The new Shorelines Casino Peterborough opened in the middle of October, offering 22 table games, 500 slot machines, along with a 230-seat buffet restaurant and a 40-seat a la carte restaurant. As Casino Reports revealed at the time, hundreds of gambling enthusiasts have visited the casino during the official opening, with many of them saying that this was exactly the type of entertainment facility which the area was missing.
However, the opening of the full-service casino raised some questions regarding the possible impact which the opening of the facility could have on more vulnerable society members.
Last week, at the time when the “Know the Signs” prevention initiative of the Responsible Gaming Council kicked off in the region, it became clear that more than 330,000 people in the province of Ontario suffer from a moderate to severe gambling addiction. When it comes to Peterborough in particular, there are currently 8,500 people with moderate to severe gambling problem in the city and its surrounding area.
Sat Nov 3: Seminar – Responsible Gambling Council presents Peterborough Problem Gambling Prevention Week: "Know the Signs" from 12-4pm at Shorelines Casino #Ptbo – https://t.co/a4wojbueFa
— kawarthaNOW.com ® (@kawarthaNOW) November 2, 2018
At a time when problem gambling has become one of the hottest topics on a global scale, the opening of the Shorelines Casino Peterborough has raised some questions related to the possible increase of gambling addiction rates in the region. Despite the fact that many people in the area have been glad about the fact that a new entertainment venue has opened, some gambling addiction experts have been trying to raise local residents’ awareness of gambling-related harm.
People Should Be Aware of Possible Gambling-Related Harm
As mentioned above, the newly-opened casino took part in the Peterborough Gambling Prevention Week by hosting the “Know the Signs” campaign which was focused on promoting the campaign among local gamblers and providing them with more information about the major signs of gambling addiction and tips how to protect themselves.
As previously revealed by Casino Reports, the team lead of the gambling awareness campaign, Greg Eaton, shared that it is important for people to set limits on their gambling, both in terms of time and money, and find what he called “a healthy balance” between gambling and other aspects of their lives.
The CA$49-million facility is situated on 50,000 square feet. The new Ontario’s southern gateway gambling venue is operated by Great Canadian Gaming Corporation (GCCC). The GCCC planned to remove the games situated at Kawartha Downs race track-situated Shorelines Slots as soon as the Shorelines Casino Peterborough started functioning. However, these plans faced the opposition of the workers union which represents the employees at Kawartha Downs – the Service Employees International Union Local 2.
And #ShorelinesCasinoPeterborough is officially open! #StrengtheningBusiness #TeamPtbo
The new facility will create 188 new jobs for a total of 300+ jobs.
Shorelines Peterborough also announced @5CountiesKids as their Signature Charity with a $5000 donation. pic.twitter.com/nG48Kh12mx
— Peterborough Chamber (@ptbochamber) October 15, 2018
A few days before the official opening of the Shorelines Casino Peterborough, the Government of the province declared its back-up for the horse racing industry in Ontario, saying that it would make sure that some slot machines will be kept operating at Kawartha Downs.
