Last week opponents of a casino in North Bay, Ontario appeared before the city council to ask that it reconsider its position supporting the casino, which would be built by Gateway Casinos & Entertainment.
The group, called North Casino North Bay, knew that they faced an uphill battle in trying to convince the council to reverse itself. However, one member Kay Heuer, told Focus Gaming News before the hearing, “Our position is that is not over until it’s over.”
Her group argues that while previous councils spent considerable time debating a casino proposal that this one hasn’t shown that it is researching the proposal at all.
Heuer said the council hasn’t made any arguments that are convincing that the proposed Gateway casino would benefit the community. “Our research is that there is not economic benefits,” she said. She favors a referendum to find out what the voters really think about the proposed casino.
Gateway presented its case to the council last December, when Gateway CEO Tony Santo said “In Northern and Southwestern Ontario, Gateway will work with host communities to bring our unique brands and experiences to customers. On behalf of the 4,000 Gateway employees, we look forward to welcoming OLG (Ontario Lottery & Gaming) colleagues to our team.”
