“New Era of Entertainment” Approved for Delta, BC

Cascades Casino Delta gets final approval for construction.

For the last 19 months, Gateway Casinos & Entertainment has been touting the benefits of bringing to the Delta community British Columbia’s latest sprawling casino game floor. Multiple public meetings, proposals and zoning applications later, the announcement has finally come. The popularized “new era of entertainment” in Delta has received its final approval.

All the i’s are dotted. All the t’s are crossed. Gateway’s newest Cascades Casino is underway. The process began last Friday when demolition crews gathered at the site of the old Delta Town & Country Inn. The former accommodations are being swept away to make room for Gateway’s $70 million casino project.

Final Approval for Cascades Casino Delta

If it seems like you’ve heard this message before, you have. Major casino corporations like to keep their names in the headlines – to keep their upcoming projects in the minds of community members – and finding new angles for reporting their progress is the easiest way to do it.

In November, Gateway issued a press release with the headline “…Delta Receives Final BCLC Approval” for the casino. That was true. The city was given the final necessary green light from provincial regulators with the BC Lottery Corp. Not the final approvals overall, mind you. Just the “final regulatory approval” standing between Gateway and its latest gambling property.

This time, however, I’m happy to report that the final approval received by Gateway last week really is the final approval. This approval came from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, giving Gateway the go ahead to begin tearing down the old T&C Inn property. Thus begins the construction of Delta’s Cascades Casino.

Delta BC’s New Era of Entertainment

Gateway Casinos has big plans for the state-of-the-art gambling facility. The company is promising to build “a full-service entertainment destination with a casual ambiance” designed to appeal to locals, “but with the scale and amenities associated with a big-city entertainment facility” that is sure to attracts patrons from far and wide. Throw in Gateway’s track record for “exceptional customer service and attention to detail,” and Delta’s economy is positioned for perpetual growth.

The casino has been approved to host up to 500 slot machines and 24 table games. The plans include a 5-story, 116-room hotel with ample meeting space. Dining opportunities are said to include Gateway’s signature MATCH Eatery & Public House and The Buffet, as well as an Atlas Steak + Fish.

The project, already 19 months in the making, has seen its fair share of delays and setbacks, mostly in the approvals department. As such, the timeline that points to a grand opening of the Delta casino in 2020 remains intact, but Gateway is not saying in which month, or even which season, it expects to put the final touches on the facility.

No doubt, the upper executives were quietly seething over the 6 months it took between getting the BCLCs final approval, and that of the ministry. None of that frustration came out in Gateway CEO Tony Santo’s statements in this morning’s news release.

“We are very excited to finally be starting construction of the new Cascades Casino Delta,” said Santos. “We are looking forward to bringing this state-of-the-art entertainment destination to such a vibrant and rapidly growing community.”