Officials with Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited, which currently operates the non-horse-racing gaming offerings at the Western Fair District, have announced two potential alternative locations for its London, Ont. operations beyond 2020.
According to an article by the CBC, Gateway’s director of communications, Rob Mitchell, has unveiled two locations in southwest London as the spots that the company has eyed. A former Wonderland Road cement plant is one of the locations, while a section of land at Exeter and Wonderland Roads is the other. Negotiations regarding an expansion at the Western Fair District have stalled, which has caused Gateway to explore and identify other options.
According to Mitchell, Gateway is honouring the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp.’s currently lease for gaming at the Western Fair District, which will expire in 2020, but that the lease is “not really commercially viable for a private sector company to be paying that kind of fee for that location in the city."
It was reported earlier this month that London politicians have a committee meeting planned for September 24, and the topic of rezoning amendments for the Western Fair District is on the docket. The report states that the rezoning amendment would allow a portion of the fairgrounds to be able to be used for restaurants, hotels, retail shops and breweries, which is something that Gateway is looking for when it comes to its London plans.
Speaking about Gateway’s London situation, generally, Mitchell stated, "We've been at this now for quite a while – well over a year now – so we have business pressures. We need to look at getting shovels in the ground. And we're going to look at other sites where we can execute that more effectively."
(With files from the CBC)