Last August 19, 2015, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) in collaboration with Gateway Casinos, made the City of Kamloops proud by officially opening the doors of Cascades Casino Kamloops. The opening of the new facility fulfills the relocation of the existing Lake City Casino from the heart of downtown Kamloops, to a new site in Southwest Kamloops at Versatile Drive, under a new business name as Cascades Casino.
Occupying a 65,000-square foot property formerly known as the old Rona site, Cascades Casino is a CA$34 million project undertaken by Gateway Casinos & Entertainment, as part of a well-motivated redevelopment project that would benefit the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. The newly built, first-class gambling and entertainment destination has accordingly created 200 new permanent employments, for which all new hires underwent service training in July 2015. Currently, the newly launched Cascades Casino has 330 Kamloops residents under its employ.
The new casino features a spectacular gaming floor, with 500 slot machines. Three hundred sixty-two of which are newly installed, while only 138 electronic gaming machines (EGMs) were transferred from the former Lake City Casino, to the newly inaugurated Cascades Casino.
In addition, 21 new casino tables have been set up to offer popular live dealer casino entertainment, such as baccarat, blackjack and roulette, as well as poker games inside a three-table poker room. Customers will also enjoy live stage entertainment right in the casino floor lounge.
The premium casino facility boasts of an advanced surveillance system and interactive kiosks where GameSense Information Centre (GSIC) advisors are stationed. The GSIC advisors offer resources and information on how casino games work, as well as enlightenment about gambling myths and gambling odds, as a way to help customers make informed gaming decisions.
Actually, the plan to relocate Lake City Casino was initially met with resistance coming from the Lake City Staff. The city council though, had opted to gather community opinion by way of public hearings before arriving at a decision to approve, or reject the proposed relocation project. As it is, the project was approved but with additional conditions for Gateway to install traffic lights in the vicinity, prior to the actual opening of the casino. Gateway also had to put on hold the construction of a planned 500-seat outdoor amphitheater, to alleviate concerns over parking spaces.
As host community, the City of Kamloops stands to receive ten percent (10%) of the net gaming turnover realized by the new casino. According to the BCLC, the city was able to improve local roadways last year by allocating CA$700K of their turnover share for road repairs and construction, including steel upgrades.
Tony Santo, the Chief Executive Officer of Gateway Casinos said that Cascades Casino represents their commitment to bring exceptional entertainment in the City of Kamloops. Through Cascades, they can now offer more than just recreational gambling, as the new facility also features live stage entertainment and Gateway’s signature MATCH Eatery & Public, in addition to highly successful restaurants such as The Buffet and the classy Atlas Steak & Fish.
The President and CEO of BCLC, Jim Lightbody, remarked that BCLC is proud to open the doors of a truly state-of-the-art facility in Kamloops. He added that Gateway has created a first-class entertainment facility that truly embodies BCLC’s vision of a gambling and entertainment destination that offers not only conventional casino recreation, but also superb live entertainment and exceptional dining experience under a single roof.