When it comes to being ready for opening day, you can bet Gateway Casinos Innisfil is ready to play.
On Friday, Gateway Casinos will officially open to the public its new $5 million table section at Georgian Downs, located south of Barrie near Highway 400 and Innisfil Beach Road.
Along with more than 1,000 slot machines, the casino will now have 26 tables dedicated to blackjack, baccarat, roulette and poker.
General manager Tim O’Doherty said he's happy with the expansion and what it means for the community.
“The rubber began to hit the road probably 12 to 14 weeks ago when we started construction, and in the short period of time we were able to turn four walls and a concrete floor into the beautiful space we have now,” he said. “It went quite fast and we feel it is very exciting for everyone as it has created over 100 jobs with 83 dealers, 12 supervisors and eight managers.
"It is certainly a substantial impact to the immediate area," O’Doherty added.
There was a charity blackjack tournament on Thursday for media and dignitaries to check out the new spot.
O’Doherty said that while blackjack and poker are the more familiar games to people, baccarat has long been a popular game and is sure to attract the diehards.
“It was very popular in the early James Bond movies and was Bond’s game of choice,” O’Doherty said. “It has a great following and we’re actually expecting that to be the game that sees a huge draw for us as it has many fans.”
Gateway Casinos and Entertainment also operates Casino Rama.
