It’s been a good week for casinos in Canada as one major venue is getting a makeover while another one has finally got the go-ahead to start construction. Here is a look at the biggest casino news of the week:
Casino Niagara Getting Major Facelift
Good news for gamblers in the Southern Ontario region of Canada: Casino Niagara is getting an injection of about $7 million to spruce up their facilities. The project is due to end this fall with $3.5 million going to a redesign of the facility to create a better experience for their customers and then another $3.5 million going into the tech and gaming aspect of what they do. The investment is tied to Casino Niagara’s 20-year anniversary, so they’re hoping to tie that in as a marketing re-launch.
There will be some parts of the casino that will have to be closed down while the project takes place, but the plan is to work in phases and keep most of it operational throughout the process. Casino Niagara is one of two major casinos in Niagara Falls, along with the Fallsview Casino.
Peterborough Casino Gets Green Light
The town of Peterborough finally got the go-ahead to start work on their casino. City council approved $8 million in funding to go to roads around the casino. The project is slated to start in July.
There had previously been a slew of obstacles that the casino had to overcome, mostly coming from environmentalists. That included the concerns related to how it will affect the wetlands on which it is being constructed. However, there is a wildlife crossing tunnel being built. There are definitely some that are still opposed to the casino, but it’s going to create about 185 jobs with around $3.2 million in revenue, and that is what has encouraged the government to green light the project.
Two Contract Legionnaires’ Disease At Rio
The Rio All-Hotel and Casino has been the center of attention for a couple of weeks as it hosts the World Series of Poker but some bad news came to light on Monday morning. It appears that two people that recently stayed at the Rio All-Hotel and Casino have contracted Legionnaires’ disease. While the hotel is packed right now, officials have said there is nothing to be concerned about as the two individuals had stayed in March and April.
The Rio is testing their water system to see if that was the cause and they’re also asking people who have stayed there recently to go see a doctor. Legionnaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia that happens naturally in fresh water, but if it gets into a man-made water system it can be a big problem. Most healthy people that are exposed don’t get sick. Current and past smokers, those over the age of 50, and those with lung problems are more susceptible. It’s not a good look for the Rio, but for now this appears to be a couple of isolated incidents.