Employees of Shorelines Slots at Kawartha Downs breathed a collective sigh of relief on Monday (Dec. 17), as they were informed that the gaming section of the Peterborough-area raceway will be re-opening this week.
According to an article by the Peterborough Examiner, Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Laurie Scott made the Monday announcement, which explained that the slots area will re-open on Wednesday (Dec. 19) after having been abruptly closed since October 15.
The article goes on to explain that the shutdown was initially expected to last two weeks, but that timeline was stretched to roughly two months due to the finalizing of a deal between Kawartha Downs and the government.
When reached for comment, Kawartha Downs General Manger Orazio Valente praised Scott. According to the Peterborough Examiner, Valente stated that the local MPP has been a "great supporter" of the facility since Day One.
Valente also went on to say that Scott’s goal was to see the facility retain some slots in light of Shorelines Casino Peterborough opening, and "that's where we got to." Valente also showered some praise on officials within the Ontario East Limited Partnership, which operates the gaming facilities at both venues.
"We would like to recognize and thank all who have been involved in the re-opening process,” said Ron Urquhart, on behalf of the partnership, “including our local team, the Province of Ontario, OLG, AGCO (Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario), and Kawartha Downs.”
This is the second time that Kawartha Downs has been in the news in recent days, as Valente recently conveyed his confidence that his track will be granted 21 race dates for the 2019 season, which would be up from the 18 dates that the track hosted this year.
(With files from the Peterborough Examiner)