Casino to bring 200 more jobs to C-K

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An artist’s conception of what the inside of the Cascades Casino in Chatham will look like. Gateway Casinos said the new casino will also feature two eateries, and will bring another 200 jobs to the municipality.

The casino slated to open in Chatham and replace the Slots at Dresden Raceway will bring about 200 new jobs to the area, according to its owners.

Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Ltd. personnel said the company will invest about $36 million into the Richmond Street Venture, and will bring every staff member from the Dresden facility over to the new one when it opens sometime in the middle of next year.

Tony Santo, president of Gateway Casinos, said what will be erected at the Richmond Street site, at the corner of Keil Drive, is a Cascades Casino, which will feature more than 330 slot machines and will also have 10 table games. The facility will also be home to two restaurants.

It’s the first Cascades to be built in the province.

“This is the first of many to be rolled out in Ontario. It will feature a sports pub – Match Eatery & Public House – which is designed to appeal to the ladies,” Santo said. “We plan on building The Buffet as well. A buffet is really part of the gaming business.”

The restaurants will be family accessible, he added.

The gaming tables will include blackjack, roulette and possibly a craps table, Santo said.

He said, subject to necessary approvals and completion of the land acquisition, Gateway hopes to break ground on the property, which is located beside the Holiday Inn Express and the John D. Bradley Convention Centre, this summer with hopeful completion in mid-2019.

Gail Hundt, president at CEO of the Chatham-Kent Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the news.

“Economically, this will have the potential for many positive aspects for Chatham-Kent, including increase in employment, increase of tourists and guests to Chatham-Kent, increased exposure of our municipal assets for further opportunity, and increased general revenues for the municipality,” she said in a release.

Chatham-Kent receives between $800,000 and $900,000 annually from the Dresden Slots operation.

Damien De Roux, general manager of the Gateway’s Dresden location, confirmed the plan is to bring existing staff to the new facility.

“These are wonderful employees. I’m really happy these employees will be coming with us to the new casino,” he said.

Approximately 100 full and part time employees work at the Dresden Slots.

De Roux said while Gateway is taking its facility out of Dresden, it isn’t abandoning the Dresden Agricultural Society, which runs the track and partnered with the slot floor.

“Gateway is committed to supporting local racing. The opportunity that Chatham offers is significant,” he said. “Community commitment is a focus for Gateway. We will help support local priorities through Gateway Gives.”

Santo said Gateway would also sponsor some of the harness race events in Dresden as well.

Santo thanked the customers of the Dresden location for all the support they’ve shown over the years.

“Hopefully they will find this new facility even better,” he said.

Mayor Randy Hope said the new casino won’t just benefit Chatham, but the entire municipality.

“It benefits every resident of Chatham-Kent, just as the Dresden Slots did,” he said.

The new casino’s location has a history of providing entertainment for local citizens and beyond, as it’s where the former Wheels Inn once resided. In the wake of 9/11 and the stricter border controls that followed, the family entertainment hub lost its viability and profitability in the early 2000s.

Property owner Dean Bradley is happy to see the land set to return to life.

“It’s gratifying to see it resume as an entertainment hub for the community,” he said.

Hope agreed.

“The Wheels Inn invited people to this community for years. It was a signature piece that invited people to Chatham,” he said. “The Cascades will locate on that property. This is a lot of value added to the community. This is modernization.”

Santo said the spot was perfect.

“It’s close to the convention centre and a hotel, and a past go-to spot,” he said.

Santo said the build timelines are aggressive, but the support and co-operation Gateway has received from the municipality to date gives reason for optimism. He singled out Hope and CAO Don Shropshire in particular.

“It really has to do with the mayor and CAO. Being able to sit down and talk,” he said. “We are seeing it elsewhere, but your mayor has been the fastest to get things done.”

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