Sault Ste. Marie has been among the areas where casino operation has been in progress for about two decades under the careful supervision of Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.
The vacant patch of land next to the casino venue Gateway Casinos & Entertainment manages might soon see major development, the details around which would be revealed in the foreseeable future. Media outlets were notified that the City Council would report on the upcoming project.
Very soon Sault Ste. Marie would learn more about development that could change the local landscape and its future as a vibrant area. Since it took control over the existing casino location, Gateway Casinos has not done any changes to the area, but this could change with emerging details on a future project. A non-tourism development has been proposed for the land adjacent to the existing casino venue.
Project Details Revealed Soon
More information about the proposed project is about to be revealed later this Thursday at a special media briefing focusing solely on this subject. For quite some time the zone adjacent to Bay Street and St. Mary’s River Drive has remained unutilized when it could be attracting a crowd on a daily basis.
In order to make this happen, the City Council would have to review the project. In the area in question, several bus stops are located, as well as a Canada Post branch, as well as a TD Canada one. The waterfront development would take place in the vicinity of Delta Hotels by Marriott Sault Ste. Marie Waterfront, as well as Roberta Bondar Marina.
Next Monday is projected to see a special report on the future project being thoroughly reviewed by the City Council. It could be recalled that more than a decade ago, Philip Garforth proposed a $54-million rainforest bio-dome tourist attraction for the area in question, which was projected to bring more people to the already busy waterfront area of Sault Ste. Marie. However, the City Council decided to put an end to this conversation in 2007.
Gateway Invests CA$220M in Ontario Casinos
The casino location many locals have enjoyed on a regular basis over the past two decades welcomed its first casino patrons in 1999. Back then, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation managed the nearly 14 acres of land. The entertainment complex itself manages to cover about 84 percent of the overall footprint of the land, leaving something to be desired.
It features a casino venue, premium restaurant, as well as a bar with a wide range of offerings for all of its customers. The gaming floor itself comes with 425 slot devices, as well as 11 table games, among which three poker ones. In 2017, Gateway Casinos paid some CA$79,349,000 for the Northern Ontario Gaming Bundle.
This casino operating and service agreement inked with Ontario Lottery and Gaming gave it the rights to manage existing properties in Thunder Bay, Sudbury and the Sault Ste. Marie. In addition to that, the casino operator received green light for future projects in Kenora and North Bay. December 2018 saw Gateway Casinos announce that the Sault Ste. Marie gaming location would not see renovation for the time being, as some CA$220 million would be invested in six other casinos across Ontario.
