Canada: opening of Cascades Casino Delta postponed to 2021

Gateway Casino & Entertainment, a gaming and entertainment company that operates 12 casinos in British Columbia and Alberta, has confirmed that Delta residents will have to wait a while longer before sinking a few bucks into the slot machines close to home.

During an investor conference call this month on Gateway’s planned merger with Leisure Acquisition Corp. to create a publicly-traded company valued at nearly $1.5 billion, it was reported that the $87-million Cascades Casino Delta is scheduled to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2021.

Located at the former Delta Town & Country Inn site in Ladner, the facility will include a 40,000-square-foot gaming floor with up to 600 slot machines and 30 gaming tables, as well as a Match Eatery & Public House, a buffet and Atlas Steak + Fish restaurant.

"We are working on the extensive land preparation and expect construction of the building to begin in early 2020," Tanya Gabara, director of public relations, told the Optimist. "It has been our experience with projects such as this that it is best to open all of the amenities at once as opposed to a phased approach. As such, it is our plan to adjust the projected opening so that all the spectacular amenities of Cascades Casino Delta are ready for guests at the grand opening."

Gateway had previously targeted an opening in late 2020, the Delta-Optimist reports.

Gabara added Gateway is continuing to work closely with the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) to determine the casino floor layout and product mix.

About 4,000 adults from Delta are registered to play at casinos elsewhere in the region, so a built-in market is already there, according to the BCLC during the application phase. The lottery corporation also stated a Delta casino would also serve a wider market south of the Fraser River.

BCLC approved the project in late 2018, following Delta council’s earlier approval, but the provincial Ministry of Transportation didn’t sign off on the project until last spring.