It appears that North Bay's new casino may be more of a tourist attraction than first thought.
The 20 year contract with OLG was awarded to Gateway Casinos last week, and while it's a long process to having a finished building, at least a year, there are signs it could be an asset.
See: OLG names new casino operator for North Bay
And: Mayor welcomes casino to city
Carrie Kormos, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications told BayToday that the company will be consulting in the coming weeks with the community and political leaders about developing a plan.
Kormos says Gateway has already done some research and looked at market capacity with competing facilities in Sudbury and Orillia, but will be doing more with local stakeholders to "really understand the market and scope out what we think would be the best fit in terms of the size and scale of the amenities for the community of North Bay".
She says the company's approach to gaming is to operate a variety of properties that are different sizes, offer different products all the way from large-scale resorts with hotel and conference space to a standalone bingo hall.
"Our approach is to always work closely with the community to make sure we get the right size and right fit and the right mix of brands and entertainment. We do believe in creating an entertainment experience whether you're a gambler or not and we try to create a number of compelling reasons for folks to come in and have a great meal or enjoy some entertainment. If they want to gamble that's fine too but we really have a philosophy to create that entertainment destination but it has to be in a fitting scale for the community".
Kormos says it's too early to speculate on exactly what kind of amenity we will have or how the site will be developed, but says the OLG has set out guidelines about appealing to a wide range of customers.
"In consultation with the community and looking at the market capacity we will right-size it to make sure it is offering a really good solid mix of entertainment options."
She expects it will be a regional draw,
"That's our approach. We really don't see ourselves as a casino company, we see ourselves as an entertainment company and it's important that when you look at the gaming market as a traditional segment ages and gets older, it's important we look to new customer segments and creating exciting, compelling experiences for them to come in and try us and whether they want to gamble or not, we're going to give them lots of reasons to come and enjoy a night out. Our properties are about much more than just our gaming offering."
