A new Gateway Casinos Sarnia will open in late January with 150 slot machines and about 60 employees, says Rob Mitchell, spokesman for Gateway Casinos & Entertainment.
Gateway is a private company that will operate the new gaming facility under construction at Hiawatha Horse Park on London Line. It already runs the Starlight Casino in Point Edward, which is “proving to be a very successful operation,” Mitchell said.
When Gateway assumed management of the Point Edward casino it completed a $26-million overhaul of the 19-year-old facility.
Re-opening a smaller slots facility at Hiawatha wasn’t on Gateway’s radar until the company was directed to do so by the Ontario government, said Mitchell.
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Located just outside Sarnia in the Village of Point Edward, the casino features 25 live table games, three devoted exclusively to Poker and 494 slots across 75,000 square feet and employs 340 people. As host municipality, Sarnia will receive a percentage of the slots revenue through an agreement Bradley helped negotiate with OLG in 2000. The city is estimating the slots will mean another $400,000 a year in revenue Sarnia plans to use for capital projects, Bradley said. Henderson said it felt good to see the slots operation open again. Hiawatha Horse Park and Casino in Sarnia Ontario Canada features harness racing plus a 32,000 square foot casino floor with 450 slot machines and two restaurants. Address Hiawatha Horse Casino 1730 London Line Sarnia, Ontario N7T 27H2 Canada. Contact Information Tel: 519-542-5543 Website. Sunday Slot Cars. Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of a Page. Best kept secret in Sarnia! Had an excellent plated breakfast (served mornings Monday thru Friday) consisting of two bacon strips, two sausage links, two eggs, tater tots, toast and coffee for only $5.95. Sat next to huge window overlooking river and watched freighters sail by as we ate breakfast. Only negative, there was only one waitress.
The Point Edward and Sarnia locations are within 10 kilometres of each another.
“Reactivating Hiawatha was a decision made by the Ford government,” said Mitchell. “We are the service provider. It’s not something we decided.”
Hiawatha owner Jim Henderson said he had a lot to do with slots returning to the track he built more than 25 years ago. The horse racing industry has ups and down but the best years for him and the horsemen were when Hiawatha Slots operated from the same building.
The former Liberal government abruptly shut down Hiawatha Slots in 2012, throwing about 140 people out of work and creating uncertainty in the racing community.
Last year, the Conservatives offered tracks the choice of taking cash to bolster the racing industry or get a slots operation. Unlike tracks in Fort Erie and Dresden, Henderson chose the slots.
“This is better for the community,” he said. “I could have taken the cash but there’s so much happening in Sarnia right now, this was better for everyone.”
Henderson made significant upgrades earlier this year to the building before Gateway took out a $2.9-million building permit and began retrofitting the new gaming floor in October.
This week, walls are being painted, the accessible washrooms are nearly complete and the slot machines will be installed soon, Henderson said.
“It looks really good.”
Mitchell confirmed that Gateway wants to open by Jan. 31 in approximately the same space as the original Hiawatha Slots. But it will have 150 machines and not the 450 Hiawatha had prior to closing.
Sarnia council has readily endorsed the plan. The city is in line to reap 5.25% of the first $65 million generated by the slots.
Mitchell said hiring is ongoing and Gateway has posted 15 job opportunities on its website, including positions for auditor, cage supervisor, guest services personnel, housekeeping, server and slot technician.
A job fair might be held in January, he added.
While the municipal slot revenue and new jobs are good news for the community, Henderson might be the biggest beneficiary.
He’s never seen so much interest in the London Line property, which has about 160 acres surrounding the racetrack. The return of Hiawatha Slots is already making “a huge difference,” he said.
“I’ve got people who want to build a hotel talking to me. There’s a restaurant chain that’s interested and a box store.
“They’ve got the paperwork drawn up already, and the hotel chain is a solid company from Toronto.
“With all the stuff happening at Hiawatha and in the Valley, the hotel people say they can get occupancy several nights a week.”
Henderson is so optimistic about Hiawatha’s future he expanded the property by buying another 15 acres next to TJ Liquidators.
“The premier said he’d do it and he did,” Henderson said. “He came here and he told us he knew the industry was messed up and that he wanted to help.”
Premier Doug Ford met with Henderson in Sarnia last November. He pledged then to come back and cut the ribbon on the new Gateway Casinos Sarnia.
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Posted in: NewsGateway Casinos & Entertainment is going to bring the slot machines venue back to life and make Gateway Casinos Sarnia one of the hotspots in Canada. 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.
Where is Sarnia?
