It’s been a few weeks since opening, but the Shorelines Casino Belleville is now officially up and running. Lucky Nugget Casino takes a peek at Canada’s first new casino of 2017 and what it means for the city.
Shorelines Casino Belleville
Belleville is a city of around 50,000 people, located between Toronto and Kingston on Ontario’s southern coast. It’s also the location of Shorelines Casinos’ third venue in the province, after Shorelines Casino Thousand Islands (located west of the small town of Gananoque) and Kawartha Downs Casino (on the outskirts on Peterborough).
The casino was under construction for less than a year, with work beginning in 2016. Shorelines Casino themselves are part of Great Canadian Gaming Corporation, who own thirteen establishments across Canada. This includes casinos in British Columbia and Nova Scotia as well as a racecourse, Hastings Racecourse, in Vancouver.
It cost CA $31 million to build, and is designed to be a very appealing casino, boasting 450 slots machines, 18 gaming tables and a VIP area for the high rollers. There’s also a patio, a stage for live entertainment, an all-glass buffet restaurant and a lounge. It promises to showcase the best of casino life for its regional players – offering entertainment, gaming and dining in one very convenient place. The whole development takes up 48,000 square feet.
Community benefits
Some people have been worried about the possibility of problem gambling. Casinos in Canada always offer resources to people struggling with problem gambling, usually in the form of leaflets containing information and static signs around the casino. However, the Shorelines Casino Belleville has decided to take this information one step further and try to tackle the problem head-on.
The casino is the first in the province to raise awareness of gambling addiction through interactive media. There are televisions showing information, as well as pods which allow people to discover more. Symptoms and information of the help available are both on display. In fact, the casino arguably benefits the community, through raising more awareness of these issues.
However, Belleville is going to see financial benefits. In exchange for hosting the casino, the city’s wider metro area – totalling about 93,000 people – will receive a cut of the profits. The area will get 5.25 percent of the first $49 million generated in slots game revenue. Plus, there will also be a 4 percent cut of all gaming revenues, which the council can spend as they want to.
Belleville’s mayor, Taso Christopher, will reportedly receive the first paycheque in April. With potentially millions of dollars going into the town’s economy from the casino – not to mention the additional jobs which it creates – it looks like Belleville is welcoming its new casino in style.
Shorelines Casino are making waves in Ontario as the owner of many fine regional casinos and we’re excited to see any future developments they may invest in. But if Belleville is too far away, you can always curl up on the sofa with Lucky Nugget Casino – and you won’t even need to head outside to enjoy the fun.
