Gateway pushing for new casino games facility in Ladner, BC.
Earlier this year, Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Ltd. won a huge bid in Ontario. The company gained the 20-year-rights to run two major gaming bundles in the north and southwest regions for the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG). That move officially pushed Gateway into the position of the largest, most diversified gaming company in all of Canada.
With so much momentum at their backs, why not push for more? That’s exactly what Gateway is doing. The company has submitted an official proposal to build another new casino in Ladner, Delta, British Columbia.
Gateway is already operating 11 casinos in BC. In fact, half of their Canadian casinos are located in this province, along with 9 more in Ontario and 2 in Alberta. But British Columbia is a large province. There’s plenty of room to build another integrated casino resort here, right? Well, that’s not exactly the plan. Gateway wants to drop a new BC casino right in the middle of the region’s largest cluster of gaming facilities.
The above map is a quick screenshot I took from Google maps. It depicts all of the current gaming facilities south and southeast of Vancouver. You’ll notice the Delta Town & Country Inn, marked with a purple dot. This 11-acre plot is where Gateway is hoping to build the newest Canadian casino.
New Casino Games Facility in Ladner, BC
Gateway submitted its application for approval during a council meeting on Monday. A letter of intent was issued to Ladner Mayor Lois Jackson, as well as provincial regulators with the BC Lottery Corporation. It tells of the company’s plans for the new gambling and entertainment complex.
They expect to spend CA-$70 million on the project. The casino venue would include 600 slot machines and 24 table games. The plan involves much more than just a casino, but not much more than most other gambling destinations of its size.
Gateway says the complex will come complete with a 116-room hotel, multiple restaurants and meeting space to attract big business types. As previously mentioned, the new BC casino would be built /integrated into the current location of the Delta Town & Country Inn.
Expect Delays in New BC Casino
Even if Gateway does manage to get approved for the new casino, it won’t happen anytime soon. Brad Desmarais, VP of Casino and Community Gaming at BCLC, was acquiesce enough to the proposal to deem it discussion-worthy, but there are many more hurdles to jump.
As usual, the proposal will require a public consultation period. During this time, numerous challenges are sure to arise from the Ladner community. Increased crime and traffic generally top the objection list. Zoning approval would also be necessary for the intended location. Each of these hurdles can be a slow, pains-taking process.
If everything falls into place without a hitch, it would still be at least late 2018 before construction could begin. Gateway is confident in its proposal, though, and has already scheduled an estimated grand opening date for October 2020.
As many casinos as there are in this region of British Columbia, some analysts believe the proposal is coming at just the right time, and in just the right location. BC chose Delta last year as the potential host of a new casino games property. And no doubt the city would benefit greatly from additional job openings and the tax dollars (10% of gaming revenue) it would bring in.
