Gateway Casinos & Entertainment is going to bring the slot machines venue back to life and make Gateway Casinos Sarnia one of the hotspots in Canada. Both the horse racing field and the gaming venue are projected to feel the positive impact of their joint operation and customers surge down the road.
Gaming locations remaining vacant for longer have the potential to support their host community that goes unutilized. Over the past eight years, the gaming venue adjacent to Hiawatha Horse Park has remained non-operational, due to the official end of the Slots at Racetracks Program in Ontario. In the late 1990s, the government introduced slots gaming to 17 racetracks across the province.
Where is Sarnia?
Sarnia is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, and has the largest city on Lake Huron and in Lambton County. Sarnia is located on the eastern bank of the junction between the Upper and Lower Great Lakes where Lake Huron flows into the St. Clair River, which forms the Canada–United States border, directly across from Port Huron, Michigan. Sarnia is home to the Sarnia Sting, a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League.
Hiawatha Horse Park in Sarnia
As a result of Gateway Casinos & Entertainment operation, the province and the local horse racing field benefitted and amassed upwards of CA$9 million over the span of a decade. Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation oversaw the slot machines placed at the special venues called OLG Slots. Many of them have been rebranded to Gateway Casinos over the past few years.
Thanks to the Provincial Liberals, the program came to an end and horse racetracks across the province were deprived of the additional financial support coming from the gaming venues. Now it is time for the revival of one of this program’s most popular locations – the one located at Hiawatha Horse Park in Sarnia. As many as 150 slot machines are about to welcome back players of legal age.
The refurbishment has already taken place on the premises of Gateway Casinos Sarnia and now about to be dedicated to the final touches placed on its interior. Locals would be welcomed by a luxury furnishing and premium slot machines ready to make them much richer and happier. The gaming floor itself amounts to 6,700 square feet.
According to Rob Mitchell, spokesperson for Gateway Casinos the work on Gateway Casinos Sarnia is almost completed following months of preparation and would see the official launch of operation anytime. Players would also see the beginning of slot machines installation and configuration whereas the 60 staff members are also about to commence their training.
It should be taken into account that back in 2012 the slots available at this very venue were 450, meaning that a reduction has taken place. Projections for this year are that the venue is about to generate allocation amounting to CA$400,000. Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation and the casino operator worked on the CCTV, all amenities needed for the food offerings, as well as the IT systems.
Express bar available on Gateway Casinos Sarnia would aim to elevate the experience, meaning that it needed the plumbing and installation of various systems needed. As for the gaming hall operation, it is about to welcome patrons between 9 a.m. and 1 a.m. every day for the week.
Starlight Casino Point Edward
Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited has also officially opened the brand-new Starlight Casino, Point Edward. Starlight Point Edward is the first Starlight brand to open in Ontario. The Starlight Casino brand will provide guests with the glitz, glamour and vintage feel of retro Vegas in a high energy atmosphere, centered around a dining, gaming and entertainment experience that sets it uniquely apart from any other entertainment facility.
From the casual player to the high roller, the Slots floor offers a wide selection of new arrivals and classic games like:
- Fu Dao Le
- 88 Fortunes
- Lightning Link
- Buffalo Gold
- Lock it Link
- Gong Xi Fa Cai
- Sphinx 3D
- Wonder Woman
- Game King
All machines are coinless and use ticket in or bill in/ticket out technology. With machines ranging in price from 1 penny all the way up to twenty-five dollar machines, you are sure to find one to call your favorite.
The Table Games to enjoy at the casino are:
- Blackjack with Perfect Pair and Lucky Lucky
- Roulette
- Spanish 21
- Hold’em Poker
- Mississippi Stud Poker
- Three Card Poker
- High Card Flush
Table Game Hours are Monday – Wednesday • 4pm – 2am | Thursday – Saturday • 10am – 4am and on Sundays • 10am – 2am
The new Starlight Casino Point Edward is home to Gateway’s signature brand restaurants MATCH Eatery & Public House, The Buffet and the Nova Bar, a new cocktail lounge and a first for Ontario to join its cousin in Starlight Edmonton. Located just outside Sarnia in the Village of Point Edward, the casino features 25 live table games, three devoted exclusively to Poker and 494 slots across 75,000 square feet and employs 340 people.
Starlight Point Edward was designed and built with an eye to complimenting the surrounding community – on both sides of the border – with a broad audience in mind, not just guests who only enjoy casino gaming. The MATCH Eatery & Public House has a separate entrance from the casino, it’s an ideal venue for families or anyone who wants to savour a great meal or a casual drink while admiring a beautiful view of the river and the Bluewater Bridge. The MATCH Eatery & Public House is featured at 10 of Gateway’s locations in Western Canada and has proven one of most popular dining destinations.
Also new to Point Edward is the Nova Bar which is located inside the casino on the gaming floor right next to all the action. The Nova Bar features the same array of exotic drinks as MATCH along with craft beers and the regular fare you would expect from a funky, upscale cosmopolitan cocktail lounge. The Nova Bar is the perfect spot to plan a romantic rendezvous, soak up the ambiance and excitement of the gaming floor or sip on a beverage and enjoy some lively conversation with friends.
Completing the Starlight culinary landscape is The Buffet, a place guaranteed to satisfy most every appetite with a combination of excellent food at value pricing. The ever-changing menu highlights cuisine from around the globe with popular theme nights featuring an array of international specialties.
A commitment to responsible gambling is integral to how Gateway operates in Ontario including OLG’s PlaySmart program. All Gateway properties in BC and Ontario hold RG Check accreditation. Together with OLG and other government partners, Gateway will continue to implement responsible gambling initiatives at all properties across Canada.
You can visit Starlight casino at 2000 Venetian Blvd, Point Edward, ON N7T 8G4, Canada
Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited
Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited is one of the largest and most diversified gaming and entertainment companies in Canada. Across its 26 gaming properties in British Columbia, Ontario and Edmonton, Alberta, Gateway currently employs approximately 8,600 people and boasts approximately 429 table games (including 48 poker tables), 13,818 slots, 82 restaurants and bars and 561 hotel rooms. As the new service provider for the Central Gaming Bundle in Ontario, Gateway recently added two new properties and one new planned build in Wasaga Beach to its portfolio. Some of Gateway’s proprietary brands include Match Eatery & Public House, Atlas Steak + Fish and the new Halley’s Club. In 2017, Gateway celebrated 25 years in the business of gaming and entertainment in Canada. Further information is available at www.gatewaycasinos.com.