Indigenous Gaming Partners

What Indigenous Gaming Partners does

Indigenous Gaming Partners (IGP) is a First Nations-led gaming partnership established in 2024 between five Nova Scotia First Nations — Glooscap First Nation, Millbrook First Nation, Annapolis Valley First Nation, We'koqma'q L'nue'kati, and Paqtnkek Mi'kmaw Nation — and Sonco Gaming Inc., an experienced Canadian developer and operator of Indigenous casinos. The partnership was created to build Indigenous economic ownership in Canada's regulated entertainment industry, combining proven gaming operating expertise with Indigenous-led decision making and long-term economic benefit for the partner Nations. Following two material acquisitions, IGP now operates the largest casino portfolio in Alberta, Canada, through its wholly-owned operating subsidiary Pure Casino Entertainment Limited Partnership.

The company's portfolio comprises seven casino properties and three hotels across Alberta. The original four Pure-branded casinos (Pure Casino Edmonton, Pure Casino Yellowhead, Pure Casino Calgary, and Pure Casino Lethbridge) were acquired from ONCAP, Onex's lower mid-market private equity platform, in December 2024. Three additional casinos (Great Northern Casino in Grande Prairie, Rivers Casino in Fort McMurray, and Deerfoot Inn & Casino in southeast Calgary) plus three hotels (Service Plus Inns & Suites, Encore Suites by Service Plus, and Deerfoot Inn) were added through the June 2026 acquisition of publicly traded Gamehost Inc. at $13.65 per share in cash, a transaction that took Gamehost private. The combined properties collectively offer over 2,700 slot machines, 94 table games, 36 poker tables, and 110 video lottery terminals, alongside dining, live entertainment, conference facilities, and lodging, and employ more than 1,200 people serving millions of guests annually.

IGP's revenue model is direct-to-consumer, generating income through gaming operations (slots, table games, poker rake), food and beverage, and ancillary services such as ATMs, lottery sales, and off-track betting across its physical properties. The company employs a sale-leaseback capital structure with VICI Properties Inc., a major gaming real estate investment trust that acquired Gamehost real properties for CAD $200.6 million and maintains triple-net master lease agreements with Pure, enabling a capital-light acquisition strategy. Leadership comprises Brad Belhouse as President & CEO, Anna Borissova as SVP & CFO, Anthony Novac (also CEO of Sonco Gaming) as Chief Strategy Officer, and Michael Peters (CEO of Glooscap Ventures) as Board Chair. IGP is a private partnership with no public ticker, headquartered in Toronto with operations support based in Edmonton and an Atlantic Canadian office presence via partner Glooscap Ventures in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Name

Indigenous Gaming Partners

Legal name

Indigenous Gaming Partners General Partnership

Website

https://indigenousgamingpartners.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Indigenous Gaming Partners is a First Nations-led gaming partnership that operates seven casinos and three hotels in Alberta, Canada — the largest casino operator in the province — serving millions of general public guests annually with gaming, dining, lodging, and entertainment under the Pure Casino brand and acquired Gamehost properties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casino and Gaming Operations

NAICS

Casino Hotels (72112)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Tribal/First Nations Casino Operations (MPAEAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tribal/Indigenous Casino Hotels (THAGAJAE), Integrated Casino Resorts (Casino + Hotel/Entertainment) (MPAEAAAA)

Keywords

• Casino operations
• Gaming hospitality
• Indigenous gaming
• Casino entertainment
• Hotel accommodations

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Gaming Operations: Revenue from slot machines, table games, and poker rake across casino properties
2. Food and Beverage: Quality dining through on-site bars and restaurants at casino properties
3. Ancillary Services: Revenue from ATMs, lottery sales, and off-track betting

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Indigenous Gaming Partners operates seven casino properties and three hotels across Alberta, Canada, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Pure Casino Entertainment Limited Partnership. The properties offer slot machines, table games, poker rooms, dining, live entertainment, hotel accommodations, and conference facilities under the Pure Casino brand. IGP was formed in 2024 as a partnership between five Nova Scotia First Nations and Sonco Gaming Inc., and grew its portfolio through the acquisitions of PURE Canadian Gaming (December 2024) and Gamehost Inc. (June 2026).

