Vancouver-based Gateway Casinos and Entertainment Limited recently was awarded a 20-year agreement by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation to oversee daily operations at OLG casinos in Woodstock, Thunder Bay, Point Edward, Sault Ste. Marie, Hanover, Dresden, Sudbury, Clinton and London, with options to develop new facilities in Kenora and North Bay. Gateway currently operates 18 gaming properties throughout western Canada.
OLG President and Chief Executive Officer Stephen Rigby said, “Today’s announcement of a service provider for the north and southwest gaming bundles is a significant step forward in the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation’s modernization. The investments Gateway Casinos and Entertainment Limited will make in the bundles will help ensure the best possible gaming experience for customers while the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation continues to deliver on its commitment to the people and province of Ontario.”
Rigby said employees at OLG’s nine casinos will keep their current jobs, benefits and pension plans for at least a year while it works with Gateway to ensure “as smooth and seamless a transition as possible”.
Gateway Chief Executive Officer Tony Santo said, “We are very excited and pleased to partner with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation in the modernization of Ontario’s gaming industry. In northern and southwestern Ontario, Gateway Casinos and Entertainment Limited will work with host communities to bring our unique brands and experiences to customers. On behalf of the 4,000 Gateway Casinos and Entertainment Limited employees, we look forward to welcoming the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation colleagues to our team.”
Gateway Executive Chairman Gabriel De Alba added, “In 2017, Gateway Casinos and Entertainment Limited will celebrate 25 years in the business of gaming and entertainment. Expanding into Ontario is truly an exciting and significant way to mark this important milestone in our company’s history.”
De Alba noted, “Our Ontario expansion marks an important next step in Gateway Casinos and Entertainment Limited’s growth strategy; a strategy that has seen us successfully re-build properties, develop proprietary brands and grow into new markets. We have made significant investments in jobs and capital in the communities where we operate in British Columbia and Alberta. In Ontario, we look forward to continuing to invest, build and grow.”
OLG did not disclose what it is paying Gateway to operate the Ontario casinos, because, it said, Gateway is a private company. However, the gambling operations are taxpayer-supported public assets.
