The Canadian gaming and entertainment operator Gateway Casinos revealed that it is considering two alternative locations for its multi-million casino project. The company shared that it might be forced to pick a new spot for the CA$140-million London casino development as its negotiations with the Western Fair District have been taking too long.
As revealed by the Gatewayās Director of Communications and Public Affairs, Rob Mitchell, the casino operator has taken in considerations two locations at Wonderland Road to check whether they meet the companyās needs in terms of required square footage for the project and all the amenities set to be offered.
āWeāve always maintained that we are going to look at a variety of locationsā – Rob Mitchell, Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Gateway Casinos and Entertainment
The ground at the Western Fair District is owned by both the City of London and the Western Fair. The latterās Chief Executive Officer Hugh Mitchell has confessed that the gambling operator has faced some difficulties on the way to building a new casino in the City of London. He also explained that the company is still welcome to build its casino at the Western Fair District location, under terms and conditions which make that a reasonable deal for the region.
Mr. Mitchell further revealed that a meeting between him and the Western Fair, with representatives of the City of London and Gateway Casinos, is set to be held sometime next week so that the parties involved in the casino project construction process will continue ironing their differences out.
Gateway Casinos Treated as Anyone Else, Says Ward 4 Coun. Helmer
The new London casino project of Gateway Casinos has seen various hurdles so far. In fact, construction works were planned to be underway at this time of the year, but instead, the company has been forced to deal with zoning regulations, a compliance regulation with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), as well as with a surprising archaeological study.
The above-mentioned obstacles have been preventing Gateway Casinos from moving forward with the project.
Ward 4 Councillor Jesse Helmer, however, suspected that the company has decided to suggest it has other options to go on with the project as a negotiating tactic in order to make the process faster. According to him, the Canadian gambling operator has faced the same treatment as anyone else who would want to develop a piece of land which was not zoned for a particular activity.
ā(…) everyone goes through zoning, zoning applies to everybody and thatās just part and parcel of doing business in the city of London.ā – Ward 4 Councillor Jesse Helmer.
Back in December 2017, Gateway Casinos revealed plans to build a āpremium brandā gambling venue at the Western Fair. The facility is set to include a new gaming floor, a large dining area featuring four restaurants, as well as a 125-room hotel. The official approval of the casino construction process was given by London City Council in April 2018. Under the permission of the City Council, increased gaming options including up to 1,200 slot machines and 50 table games are to be offered in the City of London.
