Pickering Casino to Host Grand Opening April 8, 2020

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All new Pickering Casino Resort to open in GTA next month.

A huge celebration will take place just four weeks from now. Great Canadian Gaming (GCG) has announced it will host the long-awaited grand opening of its newest casino next month. Situated just east of Toronto, the all new Pickering Casino is sure to attract a lot of attention from both locals and tourists.

Construction crews are still on site, working at full speed to complete the final stages of the build. GCG is confident that the project will be completed by the second week of April; so confident they’ve set an official date for the grand opening. It’s a launch several years in the making, and one that comes with additional phases in the months ahead.

Pickering Casino Resort Grand Opening April 8, 2020

GCG has scheduled a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Wednesday, April 8, 2020. The mid-week party date was intentional, no doubt, as these events tend to come with door prizes for the first however-many guests. Hosting the celebration on a Wednesday should cut down on the number of tourists, making it more convenient for locals to enjoy the festivities.

The grand opening celebration is expected to draw a decent amount of attention as the city’s residents have been hearing about this project for the last few years. No doubt thousands of locals will be eager to explore the property and see what GCG has spent so much time, money and effort putting together.

It was initially believed that the opening of Pickering Casino would spell the end of Ajax Casino at Ajax Down. After all, the new Pickering site is only a 10-12 minute drive from the Ajax gambling destination, also managed by GCG. However, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp (OLG) decided to keep the Slots at Ajax Downs, thereby preserving racing venue, as well as the jobs of many of that location’s employees. The attraction to Pickering’s new casino will be a) its proximity to Toronto, and b) the availability of live dealer table games.

According to the official website, the Phase One launch will include “over 2,000 Slot Machines, 100 Live Table Games, and 167 Live Dealer Stadium Gaming terminals.” Restaurant menus are said to offer fine dining, pub fare, an “upscale buffet”, and more.

Opposition Still Wary of Market Saturation

The Grater Toronto Area (GTA) is already home to several gambling facilities. Many did – and still do – argue over the need for new gambling property in the Durham region. GCG may have dibs on most of the area’s gambling revenue, but the owners of Casino Rama aren’t so pleased with the situation.

Casino Rama, located 115km north of Toronto, was opened in 1996 by the Chippewa of Rama First Nation. For more than two decades, it was the area’s largest and most visited casino; among the most famous in all of Ontario, outside of the Niagara Falls region. Now, its owners fear the property will eventually be unable to sustain operations as they lose patrons from Ajax, Markham and Pickering. Additional expansions at GCG’s Casino Woodbine and Great Blue Heron Casino in western GTA don’t bode well for them, either. And no doubt it’s going to get worse before it gets better.

Hotel and Arena to Open by End of 2020

Before the year is out, construction on Phase Two of the Pickering Casino Resort should be complete as well. When it is, the property will be welcoming the first guests to its 275-room luxury hotel tower. Adjacent to that will be a 2,500 seat arena, promising to host year-round concerts, theatre performances, and other live events.