Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Ltd. has been given final approval by the Vancouver Transportation & Infrastructure Ministry to build a $70 million hotel/casino complex Cascades Casino Delta in metro Vancouver.
Demolition of the Town & Country Inn where the complex will be located is already underway and the new complex is expected to open sometime next year.
“We are very excited to finally be starting construction of the new Cascades Casino Delta. We are looking forward to bringing this state-of-the-art entertainment destination to such a vibrant and rapidly growing community,” said Tony Santo, Gateway’s CEO, in a news release.
The complex will be located at the junction of highways 17A and 99 will be “a full-service entertainment destination with casual ambience, but with the scale and amenities associated with a big-city entertainment facility with exceptional customer service and attention to detail,” according to Gateway.
The casino will offer up to 500 slots and 24 gaming tables. Amenities include a Match Eatery and Public House, Atlas Steak + Fish and a buffet. The project calls for a total floor area of approximately 161,000-sq-ft, including a 42,227-sq-ft casino floor and 124 guest rooms within an attached five-story hotel building.
The B.C. Lottery Corporation has already approved the project after reviews of the market opportunity, business case, health impacts and municipal approval process to ensure that the project meets legislated requirements under the Canadian Gaming Control Act. The lottery estimated revenue for the complex would be about CAN $1.5 million to $3 million.
Gateway also operates the Cascades brand in Langley, Kamloops and Penticton, B.C.
Meanwhile, in Ontario, the provincial government unveiled a new budget that included a pledge to establish a competitive market for online gambling that will “reflect consumer choice while protecting consumers who play on these websites.”
Part of the strategy involves the legalization of sports betting at a federal level, which has been deadlocked in Parliament since September 2016. The Ontarian government has asked the federal government to finally move on sports betting and said it will continue to “pressure it to stand up for Ontario consumers”.
Ontario currently operates a single legal online gambling site, PlayOLG.ca, which is operated by the Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corporation (OLG).
