Las Vegas casino owner Derek Stevens scouts Niagara as Ontario opens the door
The owner of Circa, the D and Golden Gate toured Niagara this summer, months before Ontario moved to invite new casino operators to the region.
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Las Vegas casino owner Derek Stevens took a look around the Niagara region this summer, as Ontario prepares to search for new casino operators there.
Stevens, whose downtown Las Vegas properties include Circa, the D and the Golden Gate, travelled to Canada this summer on a goodwill mission with Las Vegas tourism officials. According to CDC Gaming Reports, the trip also included a scouting visit of sorts to the Niagara region of Ontario.
"I wanted to get a little lay of the land," Stevens said in an interview published in early October. He has not announced any plans for the region.
A Canadian connection
Stevens is from Detroit and has said he feels a connection to Canada. In January, Circa, the D and the Golden Gate began accepting Canadian dollars at par, in a promotion set to run until the end of August. At the time, the exchange rate was about $1.38 Canadian to one U.S. dollar. Visitors had to make a purchase or place a bet to get the even exchange.
Canada is the largest international market for Las Vegas tourism, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, as cited by CDC Gaming Reports. Canadian business to Las Vegas fell 20 per cent in 2025, and flights from Canada dropped 30 per cent.
Ontario's Niagara plans
In August, Ontario announced that the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. (OLG) had reached an agreement with MGE Niagara Entertainment Inc. to allow more casino operators into the Niagara area. MGE gave up its exclusivity rights but will keep running Fallsview Casino Resort and Casino Niagara.
OLG plans to launch a procurement process later this year to identify possible new operators, according to The Canadian Press.
The move followed Premier Doug Ford's Destination Niagara Strategy, announced last December. Ford has said he hopes the plan will double the number of visitors to the region. It includes multiple new casinos, a theme park and an expanded airport.