A smooth transition is expected for employees moving from the Dresden Slots to the new casino in Chatham.
Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited announced on Wednesday that construction on Cascades Casino is expected to begin in Chatham this spring, with an expected competition date of mid-2019.
While the construction of "Cascades Casino" is underway, Gateway Casinos Dresden will continue to operate as normal until the new casino in Chatham is opened.
Gateway Casinos Dresden General Manager Damien De Roux assures there won't be any overlap in service.
"Our goal is to see absolutely no interruption in business," he says. "We'll be operating in Dresden one day and then we'll be operating in Chatham the next."
Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited CEO Tony Santo says Dresden employees will be transferred to the new location.
"All those employees will have first opportunity to either stay in the same job or move jobs, because now rather than just having slots, we'll have slots, tables, food, and beverage," explains Santo.
De Roux says employees have been very receptive to the change.
"This is an exciting new opportunity for everybody there," he says. "The new build with the expanded slot product and table games and restaurants really brings a lot of career opportunities as well for folks."
De Roux says there hasn't been much discussion on hiring timelines yet, but about 90 employees will be coming from the Dresden casino.
He says leaving Dresden comes with regrets, but he believes there will be a good outcome with the new casino.
"Gateway is committed to supporting local racing in the years to come so I don't see it really as the relationship ending, we're gonna sort of have I think the best of both worlds," he explains. "We're gonna get a new exciting entertainment facility here in Chatham and the Dresden ag society and racing will continue to flourish."
