20/08/2001 Ontario Casino Corp. plans Casino Windsor Expansion
To overcome increasing competition from the US, the Ontario Casino Corp., a Canadian government agency, and owner of the Casino Windsor, is planning to expand. The planned expansion is estimated to cost within the multimillion-dollar range and includes 150 to 200 additional hotel rooms and a depot able to accommodate 12 buses at a time.
Located just east of Detroit, the Casino Windsor was once the center of casino gambling in the area, until Detroit legalized gambling. Today, there are three casinos, one owned by MGM Grand Detroit, owned by MGM Mirage and the other by MotorCity, majority-owned by Mandalay Resort Group. Despite the competition, the 389-room hotel has an average occupancy rate of 99 percent, according to Ron Barbaro, CEO of Ontario Casino Corp.
Ontario Casino Corp. has been campaigning for over three years to expand the government-owned gambling hall, however they only recently managed to secure almost two acres of land adjacent to the property to accommodate the expansion. The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp., who controls Ontario Casino Corp., will be asked to review the expansion at their next board meeting in October.
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