Product overview

Indigenous Gaming Partners (IGP) is a First Nations-owned gaming partnership that operates seven casino properties and three hotels across Alberta, Canada, making Pure the largest casino operator in the province. The portfolio is managed through Pure Casino Entertainment Limited Partnership and includes four Pure-branded casinos (Pure Casino Edmonton, Pure Casino Yellowhead, Pure Casino Calgary, Pure Casino Lethbridge) acquired from ONCAP in December 2024, and three acquired Gamehost properties (Deerfoot Inn & Casino, Rivers Casino, Great Northern Casino) added through the June 2026 acquisition. Supporting the casino operations are three hotel properties (Service Plus Inns & Suites, Encore Suites by Service Plus, and the Deerfoot Inn hotel with 188 rooms). The properties collectively employ over 1,200 people and welcome millions of guests annually, offering slot machines, table games, poker rooms, dining, entertainment, and hospitality services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pure Casino Edmonton A 72,000 sqft casino offering over 800 slot machines, 28 VLTs, 26 live-action table games, and a 24-hour 12-table poker room, with personalized gaming experiences through dedicated casino hosts.
• Pure Casino Yellowhead Premier gaming destination in north Edmonton featuring over 700 slot machines, a 24-hour poker room, a high-limit room with private VIP lounge, and multiple table games including EZ Baccarat and Blackjack.
• Pure Casino Calgary Calgary's premier casino gaming destination with over 850 slots, a luxurious high-limit room with private tables, blackjack, baccarat, roulette, and Calgary's largest poker room with ten tables.
• Pure Casino Lethbridge A 44,000 square foot facility with 13,000 sqft dedicated to gaming, offering over 400 slot machines and video lottery terminals, 9 live-action table games, and 2 poker tables with cash and tournament games.
• Deerfoot Inn & Casino Premier entertainment destination in southeast Calgary featuring over 780 slot machines, 32 table games, a dedicated poker room, Calgary's largest hotel water park, multiple dining options, live entertainment, and a full-service hotel with 188 modern accommodations and conference facilities.
• Rivers Casino Located in Fort McMurray, a 30,000 square foot gaming and entertainment venue offering over 450 slot machines, table games, poker, live entertainment, dining, and a vibrant lounge.
• Great Northern Casino Located in Grande Prairie, a 30,000 square foot casino featuring over 400 Vegas-style slot machines, live table games, a dedicated poker room, live entertainment, and dining; complemented by the adjacent Encore Suites and Service Plus Inn & Suites hotels.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Sonco Gaming Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSonco Gaming Inc. is a key strategic partner in the IGP partnership, contributing extensive experience in Indigenous casino development and management. Sonco has developed and managed successful Indigenous gaming projects including The Great Blue Heron Casino in Ontario, The Grey Eagle Resort & Casino in Calgary, and Casino New Brunswick. Anthony Novac serves as CEO of Sonco Gaming Inc. and Chief Strategy Officer of IGP.
• Five Nova Scotia First NationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIGP is a partnership between five Nova Scotia-based First Nations: Glooscap First Nation, Millbrook First Nation, Annapolis Valley First Nation, We'koqma'q L'nue'kati, and Paqtnkek Mi'kmaw Nation. These Indigenous communities hold ownership stakes in IGP and benefit from economic prosperity generated by the gaming operations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Gateway Casinos & Entertainment: Canada's largest private casino operator with 30+ gaming properties across BC, Alberta and Ontario. Operates similar multi-property land-based casino + entertainment + F&B model and competes directly for provincial gaming dollars and customers in IGP's Alberta footprint.
• Great Canadian Entertainment: Major Canadian casino and entertainment operator (formerly Great Canadian Gaming Corporation, acquired by Apollo Global Management in 2021). Operates ~30 properties across Ontario, BC, Alberta and other provinces under a similar VICI Properties sale-leaseback structure - directly comparable regional gaming portfolio operator.
• Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment: Indigenous-owned (Mohegan Tribe) gaming operator with integrated resorts across North America (Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Nevada, Ontario). Directly comparable as a tribal/First Nations-led gaming enterprise pursuing regional gaming consolidation and integrated resort development.
• Seminole Gaming / Hard Rock International: Seminole Tribe-owned gaming and hospitality enterprise operating tribal casinos and the Hard Rock brand globally. Comparable as a First Nations / Indigenous-owned integrated gaming + hospitality operator with a growing non-gaming brand and property portfolio.

Others

• Onex / ONCAP (PURE Seller): Alternative-asset manager that previously owned PURE Canadian Gaming through its lower-mid-market ONCAP platform. Relevant precedent for Canadian mid-market gaming private equity vehicles and a potential future capital partner if IGP pursues additional growth funding.

Broad incumbents

• Penn Entertainment: Major US regional gaming operator with ~40 properties across 20 states; long-term VICI property tenant. Comparable in multi-property regional gaming + F&B + entertainment model and digital (ESPN Bet) extension of land-based gaming customer base.
• Caesars Entertainment: Largest US regional and Las Vegas casino operator; substantially all of its real estate was sold to VICI under the same sale-leaseback model IGP now uses. Useful comparable for understanding VICI-tenant economics, gaming loyalty programs, and integrated resort execution at scale.
• MGM Resorts International: Global integrated resort operator with VICI sale-leaseback exposure on Las Vegas Strip properties. A relevant scaled comparable for IGP's hospitality + casino + entertainment positioning and loyalty program strategy (MGM Rewards).
• VICI Properties: IGP's primary real estate/financing partner and the dominant experiential real estate REIT (Caesars, MGM, Penn, IGP/Great Canadian). Owns the real estate under IGP's properties via triple-net master leases; understanding the lessor side is critical to valuing IGP's contracted cash flow profile.

Regional players

• Falls Management Company (NIAGARA Fallsview Casino): Manages select Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) casino properties including Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort; comparable Canadian regulated gaming operator with similar integrated casino + hotel + entertainment model, though concentrated in Ontario rather than Alberta.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Indigenous Gaming Partners