Sarnia is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, and has the largest city on Lake Huron and in Lambton County. Sarnia is located on the eastern bank of the junction between the Upper and Lower Great Lakes where Lake Huron flows into the St. Clair River, which forms the Canada–United States border, directly across from Port Huron, Michigan. Sarnia is home to the Sarnia Sting, a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League.
Hiawatha Horse Park in Sarnia
As a result of Gateway Casinos & Entertainment 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 now 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.
According to Rob Mitchell, spokesperson for Gateway Casinos the work on Gateway Casinos Sarnia is almost completed following months of preparation and would see the official launch of operation anytime. Players would also 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.
Starlight Casino Point Edward
Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited has also officially opened the brand-new Starlight Casino, Point Edward. Starlight Point Edward is the first Starlight brand to open in Ontario. The Starlight Casino brand will provide guests with the glitz, glamour and vintage feel of retro Vegas in a high energy atmosphere, centered around a dining, gaming and entertainment experience that sets it uniquely apart from any other entertainment facility.
From the casual player to the high roller, the Slots floor offers a wide selection of new arrivals and classic games like:
- Fu Dao Le
- 88 Fortunes
- Lightning Link
- Buffalo Gold
- Lock it Link
- Gong Xi Fa Cai
- Sphinx 3D
- Wonder Woman
- Game King
All machines are coinless and use ticket in or bill in/ticket out technology. With machines ranging in price from 1 penny all the way up to twenty-five dollar machines, you are sure to find one to call your favorite.
The Table Games to enjoy at the casino are:
- Blackjack with Perfect Pair and Lucky Lucky
- Roulette
- Spanish 21
- Hold’em Poker
- Mississippi Stud Poker
- Three Card Poker
- High Card Flush
Table Game Hours are Monday – Wednesday • 4pm – 2am | Thursday – Saturday • 10am – 4am and on Sundays • 10am – 2am
The new Starlight Casino Point Edward is home to Gateway’s signature brand restaurants MATCH Eatery & Public House, The Buffet and the Nova Bar, a new cocktail lounge and a first for Ontario to join its cousin in Starlight Edmonton. Located just outside Sarnia in the Village of Point Edward, the casino features 25 live table games, three devoted exclusively to Poker and 494 slots across 75,000 square feet and employs 340 people.
Starlight Point Edward was designed and built with an eye to complimenting the surrounding community – on both sides of the border – with a broad audience in mind, not just guests who only enjoy casino gaming. The MATCH Eatery & Public House has a separate entrance from the casino, it’s an ideal venue for families or anyone who wants to savour a great meal or a casual drink while admiring a beautiful view of the river and the Bluewater Bridge. The MATCH Eatery & Public House is featured at 10 of Gateway’s locations in Western Canada and has proven one of most popular dining destinations.
Also new to Point Edward is the Nova Bar which is located inside the casino on the gaming floor right next to all the action. The Nova Bar features the same array of exotic drinks as MATCH along with craft beers and the regular fare you would expect from a funky, upscale cosmopolitan cocktail lounge. The Nova Bar is the perfect spot to plan a romantic rendezvous, soak up the ambiance and excitement of the gaming floor or sip on a beverage and enjoy some lively conversation with friends.
Completing the Starlight culinary landscape is The Buffet, a place guaranteed to satisfy most every appetite with a combination of excellent food at value pricing. The ever-changing menu highlights cuisine from around the globe with popular theme nights featuring an array of international specialties.
A commitment to responsible gambling is integral to how Gateway operates in Ontario including OLG’s PlaySmart program. All Gateway properties in BC and Ontario hold RG Check accreditation. Together with OLG and other government partners, Gateway will continue to implement responsible gambling initiatives at all properties across Canada.
Sarnia Racetrack Slots
You can visit Starlight casino at 2000 Venetian Blvd, Point Edward, ON N7T 8G4, Canada
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Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited
Sarnia Raceway And Slots
Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited is one of the largest and most diversified gaming and entertainment companies in Canada. Across its 26 gaming properties in British Columbia, Ontario and Edmonton, Alberta, Gateway currently employs approximately 8,600 people and boasts approximately 429 table games (including 48 poker tables), 13,818 slots, 82 restaurants and bars and 561 hotel rooms. As the new service provider for the Central Gaming Bundle in Ontario, Gateway recently added two new properties and one new planned build in Wasaga Beach to its portfolio. Some of Gateway’s proprietary brands include Match Eatery & Public House, Atlas Steak + Fish and the new Halley’s Club. In 2017, Gateway celebrated 25 years in the business of gaming and entertainment in Canada. Further information is available at www.gatewaycasinos.com.