The Snuneymuxw First Nation of Nanaimo, British Columbia, is suddenly a major contender in Canada’s rapidly changing gaming industry after significant acquisitions in the past year. The Snuneymuxw is well on its way to becoming the country’s largest Indigenous-owned gaming operator. The purchase of River Rock Casino Resort, the province’s largest casino resort, and Chances Maple Ridge indicate a massive turnaround in Indigenous economic autonomy, casino ownership, and community re-investment.
This casino news article provides a comprehensive discussion on how the Snuneymuxw First Nation is revolutionizing the gaming industry as an Indigenous Gaming Operator, the impact of its BC Casino acquisition approach, and the importance of Indigenous Ownership, local communities, and the gaming industry at large.
On October 30, 2025, the Snuneymuxw First Nation through its 100% possessed business substance, Petroglyph Development Group signed final agreements with Great Canadian Entertainment to purchase River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond and Chances Maple Ridge.
Already established as the largest resort-casino in Western Canada, River Rock will seek to transition into Indigenous ownership following the completion of regulatory approvals. The acquisition of the casino is central to the Snuneymuxw’s commitment to creating long-term wealth, autonomy, and community benefit by owning the casino asset and not merely operating it on a lease or sharing revenue basis.
The emerging trend of Indigenous groups taking ownership in casino assets has been rising, but what makes the Snuneymuxw’s case unique is the scale that they have achieved. The two latest deals brought their total number of casino mega-asset properties to four across British Columbia, with the casino London being the fourth. The shift from host-community or land-leasing to full ownership means that the profits, governance, and strategic direction lies with the Indigenous partner, in this case, the Snuneymuxw.
It is the reinforcement of their status as full-scale gaming operators, thereby moving beyond being a “community partner” to an operator, investor, and significant employer in these assets. Snuneymuxw community reinvestment gaming revenue Chief Mike Wyse said that the purchase of the casino would help the Nation to create bursaries and help for Elders, health, housing, and education. This mode of casino revenue is significant as it underscores the benefit of communities in enhancing how this narrative shifts the discourse from external operators to extractive-based operators to community-creating actors that add value. Key examples:
Once the acquisitions close, PDG expects to become one of BC’s largest casino operators by revenue, and potentially the largest Indigenous-owned gaming operator in all of Canada. This milestone carries significant symbolic and practical weight: symbolically, it marks a shift in Canada’s gaming industry toward Indigenous-led enterprise. Practically, it means the Snuneymuxw will manage thousands of:
The direct relationship between gaming revenue and community funding is clear in the Snuneymuxw’s planning. Chief Wyse noted that profits from casino operations will support: housing development, health services, education endowments, and sustainable economic diversification.
This linkage gives purpose to the casino acquisitions beyond gaming; it becomes a mechanism for self-determined economic development. For example:
The Snuneymuxw have made clear that their long-term strategy is asset ownership, not short-term revenue sharing. Their approach involves the following:
A key aspect of the River Rock acquisition is its land-arrangement complexity. The property lies on the Musqueam Nation’s territory, so part of the transition involves consultation and lease renewal with the Musqueam.
This underscores how modern casino deals involving Indigenous parties often require multinational collaboration, respect for territory, and long-term agreements. The Snuneymuxw First Nation has indicated they will continue dialogues with the Musqueam and Katzie (for Maple Ridge) to ensure shared opportunity, respect, and partnership.
The Snuneymuxw’s trajectory offers several lessons and goes well beyond boutique operations.
The collaborative agreements among First Nations certainly matter. With the plans to enter the gaming sector, the Snuneymuxw show how ownership, strategy, and reinvestment can tie together.
The acquisition of River Rock Casino Resort and Chances Maple Ridge by the Snuneymuxw First Nation stands as a defining moment in Canada’s gaming and indigenous economies. The role of an Indigenous Gaming Operator of scale is redefining the casino ownership narrative from a passive land host to an active, revenue-generating, profit-sharing corporate unit with community impact.
The model of winning big at gaming, investing in housing, education, and self-governing business is in play. And for the gaming sector in British Columbia and beyond, the emergence of the Snuneymuxw symbolizes a new age in First Nation economic power. From the legal interconnections of the Musqueam jurisdictional lease at River Rock to the financial experience of being Canada’s largest Indigenous-owned gaming by revenue, the implications are colossal. It’s not just about the casinos, it’s about self-determination, economic independence, and people-centered reinvestment.
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