Hiawatha Horse Park is about to welcome back slot machine gaming on January 30, as it was recently confirmed. Gateway Casinos & Entertainment is going to bring the slot machines venue back to life and make Gateway Casinos Sarnia one of the hotspots in the region. Both the horse racing field and the gaming venue are projected to feel the positive impact of their joint operation and customers surge down the road.
Gaming locations remaining vacant for longer have the potential to support their host community that goes unutilized. Over the past eight years, the gaming venue adjacent to Hiawatha Horse Park has remained non-operational, due to the official end of the Slots at Racetracks Program in Ontario. In the late 1990s, the government introduced slots gaming to 17 racetracks across the province.
Renovation Taking Place
As a result of their operation, the province and the local horse racing field benefitted and amassed upwards of CA$9 million over the span of a decade. Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation oversaw the slot machines placed at the special venues called OLG Slots. Many of them have been rebranded to Gateway Casinos over the past few years.
Thanks to the Provincial Liberals, the program came to an end and horse racetracks across the province were deprived of the additional financial support coming from the gaming venues. Now it is time for the revival of one of this program’s most popular locations – the one located at Hiawatha Horse Park in Sarnia. As many as 150 slot machines are about to welcome back players of legal age.
The refurbishment has already taken place on the premises of Gateway Casinos Sarnia and the following couple of weeks are about to be dedicated to the final touches placed on its interior. Locals would be welcomed by a luxury furnishing and premium slot machines ready to make them much richer and happier. The gaming floor itself amounts to 6,700 square feet.
60-People Staff Ready for Work
Rob Mitchell, Spokesperson for Gateway Casinos, recently pointed out that the work on Gateway Casinos Sarnia is almost completed following months of preparation. January 31 is scheduled to see the official launch of operation, already anticipated by locals. This Friday would see the beginning of slot machines installation and configuration whereas the 60 staff members are also about to commence their training.
It should be taken into account that back in 2012 the slots available at this very venue were 450, meaning that a reduction has taken place. Projections for this year are that the venue is about to generate allocation amounting to CA$400,000. Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation and the casino operator worked on the CCTV, all amenities needed for the food offerings, as well as the IT systems.
Express bar available on Gateway Casinos Sarnia would aim to elevate the experience, meaning that it needed the plumbing and installation of various systems needed. As for the gaming hall operation, it is about to welcome patrons between 9 a.m. and 1 a.m. every day for the week. December 2019 saw the casino operator announce it is looking to hire as many as 60 individuals ready to oversee operation at the gaming location. A job fair was held on December 12.
