by Paragon Gaming in 2006 after bankruptcy. Paragon was a Nevada-based casino company whose activities included the development of River Cree Resort and Casino near Edmonton. The acquisition placed Edgewater within a larger casino-development strategy and made the Vancouver property the basis for plans to relocate and expand gaming near BC Place. In 2010, Paragon proposed an approximately $500 million replacement casino. The planned facility would have been about three times the size of Edgewater, with around 1,500 slot machines and 150 table games. Although the relocation of the casino licence was approved, Vancouver City Council rejected the proposed expansion of gaming. The political and regulatory opposition required Paragon to revise the project rather than proceed with a straightforward enlargement of the casino. A new proposal was announced in 2013 with additional investors. The project was repositioned as an urban resort, combining a casino with two high-end hotels, restaurants, and event facilities. The casino itself was designed to maintain roughly the same number of slot machines and table games as Edgewater, addressing the earlier objections to a substantial increase in gaming capacity while broadening the overall development. The revised project became Parq Vancouver, a reported $640 million resort near BC Place. Parq opened on September 27, 2017. Edgewater closed earlier that day, ending twelve years of operation under its original name. Its employees moved to Parq Vancouver, and the new resort assumed the role of the larger downtown casino and hospitality destination. Edgewater also operated as an entertainment venue. It hosted the Canada International Film Festival from 2009, including the March 2014 festival, and hosted the 2016 Karaoke World Championships from November 1 to November 6. Reported city revenue or payments associated with the casino rose from $6.6 million in 2013 to $7.2 million in 2014, $8.3 million in 2015, and $8.6 million in 2016. These figures illustrate the casino’s local fiscal importance during its final operating period, although they do not represent company sales or profit.
- 2017
Replacement by Parq Vancouver
[1]Edgewater closed on September 27 as Parq Vancouver opened, with employees transferred to the successor resort.
- 2013
Urban-resort redesign
[1]The development was redesigned as an integrated urban resort with hotels, restaurants, event spaces, and a casino retaining approximately Edgewater’s gaming scale.
- 2010
Expansion proposal
[1]Paragon proposed a much larger casino beside BC Place, but Vancouver City Council rejected the planned expansion of gaming.
- 2006
Paragon Gaming acquisition
[1]Paragon Gaming acquired Edgewater after the casino entered bankruptcy.
- 2005
Casino opens in Vancouver
[1]Edgewater Casino opened in February at Enterprise Hall in the Plaza of Nations with approximately 600 slot machines and 75 table games.
Products and positioning
A centrally located Vancouver casino positioned as an interim gaming venue that eventually evolved into the predecessor of a larger integrated urban resort.
Casino gaming · 2005
Slot machines
Electronic gaming machines were a central part of Edgewater’s offering. The casino opened with approximately 600 slots, making machine gaming one of the principal uses of its temporary Vancouver gaming floor.
Casino gaming · 2005
Table games
Edgewater operated approximately 75 table games when it opened. The table-game operation formed the other major component of its casino floor and was intended to continue at broadly comparable scale in the later Parq Vancouver development.
Entertainment and venue services · 2009
Live events
Beyond gaming, Edgewater functioned as a live-event venue. Its documented events included the Canada International Film Festival and the 2016 Karaoke World Championships.
Marketing campaigns
- 2016Karaoke World Championships
Canada · International
Edgewater hosted the 2016 Karaoke World Championships from November 1 through November 6.
Outcome. The event demonstrated the venue’s role as an entertainment and event space in addition to its casino operations.
- 2009Canada International Film Festival hosting
Canada
Edgewater began hosting the annual Canada International Film Festival, linking the casino venue with Vancouver’s film and cultural-event calendar.
Outcome. The casino continued to host the festival during its operating period; the 2014 edition was held there on March 28 and 29.
Brand decisions
2017
Transfer operations to Parq VancouverGeneration changeBackground
The temporary Edgewater property was superseded by a new integrated casino and hospitality resort near BC Place.
Action taken
Edgewater closed on September 27, 2017, while Parq Vancouver opened; employees were transferred to the new resort.
Aftermath
The Edgewater brand ceased operating as a standalone casino, and Parq Vancouver became the successor property.
2013
Recast the project as an urban resortStrategyBackground
The original expansion plan faced opposition because it would substantially increase gaming capacity.
Action taken
Paragon and new investors redesigned the development to include two hotels, restaurants, event spaces, and a casino with approximately the same number of tables and slot machines as Edgewater.
Aftermath
The revised concept became Parq Vancouver, which opened in 2017 and replaced Edgewater.
Revised development cost. $500 million proposed → $640 million proposed (2013-2017)
2010
Propose relocation and expansion beside BC PlaceStrategyBackground
Edgewater was intended as a temporary casino, and Paragon sought to establish a substantially larger permanent facility in downtown Vancouver.
Action taken
Paragon proposed an approximately $500 million casino with about 1,500 slot machines and 150 table games, roughly triple the existing casino’s scale.
Aftermath
Although the licence relocation was approved, Vancouver City Council opposed the expansion of gaming, leading to a later redesign of the project.
Proposed development cost. $500 million proposed (2010)
Sources1 sources
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