The Northlands Park and Casino in Edmonton, Alberta Canada was scheduled to shut its doors for good this week. The end comes three months after the racino stopped offering horse racing.
Scott Sinclair, the gaming and racing director since 2012 called it “really an end of an era. This is something we’ve known was going to come.”
The company that owned the racino announced three years ago that Northlands would stop offering racing, but several extensions delayed the inevitable.
The racino opened in 1996 but went into a decline when the decision was made to move racing to the Century Mile Entertainment Centre near Edmonton International Airport. That casino was originally supposed to open last summer, but that was delayed until April 2019, which kept races going at Newlands until last October.
Century Mile is owned by Century Casinos, which as casinos in Alberta, Poland, South African, cruise ships and the UK.
Northlands President Gordon Wilson, who has been with the company for 44 years, called the closing “a major, major downer.” He added, “It’s been a progression, but today is the final day. I mean it’s all over after this.”
Northlands, minus the racetrack will continue to offer fair events and similar. Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission will refurbish the slot machines and move them to Century Mile.
