Gateway Casinos & Entertainment confirmed today what many in the community believed....it will build its new facility on a 7.3-acre parcel of land just off Highway 11 on Pinewood Park Drive in the south end of North Bay.
See: Casino construction starting?
The proposed new casino still needs necessary municipal approvals.
Construction will start this summer, once those approvals are obtained.
"In the coming weeks, Gateway will announce more details on the size and scope of the development including new employment opportunities, food, and beverage offerings and the investment in the local economy for the new build," says a Gateway news release.
“We are very pleased to announce that Gateway has acquired land on Pinewood Park Drive and will soon be able to move forward with our plans to build an exciting new casino and entertainment destination in the City of North Bay," said Keith Andrews, Senior Vice President of Gateway Ontario. "We look forward to working with OLG and the City of North Bay to achieve all the necessary approvals to start construction as quickly as possible.”
Mayor Al McDonald added that the casino will bring new jobs to the area and significant economic spinoffs.
It wasn't Gateway's first choice, opting originally for a highway 17 W site across the road from the North Bay Health Centre.
See: Casino rolls Snake Eyes with Highway 17 location
And: Pinewood Park 'not our preferred location' says casino spokesperson
BayToday was the first to report that the new location would be on Pinewood Park Drive, despite the earlier rejection.
See: North Bay's 'Cascades Casino' to open in spring of 2020
The proposed new entertainment and casino complex in North Bay is the latest announcement by Gateway following the news this month of the completion of an $18 million renovation and rebranding of Gateway Casinos Hanover site to Playtime Hanover. Gateway is currently nearing completion of a new $36 million Cascades Casino in Chatham-Kent that is expected to open this July. Gateway recently opened its first Starlight Casino in Point Edward, Ontario after a $26 million renovation to that site. Last month Gateway added 26 live table games to the Gateway Innisfil casino and is proposing to build a new casino and entertainment complex in Wasaga Beach.
Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited is one of the largest and most diversified gaming and entertainment companies in Canada. Across its 27 gaming properties in British Columbia, Ontario and Edmonton, Alberta, Gateway currently employs approximately 8,648 people and boasts approximately 448 table games, including 49 poker tables, 13,887 slots, 85 restaurants and bars and 561 hotel rooms.
Gateway is the service provider for the Central, Southwest and North gaming Bundles in Ontario, which includes 11 properties in their portfolio. A multi-pronged growth strategy has seen Gateway diversify and expand its product offering, including developing proprietary casino and restaurant brands, dramatically improving the gaming customer experience while attracting new customers. Some of Gateway's proprietary brands include Match Eatery & Public House, Atlas Steak + Fish and the new Halley’s Club. In 2017, Gateway celebrated 25 years in the business of gaming and entertainment in Canada.
