Things are getting only worse and worse for the proponents of the highly-discussed full-blown casino project on the Kingsway in Sudbury. One group, in particular, took actions with the purpose of putting a stop to the city’s plan of allowing the construction of an entertainment complex in Sudbury. The group is called No Casino Sudbury and it is currently trying to build enough support from locals in an attempt to convince the city officials to forget their casino plans. Seeking more endorsement from locals, the group’s latest plan is to host a town hall meeting sometime in January in order to warn people about the potential dangers of gambling.
The group has a number of reasons to oppose the construction of the full-fledged entertainment complex, proposed by the Canadian gamblingGateway Casinos & Entertainment. The proposed casino fueled concerns that gambling contributes to gambling problems and harms. On Tuesday, Cathy Orlando, one of the meeting’s organizers commented that everyone pointed out the benefits of hosting a casino, but none explained the downside of it.
Orlando added that the group’s mission is to open the eyes of the locals and provide a detailed information regarding the disadvantages and dangers of hosting a casino in Sudbury. According to the group’s prognosis, the presence of a casino can affect between 12% to 14% of the population. The group is concerned that the locals are to suffer the negative aspects of the casino presence, while the city officials are to benefit from it.
The other reason for the group to oppose the casino construction is the specific features of the city. Orlando explained that the casino will not attract more out-of-the-city visitors. She projected that locals will be the most frequent visitors to the casino. In fact, the anti-casino group is discussing the issue for 2 years thus far. Orlando added that the slot machines at the former raceway in Chelmsford cannot be compared to a full-blown casino that is to offer all type of gambling activities.
More Information Regarding the Project
Proponents of Gateway’s casino project explained that the new gambling property is to pump fresh money into the city’s economy and decrease the unemployment rate. As it can be recalled, in June this year, Gateway came out with the idea to build a multi-million full-fledged entertainment complex in Greater Sudbury.
The entertainment complex is said to feature gambling and non-gambling amenities, including a hotel, restaurants, bars, meeting facilities for business purposes and others. But what made the city officials to approve the casino project was Gateway’s proposal to build a 6,000-seat arena with a single ice pad. Earlier this year, it was announced that the arena should be open by the end of April 2020.
