Thompson-Okanagan

Who owns Playtime Casino Kelowna

Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited runs Playtime Casino Kelowna, at 1300 Water Street in Kelowna. Gateway bought the Lake City Casinos in August 2002, and this one took the name Playtime on March 1, 2018.

By the Ledger Desk · Checked October 7 and 8, 2026

Operator and owner

Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited runs Playtime Casino Kelowna. It runs eight of the sixteen casinos in this guide, four of them in the Thompson-Okanagan. Gateway describes itself as the exclusive casino operator in the Thompson Okanagan region.

Its link to this casino is dated. In August 2002 Gateway bought the Lake City Casinos in Penticton, Kelowna, Kamloops and Vernon. The Kelowna casino took the name Playtime Casino Kelowna on March 1, 2018. Before that it was Lake City Casino Kelowna.

Some details are not published. In British Columbia BCLC conducts and manages casino gambling, while private service providers such as Gateway run the casinos. On this site "owns" appears only where an owner or a sale is published. No later sale of Playtime is on record, and the guide does not name an owner of Gateway itself.

Dated record

The record begins under an earlier name, Lake City Casino Kelowna, one of four Lake City Casinos. In August 2002 Gateway bought all four, in Penticton, Kelowna, Kamloops and Vernon.

On March 1, 2018, it became Playtime Casino Kelowna. The Vernon casino kept the Lake City name.

Since 2024, ownership changes among the casinos in this guide have involved other rooms. Four passed to First Nations ownership between January 16, 2025, and June 16, 2026, and two more are under agreements of sale. Playtime is not one of them. On April 13, 2026, the IGCO became the province's gambling regulator, replacing the former regulator.

On the floor

Playtime Casino Kelowna is open Sunday to Tuesday 10 AM to 1 AM, and Wednesday to Saturday 10 AM to 2 AM. Hours are Pacific time. Holiday hours should be checked on the casino's own site.

The floor has 16 live table games. Tables open Monday to Thursday from 12 PM and Friday to Sunday from 11 AM, running until close. A two-table poker room deals No Limit Texas Hold'em with $1-3 and $2-5 blinds. Its pages give different poker hours, so none appear here.

BCLC conducts the games, as it does in every BC casino. The players' card is Encore Rewards, the same card named at fifteen of the sixteen casinos in this guide. The casino sits in the Grand Okanagan Lakefront Resort on Okanagan Lake, and casino guests park free in the parkade GREEN zone.

At the door

Playtime Casino Kelowna is at 1300 Water Street, Kelowna, and its phone number is 250-860-9467. Entry is for adults 19 or older. Since June 2023 everyone entering a BC gambling facility shows government-issued photo ID, which is checked against the self-exclusion list.

Straight-line distances to the other Thompson-Okanagan casinos in this guide are Cascades Casino Penticton 44.9 km, Lake City Casino Vernon 46.3 km and Cascades Casino Kamloops 105.7 km. The guide computes them between OpenStreetMap points; they are not driving distances, and no travel times are given.

Plan your visit, checked October 10, 2026

At the door: Minimum age: 19
Card: Encore Rewards (free; sign up at Guest Services with valid ID)
Parking: Free parking for casino guests in the parkade GREEN zone; enter via Water Street or the Green Zone to the causeway entrance
Transit: BC Transit Kelowna Regional: stop "Water St at Cawston Ave" about 25 m from the casino, served by route 2 North End Shuttle; route 5 Gordon / Downtown stops on Ellis St at Clement Ave about 260 m away
Access: Accessible to customers with disabilities; wheelchairs, accessible formats and communication supports on request

Directions in Google Maps

Official site: kelowna.playtimecasino.ca

Not a paid link.

Sources (5)

kelowna.playtimecasino.ca/gaming/table-games, October 7, 2026
kelowna.playtimecasino.ca/patron-code-of-conduct, October 7, 2026
kelowna.playtimecasino.ca/restaurant, October 7, 2026
kelowna.playtimecasino.ca/contact, October 7, 2026
bct.tmix.se/Tmix.Cap.TdExport.WebApi/gtfs, October 7, 2026

Questions on the record

Who runs Playtime Casino Kelowna?

Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited runs it. Gateway bought the Lake City Casinos, including the one in Kelowna, in August 2002. It describes itself as the exclusive casino operator in the Thompson Okanagan region.

Has Playtime Casino Kelowna changed hands since 2024?

No change of owner or operator for this casino is published. The four casinos in this guide that passed to First Nations ownership since January 2025 are in other places. Its name changed on March 1, 2018, from Lake City Casino Kelowna to Playtime Casino Kelowna.

What rules apply on the floor?

BCLC conducts and manages the games. Guests must be 19 or older and show government-issued photo ID on entry. The players' card named here is Encore Rewards.

What are the hours at Playtime Casino Kelowna?

The casino is open Sunday to Tuesday 10 AM to 1 AM, and Wednesday to Saturday 10 AM to 2 AM, Pacific time. Live tables open Monday to Thursday at 12 PM and Friday to Sunday at 11 AM. Holiday hours should be checked on the casino's own site.