New Casino London Ontario

Ontario casino online industry, when it started blooming at the beginning of the 2000s, was also part of this regulation, and this directly influenced the overall growth of it. As online casinos in Ontario started opening, the more players wanted to experience the thrill of home-based gambling, instead of the real casino suites. Gambling giant Gateway Casinos and Entertainment is reopening its London operation and other casinos across Southwestern Ontario — with COVID-19 restrictions. Gamblers will be able to play the. New Casino in London Soon a Reality The future gambling facility is projected to rise at 3334 and 3354 Wonderland Rd. S., between Bradley Avenue and Wharncliffe Road. Such location has been chosen with casino patrons in mind, as it aims to utilize the constant flow of individuals in this area of London.

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2. New Casino London Ontario Casino

Despite raising several issues about a lack of public consultation, London Council has given its stamp of approval to allow a new casino to be built in the city’s southwest.

City council voted 9-4 in favour of rezoning of the property and approving the proposed site plan for Gateway Casinos and Entertainment to build a new $75 million casino at a site on Wonderland Road, north of Wharncliffe Road.

Debate surrounding the rezoning and site plan of the casino had many councillors divided on how to proceed, with some urging fellow councillors to vote on an amendment to allow for further public consultation on the site planning process. City staff estimated that a further public consultation on the site plan would delay the process by several weeks.

Councillor Maureen Cassidy expressed concern that not enough members of the community were given an opportunity to have their voices heard.

“This is a very big matter for the city of London and the region, including neighbouring First Nations communities. A public site plan meeting allows the public to weigh in,” said Cassidy, who added that only 11 notices went out for public consultation due to city rules that regulate how far applications are distributed from the planned site. “This is a city-wide issue… a lot more than 11 properties are impacted by this.”

Councillor Elizabeth Peloza also said her constituents had come to her with concerns about a possible increase in traffic and crime once the casino is operational.

The amendment was defeated, however, with Mayor Ed Holder arguing prior to the vote that any further delays to the project could result in Gateway deciding to build its casino elsewhere.

“This isn’t an issue about whether gambling should be legal in London — about 20 years ago that issue was decided. This isn’t an issue about expanding gambling — that issue was approved by the last council,” said Holder. “When you understand how business works, particularly as this process has taken longer than some might imaging… Gateway has a choice — they can go north of the 401 or they can go south. And what’s at stake? $75 million of construction with the construction jobs associated with it. That’s hundreds of jobs.”

He pointed out that $7 million a year in city revenue, along with the the 700 jobs that the new casino is expected to create, would have also been at risk.

“Every economic indicator says this makes sense for us… time delays mean real money,” he said.

While Holder said it is largely the responsibility of OLG, council did approve another amendment 11-2 that will allow for public consultation with nearby First Nations communities regarding the new casino. However, development and construction of the new entertainment complex will proceed as planned.

The site of the new casino was first proposed at the Western Fair District, where the existing Gateway casino is located. However, debate lasted more than two years with the gaming company ultimately purchasing the land on Wonderland Road South. Operations at the Western Fair District casino are expected to cease once the new casino opens, with staff moving to the new location on Wonderland Road.

The “Starlight Casino” is expected to include 900 slot machines, 40 table games, live music and multiple restaurants. Gateway has billed the casino as the single largest investment the British Columbia-based company has made in Ontario.

The company recently opened a new $36 million casino in Chatham-Kent earlier this month.

Gaming giant Gateway Casinos and Entertainment is still fully committed to building a casino in London, just not at the Western Fair District.

In a move that would see the British Columbia-based company move out of the east-end, Gateway inked a deal earlier this week to relocate its planned entertainment complex to a site on Wonderland Road, north of Wharncliffe Road.

“It just became increasingly difficult to come to an agreement [at the Western Fair District] and there were a number of issues that arose that we couldn’t have anticipated,” said Rob Mitchell, Gateway’s director of communications. “The latest of which was an archeological study which revealed the ruins of what I believe was a Presbyterian church and it had a cemetery. There were issues about dealing with that… and issues around demolition, the existing footprint, and the aging infrastructure of the fairgrounds. It became increasingly problematic for us to stay there.”

Negotiations between Gateway, city hall, and the Western Fair District had dragged on for a year and a half and were said to be very slow-going.

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Gateway had been proposing to build a $140 million casino, hotel and restaurant complex at the Western Fair District. It would have included up to 1,200 slot machines, 46 gaming tables, and would have created nearly 1,000 jobs.

At this point, there is no indication what the country’s largest private casino operator has planned for the new southwest London site.

“All I can tell you is that we just got that lease arrangement, we are looking at that property and will be moving forward at that site and reassessing what our plans and intentions are for London,” said Mitchell. “We are absolutely committed to building a new casino in London, but it is basically a clean slate now. It’s a totally different proposition than what it was at the fairground.”

Mitchell said he anticipates more information about the company’s new development plans on Wonderland Road will be released early in the new year.

Before it can begin construction of a casino at the new site, Gateway would have to go to the city to have the area rezoned, something Mitchell doesn’t foresee as a big hurdle.

“It currently is described as an enterprise zone as part of the city, which is a blanket expression by the city that my understanding is that it is open for creative, commercial, residential, industrial development,” said Mitchell. “It should be relatively easy for us to acquire the necessary zoning.”

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Gateway’s relocation plans put harness racing in the city in jeopardy, Western Fair District officials said Thursday.

“We have made both the OLG (Ontario Lottery and Gaming) and the Ford government aware of the level of financial support needed to continue our racing operation if Gateway relocates. We are currently waiting for the government’s response to our formal request for long-term funding support,” Western Fair President Hugh Mitchell said in a statement.

The Raceway at Western Fair generates an economic impact of more than $50 million and supports well over 5,000 jobs across the region, according to the Western Fair president, who added that he wasn’t shocked, but disappointed by Gateway’s decision to move.

“Our preference would have been to have Gateway remain here,” he said.

Gateway assumed control of the day-to-day operations of the slots in London in May 2017 after entering into a 20-year deal with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation the previous December. The company also took over the slots in Woodstock, Clinton, Dresden, and Hanover, as well as the casino in Point Edward. It has since broken ground on a new $36 million casino in Chatham.