Gearing Up for Gateway’s Ontario Casino Party June 22

It’s official – Gateway will be hosting a big celebratory bash at all Ontario casinos this summer, and everyone (old enough to enter) is invited! The date is set for June 22, 2017, as Gateway Casinos prepares to celebrate its new customers in style.

Why all the fanfare, you ask? Gateway Casinos & Entertainment has quite a lot to celebrate this month. Following the expansion into Ontario, Gateway has positioned itself as “Canada’s largest and most diversified gaming and entertainment company”.

Gateway’s Transition Into Ontario

In 2010, Gateway Casinos was responsible for the operation of just 9 gaming properties in Canada. That year, the company underwent restructuring by its proprietor, Catalyst Capital Group. With new management at the helm, Gateway transitioned to a customer-centric business, and the brand has soared ever since.

Late last year, Gateway inked a 20-year contract with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) that guaranteed immense growth for the brand. Gateway was granted day-to-day management of all Ontario casino properties, building the firm’s portfolio to 28 gaming facilities across Canada.

On Tuesday, May 9, the first of two transitions was completed.

“Today is a very exciting day and an important milestone for Gateway as we expand our footprint into Ontario with the completion of the transition process in Southwestern Ontario,” said Gateway CEO Tony Santo.

“We thank the OLG for the hard work throughout the transition process and we look forward to our long-term partnership,” he continued. “On behalf of our 4,200 employees in Western Canada, we are very proud to officially welcome the OLG colleagues to our Gateway team.”

Gateway’s New Ontario Casino Properties

Gateway Casino is now the proud manager of all Southwestern Ontario casinos, identified in the 20-year contract as the “Southwest Gaming Bundle”. These properties include:

Point Edward Casino & Slots
Slots at Woodstock Raceway
Slots at Western Fair District, London
Slots at Clinton Raceway
Slots at Dresden Raceway
Slots at Hanover Raceway

Before the month is out, Gateway’s Ontario casino properties will increase further with the transition of the OLG’s “North Gaming Bundle”. The company said it expects to undertake control of those properties in late May 2017. They include:

Thunder Bay Casino & Slots
Sault Ste. Marie Casino & Slots
Slots at Sudbury Downs
And two proposed casino properties in Kenora and North Bay, pending final approval and construction.

$200 Investment in Southwest Ontario Casinos

A press release announcing yesterday’s successful transition came with a message that Gateway Casinos will be investing $200 million towards improvements to the customer experience at their new Southwest Ontario casinos.

“Gateway’s growth strategy and focus on a superior customer experience revolves around investing in the company’s unique gaming properties and creating a broader attraction across numerous demographics,” said Gateway Executive Chairman Gabriel de Alba.

“We are bringing this same approach to Southwestern Ontario with a planned investment of over $200 Million to revitalize and enhance the gaming and entertainment landscape.”

Customer Celebration at All Ontario Casinos

On June 22, 2017, with the transition behind them, Gateway is planning a customer celebration that will encompass all of their newly acquired Ontario casino properties. According to yesterday’s press release:

“The daylong celebration will include new and exciting promotions and prizes, live entertainment, Gateway merchandise giveaways and delicious food and drink specials.”

The announcement directed readers to visit www.gatewaycainos.com for more information on the upcoming party, but try as we might, we were unable to find any mention of it beyond the original press release. We can only assume more details will follow as the date approaches.