A timeline of 380 and 400 Bell Boulevard
| When | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| early 2000s | Land on Bell Boulevard serviced, "originally, for the casino-raceway" (mayor, 2013) | Open Council summary of local press |
| 2012 | Talks begin on a hotel at 400 Bell Boulevard | Open Council |
| 11 Feb 2013 | Williams Hotels announces TownePlace Suites by Marriott Belleville | Open Council |
| 26 Jan 2015 | TownePlace Suites by Marriott Belleville opens | Open Council; trade press |
| 29 Jan 2016 | Belleville council signs the casino deal; 48,000 sq ft, $41 million planned | Open Council (CKWS report) |
| 27 Apr 2016 | Ceremonial groundbreaking; concrete for some footings already poured | World Casino Directory news |
| 11 Jan 2017 | Shorelines Casino Belleville opens in OLG's East Gaming Bundle | GGB Magazine; newswire |
| 11 Nov 2020 | Great Canadian acquired by affiliates of Apollo Global Management | Open Council |
| Dec 2025 to Mar 2026 | 23 new slot machines added at Belleville | Great Canadian |
| Apr 2026 | OLG reports $25,415,851 paid to Belleville since the casino opened | InQuinte.ca |
The land that waited for a casino-raceway
In February 2013, speaking about a new hotel on Bell Boulevard, Mayor Neil Ellis said: "That land has been serviced for approximately 10 years now. That was done, originally, for the casino-raceway and now I think you're going to see more development happen." We could not find a primary record of the casino-raceway plan itself, so we leave it at what the mayor said. What is clear is that the roads and services along this part of Bell Boulevard went in long before anything opened on them. The casino that eventually arrived was a different project from a different era of Ontario gaming policy.
The hotel that got there first
Most casino hotels are built after the casino, by the casino. Here it went the other way. Williams Hotels, a Belleville company that also operates other chain hotels, announced the TownePlace Suites in February 2013. Its president, John Williams, was candid about the timing: "I think the casino is moving down the road quickly and Williams Hotels wants to be out in front of that." The mayor said the hotel might even help Belleville's case to host a casino. The hotel opened on 26 January 2015. The council signed the casino deal a year later, and the casino opened two years after the hotel. So when Marriott's gallery for the property includes a photo of Shorelines Casino under nearby attractions, it is a neighbour the hotel had been expecting.
Opening day, 11 January 2017
Great Canadian Gaming opened Shorelines Casino Belleville on 11 January 2017. Its vice-president for eastern operations, Craig DeMarta, noted that "the last casino opened in the province 10 years ago". A press release at the time was headlined as the first casino to open in Ontario since 2006. On opening day the trade press described "more than 450 state-of-the-art interactive slot machines plus blackjack, roulette, baccarat and other table games". Dining was a buffet and the Windward restaurant, and the Windward Lounge was set up as a live performance space for local music and comedy. There was also an interactive PlaySmart Centre run by the Responsible Gambling Council. An OLG vice-president said the casino was "creating jobs and helping to drive economic growth, while maintaining high standards of responsible gambling".
Plans had changed along the way. At the groundbreaking in April 2016, the trade press reported up to 400 slots, around 20 tables, a restaurant, a bar and lounge, and an entertainment space, with a C$41 million investment and about 300 jobs. The CKWS report from January 2016 mentioned 22 tables and two entertainment stages. Today's operator page lists 12 live tables and 16 electronic ones. Live tables have shrunk and electronic ones have arrived, a change many Ontario floors have made.
Who runs it now
Shorelines Belleville is one of the Shorelines Casinos, alongside Peterborough, Thousand Islands (at Gananoque) and Shorelines Slots at Kawartha Downs. All are run by Great Canadian Entertainment, which was Great Canadian Gaming Corporation until a rename. In November 2020 the company was acquired by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, according to the Open Council summary. The casino operates under the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation's modernised model. OLG owns the gaming business, and a private service provider runs the building and the floor.
What the city gets
Host communities in Ontario receive a share of gaming revenue from OLG. At the 2016 groundbreaking the trade press reported Belleville's formula as 5.25% on the first C$65 million from electronic games, and 4% from table games. In April 2026 InQuinte reported OLG's figures: $720,976 for January to March 2026, $3,092,266 for the fiscal year to 31 March 2026, and $25,415,851 since the casino opened in January 2017. Whatever you think of casinos, that is real money for a city of 55,071 people (2021 census, via Wikipedia).
Legends
We looked for documented legends: a famous jackpot, a celebrity night, a ghost story. We found none with a source, so there are none here. A nine-year-old building beside a highway has not had time to collect many. If one turns up in a source we can cite, we will add it here and label it as a legend.