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History · 1994 to 2026
History and stories: thirty years at Rama
A resort that turned 30 in 2026, on land that its First Nation describes as a gathering place for much longer. Every dated item comes from the resort, Parks Canada or a cited news source; where we only had secondary sources, we say so.
Before the casino
The resort's page about its host community describes the Chippewas of Rama First Nation as about 90 minutes north of Toronto, on the eastern side of Lake Couchiching, with almost 2,500 acres of land. It says Rama has been known throughout history as "the gathering place", where travellers came to trade, seek counsel or medicines and attend great meetings, and that the Seven Grandfather teachings sit at the centre of community culture. The community's Ojibwe name, Mnjikaning, refers to the fish weirs at the Atherley Narrows and is usually translated as "at the fence".
Timeline
| Year | What happened | Source type |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Rama chosen as the site of a First Nation casino after a site selection process | Resort |
| 1996 | Casino Rama opens on 31 July | Secondary |
| 2007 | Arrests over a baccarat cheating scheme reported at $2 million, involving several employees | Secondary (Toronto Star via Wikipedia) |
| 2011 | Hosts an MMA event promoted as Ontario's first sanctioned card (the claim was disputed); a Bellator event follows in July | Secondary |
| 2013 | Multimillion-dollar renovation | Secondary |
| 2016 | November cyberattack exposes guest and staff data | Secondary |
| 2018 | Gateway Casinos takes over operations | Secondary (trade press) |
| 2020–2021 | Closed 16 March 2020 for the pandemic; reopened 29 July 2021 | Secondary |
| 2024–2026 | Refresh of suites, spa, fitness centre, gaming floor and restaurants with OLG and Rama First Nation | Operator and press |
| 2026 | 30 years; the resort says it has more than 1,000 employees | Resort |
Who owns and runs it
Wikipedia describes the casino as jointly owned by the Chippewas of Rama First Nation and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, with Gateway Casinos & Entertainment contracted to operate it. The resort's own pages carry Gateway's name in the copyright line. A 2026 trade article marking the anniversary reported about 1,100 staff, 146 of whom had worked there since opening day.
Story one: the fences under the water
A short drive from the resort, at the Atherley Narrows between Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching, lines of wooden stakes stand in the water. They are the remains of fish fences built and maintained for thousands of years to harvest fish as they moved between the lakes. Parks Canada protects the site as the Mnjikaning Fish Weirs National Historic Site, and the resort recommends it to guests. The lobby breakfast room is called The Weirs. The site is open all year.
Story two: the hall
The Entertainment Centre has drawn a remarkable roll of performers for a building two hours from a big city. Over three decades they have included Tony Bennett, Dolly Parton, Diana Ross, Jerry Seinfeld and David Copperfield, and Celtic Thunder filmed two concert specials there. The hall also hosted the "Rumble at Rama" boxing cards. It is a 5,000-seat room that can retract its seating for trade shows. Since January 2026, its shows have been 19+ unless a listing says otherwise.
Story three: the refresh
Between late 2024 and 2026 the resort renovated in stages while staying open. The noodle bar came first in the fall of 2024, the pub in May 2025 and a new spa on the main floor in 2025. The steakhouse became ATLAS in November 2025, and the renovated fitness centre followed in March 2026. The hotel page now presents all 292 suites as newly renovated. We found no single official completion date, so we do not give one.
What we did not find
We found no documented architect credit we could cite. One reference work lists the resort in a category without any supporting text, which is not enough for us. We also found no recorded legends or ghost stories. Plenty of resorts have them; we will not invent one.