City preps for grand opening of all new Hanover, Ontario casino on April 11.
The city of Hanover is abuzz with excitement as the grand re-opening of its casino draws nigh. Last night, Gateway Casinos & Entertainment held a sneak-peak soft launch in which more than 350 individuals were invited to visit the renovated and expanded gambling property. Three weeks from now, an official ceremony will welcome all to partake in the new experience.
Gateway spared no expense in renovating the Southern Ontario casino, shelling out approximately $18 million on the project. On Thursday, April 11, 2019, locals, residents of nearby communities and tourists from far and wide are sure to turn out for the big grand re-opening ceremony to see where all those millions went.
What’s New at Gateway’s Hanover, Ontario Casino?
The most obvious change at the refurbished casino property is the signage. Gateway has opted for a total rebranding of the property. The former Gateway Casinos Hanover will henceforth be known as Playtime Casino Hanover. The Playtime name coincides with the company’s recent launch of Playtime Casino Kelowna in British Columbia, and is sure to appear on the facade of more Gateway-owned casinos in the future.
The newly remodeled casino is also housing a lot more games these days. Prior to the renovation, the Hanover casino played host to just 196 slot machines, and nothing more. In fact, since it was first opened in 2001, it was just another OLG Slots parlor – but one that happened to get a fair amount of visitors (avg. 860+ per day) due to its location at the Hanover Raceway, (est. 1964).
The expansion saw Gateway increase the facility’s slots capacity to over 300 gaming machines, as well as installing 8 live dealer table games. The new table games include Blackjack, Roulette, 3 Card Poker, Spanish 21, Mississippi Stud, and Ultimate Texas Hold’em.
Where the casino once offered only a single dining option, it’s now home to the same signature restaurants found in all Gateway Casinos – MATCH Eatery & Public House, a family oriented dining experience, and The Buffet, located directly across from the casino gaming floor.
Good for the Goose, Good for the Gander
The new Playtime Casino Hanover isn’t just a more modern, game-rich facility for casino fans. It’s projected to be a boon for the entire community. For starters, the facility is now set to employ 200 permanent, full time, local workers – 70 more than the previous slots facility.
City officials are expecting a bulkier donation to their tax coffers following the modernization and table games expansion, too. The previous quarterly allotment of non-taxable gaming revenue paid to Hanover by OLG was more than $302k; a mere fraction of the total $17.4 million given to the city since the casino opened in 2001.
The soft launch gave us a bird’s eye view into what’s to come, but the project isn’t 100% complete yet. Gateway is still putting the finishing touches on an elaborate patio, equipped to seat up to 96 patrons overlooking the Hanover Raceway. That particular arrangement isn’t expected to welcome guests until May 2019.
It’s taken 7 months to complete these renovations (minus the patio, that is). The casino, which now spans 32,672 sq.ft., plus a generous 3,283 sq.ft. mezzanine, is now anything but the original “slots in a box” that it has been for the past 17 years.
Last night’s soft launch attracted so much attention, locals began arriving as early as 2 pm, despite the fact that the doors would not open until 5 pm. Now that the facility is back open for business, it will be interesting to see how many turn out – and how early they arrive – for the grand re-opening on April 11.
