• The Hiawatha location will be known as Gateway Casinos Sarnia, Mitchell said. Along with 150 slot machines, the site will have an Express bar, which is a “signature” brand cocktail lounge found at.
• Fauld S Motel Sarnia - Fauld S Sarnia, offering views of Horse Park, is situated in close vicinity to Hiawatha Racetrack Slots. The venue comprises 20 non-smoking rooms.
• Hiawatha Horse Park is expected to see an increased flow of individuals possibly staying for longer once the slots location launches operation. Gateway Casino Sarnia would feature some 150 slot machines, a reduction of the original 450 devices it boasted six years ago.

Cathy Dobson

A new Gateway Casinos Sarnia will open in late January with 150 slot machines and about 60 employees, says Rob Mitchell, spokesman for Gateway Casinos & Entertainment.

Reviews from Hiawatha Horse Park and Entertainment Centre employees about Hiawatha Horse Park and Entertainment Centre culture, salaries, benefits, work-life balance, management, job security, and more.

Gateway is a private company that will operate the new gaming facility under construction at Hiawatha Horse Park on London Line. It already runs the Starlight Casino in Point Edward, which is “proving to be a very successful operation,” Mitchell said.

When Gateway assumed management of the Point Edward casino it completed a $26-million overhaul of the 19-year-old facility.

Re-opening a smaller slots facility at Hiawatha wasn’t on Gateway’s radar until the company was directed to do so by the Ontario government, said Mitchell.

The Point Edward and Sarnia locations are within 10 kilometres of each another.

“Reactivating Hiawatha was a decision made by the Ford government,” said Mitchell. “We are the service provider. It’s not something we decided.”

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Hiawatha owner Jim Henderson said he had a lot to do with slots returning to the track. The horse racing industry has ups and down but the best years for him and the horsemen were when Hiawatha Slots operated from the same building.

The former Liberal government abruptly shut down Hiawatha Slots in 2012, throwing about 140 people out of work and creating uncertainty in the racing community.

Last year, the Conservatives offered tracks the choice of taking cash to bolster the racing industry or get a slots operation. Unlike tracks in Fort Erie and Dresden, Henderson chose the slots.

“This is better for the community,” he said. “I could have taken the cash but there’s so much happening in Sarnia right now, this was better for everyone.”

Henderson made significant upgrades earlier this year to the building before Gateway took out a $2.9-million building permit and began retrofitting the new gaming floor in October.

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This week, walls are being painted, the accessible washrooms are nearly complete and the slot machines will be installed soon, Henderson said.

“It looks really good.”

Mitchell confirmed that Gateway wants to open by Jan. 31 in approximately the same space as the original Hiawatha Slots. But it will have 150 machines and not the 450 Hiawatha had prior to closing.

Sarnia council has readily endorsed the plan. The city is in line to reap 5.25% of the first $65 million generated by the slots.

Mitchell said hiring is ongoing and Gateway has posted 15 job opportunities on its website, including positions for auditor, cage supervisor, guest services personnel, housekeeping, server and slot technician.

A job fair might be held in January, he added.

While the municipal slot revenue and new jobs are good news for the community, Henderson might be the biggest beneficiary.

He’s never seen so much interest in the London Line property, which has about 160 acres surrounding the racetrack. The return of Hiawatha Slots is already making “a huge difference,” he said.

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“I’ve got people who want to build a hotel talking to me. There’s a restaurant chain that’s interested and a box store.

“They’ve got the paperwork drawn up already, and the hotel chain is a solid company from Toronto.

“With all the stuff happening at Hiawatha and in the Valley, the hotel people say they can get occupancy several nights a week.”

Henderson is so optimistic about Hiawatha’s future he expanded the property by buying another 15 acres next to TJ Liquidators.

“The premier said he’d do it and he did,” Henderson said. “He came here and he told us he knew the industry was messed up and that he wanted to help.”

Premier Doug Ford met with Henderson in Sarnia last November. He pledged then to come back and cut the ribbon on the new Gateway Casinos Sarnia.

Gateway Casinos & Entertainment is ready to get things rolling at Hiawatha Horse Park with a job fair seeking individuals for the revived gambling facility on site. Gateway Casino Sarnia is looking for individuals to get things started and bring back the gambling atmosphere of previous years. This Thursday is about to see a job fair seeking some 70 individuals for the racetrack gaming venue, as well as Starlight Casino Point Edward.

The event is about to commence at 11 a.m. and extend all the way to 6 p.m., giving potential employees enough time to look around and meet their potential employer in the face of Gateway Casinos & Entertainment. The two locations are in need of various employees covering both the gaming offerings on site, and the dining experience Gateway Casinos bring.

Thursday Sees Job Fair

This week is a pivotal point of the gaming development of Sarnia and Point Edward, as the two locations are ready for gaming expansion. Starlight Casino Point Edward and Gateway Casinos Sarnia are located some 9 kilometers away from each other but this is not projected to lead to field cannibalization and the negative effects coming with it.

This is due to the rather different nature of the two locations, as the former is a well-rounded casino venue on the shore, while the latter is a slot machine location adjacent to Hiawatha Horse Park on London Line. The target group of gaming patrons is different for each of them and they are not projected to overlap down the road.

Now it is time for the casino operator to find about 60 people for Gateway Casino Sarnia, as well as several more for the Point Edward facility rounding their number to 70. Rob Mitchell, Gateway Communications & Public Affairs Director, said that there are also full-time and part-time spots available right now, diversifying the individuals that could make their way into the staff of both locations.

Expansion Continues in the Area

It should also be taken into account that both the Starlight Casino Point Edward and Gateway Casinos Sarnia have supervisory positions up for grabs. Everyone interested also has the opportunity to apply for a position online, but showing up at the Sunbridge Hotel and Conference Center would optimize the process. After six years of no gaming action following the end of a special program, Hiawatha Horse Park is about to welcome back slots gaming action.

The projected launch date would be some time ahead of January 31, 2020. Hiawatha Horse Park is expected to see an increased flow of individuals possibly staying for longer once the slots location launches operation. Gateway Casino Sarnia would feature some 150 slot machines, a reduction of the original 450 devices it boasted six years ago. However, the new location is expected to make the racetrack even more popular and offer financial help to local horse people.

Leamington Raceway, Dresden Raceway, and Hiawatha Horse Park are referred to as relatively smaller racetracks in Ontario which could fall prey to poor financing. Ontario Harness Horse Association wants to see action and some changes to the harness racing field of Ontario, as the industry is currently experiencing Woodbine Entertainment Group’s influence on Ontario Racing. Gamin operation at Hiawatha Horse Park is projected to be beneficial.