Great Blue Heron Casino & Hotel — Attraction in Scugog

I’ve bit my tongue for long enough…. I’m completely fed up! I’ve being a patron, at Great Blue for almost 20 years. Most of the staff are great, and that’s what keeps me going back. However there is a dark side to this place…. My issues are as follows;

NO CASHIER/NO PAYOUT. The major issue I have is the fact that it is a regular occurrence for then NOT to have a cashier on duty, PERIOD. I know many of you reading this may think it’s a joke, BUT not at Port Perry casino. It’s their norm. In fact there are usually multiple times a day, when you go to cash out because you want to go home, and you will be greeted by a cardboard sign telling you what time they will be back, typically 30 min or so WITH NO CASHIER!. Their solution? They tell you to go play more in the meantime! THIS SHOULD BE ILLEGAL. I will be emailing the alcohol and gaming commission regarding this issue, as they should NOT be able to accept even 1 dollar if they aren’t “at that moment” able to cash someone out. They should be fined for every Min they cannot accommodate someone’s cash out request. People time should be valued, and they should not be “pressured into play” because of the incompetence of the people running this place.

POKER waiting list: They keep creating new ridiculous ways to sign up for their poker games. For example if you want to join their poker, in my case Omaha in order for you to be somewhat “guaranteed” a seat at their usually one and only Omaha table, you generally would have to arrive onsite at 7:20 AM to then wait in line like a kid at summer camp until 8:15 when you have the privilege of adding your name to a “waiting list” for the Omaha or any other poker table. The game usually doesn’t commence until 12:15-12:30pm. So its not uncommon to see people camped out sleeping in their cars, or walking in circles. Some, including myself have being lured into booking hotel rooms to help accommodate this major inconvenience. Some might say “play other games in the meantime” well at the Great Blue that’s not really an option “except for slots”. Their table games don’t open until 12 noon either, leaving you to basically sit around for half a day for a chance to play at their table. Absolutely ridiculous system that needs to be addressed. Woodbine which is run by the same company is going to completely absorb all the remaining clients, as the incompetence and complete disregard for the “customer” in terms of poker sign up at Great Blue Heron is a disgrace.

The HOTEL: I will let my wife leave the review which will come soon, she’s got pictures of some of the most disgusting images I’ve seen upon check in… I’m not picky and spend little time in the room anyway, but man you know its bad when they offer you a free room and you end up leaving 5 MIN after check in…. Only part I don’t like is, just like usual –THEY DON’T CARE!

All is all, There are many hard working dealers and pit bosses etc that I respect that do a wonderful job! That’s part of the reason I kept giving this place a chance, and dealing with all the BS. But enough is enough, and someone needs to shed some light on the incompetency of the “decision makers” / directors and any other big shot running this place. It impacts not only they customers, but also the staff that will see...

Over the years this casino has gone downhill. There is never anybody around for assistance when you need it. Also never attempted to go to this place on the weekend. It is excessively packed. It even looks like it might be filled to overcapacity at times where it would pose a safety issue. If there was ever a fire or an emergency there would be such a huge stampede of people where you would be trampled over and severely injured. Also, the payouts at this casino are absolutely terrible. The variety of slot machines sucks compared to what it used to be. A lot of low denominations and everything is multi line. If you do not play max credits you will never win anything. For those of you that play minimum credits on slots and sit there and bang the machine and pray at it and rub the machine, no matter how much money you pump it and how long you play on it you will NEVER win anything. I saw one lady that was playing a progressive machine where the jackpot was over $28,000. She was playing $0.30 out of the $2.50 hi bet limit. All her symbols matched to win the progressive jackpot. She only won $300. If you want to spend hundreds of dollars just to win only $300 of your money back then by all means play minimum credits and then whine and complain about it when you never win anything.The look on her face was absolutely priceless when she realized she did not win that because she wasn’t playing max credits. So those comments from people that say they never win at this casino, it’s because they didn’t play enough credits for the machine to pay out. Also if you’re wanting to play tables good luck! You will not get a table on a weekend. Also some of the people that go there are some of the most selfish rude inconsiderate people. Playing two or three machines when it’s extremely busy. As far as the buffet goes, it’s not open All day long. It is close for about 1-2 hours in between breakfast lunch and dinner. They are very limited times for the buffet. Also, this is most definitely not an award-winning buffet. The selection is very minimal and overpriced for...

The customer service at this hotel is sadly lacking. I stayed here after helping my daughter move. It was the cheapest in the area that appeared new and clean. I was situated on the ground floor hallway which I thought would be safer. Instead I listened to casino players stomp back and forth all night, speaking in loud voices. I paid with my debit card to avoid credit card fees as indicated on the website. The clerk did not tell me I would have to stop at the desk in the morning to get my deposit refunded. I got a call over a week later asking if I could come back to the hotel to get my deposit back. I live 2 and 1/2 hours away but I was coming back into the area. I was told the money would be waiting at the front desk whenever I chose to come. I came at noon hour two days later and was greeted by a clerk with a scowl on her face who told me that her supervisor was on lunch and she could not access my refund. She gave me this information as though I had just brought a clown to a funeral. She told me it would be 15 minutes and I told her that I had been told the money would be ready whenever I showed up. More than 15 minutes later the supervisor came back and I got the money. At no time did anyone apologize for the initial miscommunication or for keeping me waiting. The clerk continued to scowl and behave as though I was a massive inconvenience. This is definitely a first world problem. However, customer service is the cornerstone of hospitality and tourism. If this hotel wants to stay afloat as more than just a fleabag attached to a cut rate casino they have...