Ottawa Casino Planning $50 Million Upgrade
Big plans are in the pipeline to upgrade the Casino du Lac-Leamy in Ottawa and officials said that renovations could cost upward of $47 million.
The aim is to attract a younger, more vibrant crowd and the casino will be using new technology and multi media features to do so.
The casino's general manager, Kevin Taylor said that it was merely coincidence that renovations are about to begin just as the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp had announced its intentions to begin upgrading and revitalizing Ontario's gaming facilities. He said that plans to upgrade Casino du Lac-Leamy began almost two years ago.
"It's in the news, we see it," he said. "But the competition is there tomorrow, today, the day after. We need to cope with it."
'Coping' with it incorporates a four phase project which will begin in October this year, and will hopefully round off in January of 2015. The plan is to complete the renovations and upgrade while keeping the casino running throughout this time period.
Big Plans for Casino du Lac-Leamy
The Ottawa casino planning upgrade includes the demolition of the casino's interior fountains, its Bar 777 and its current panoramic staircase. Upgrades include the construction of a central hub which will connect the casino floor to a second floor restaurant, as well as the renovation of the casino's high roller lounge. The central hub will include a bar, nightclub and much more.
The most exciting project, however, incorporates the construction of a multi media ribbon which will encircle the casino and transmit multi media messages and images.
The general manager said that the casino was trying to adopt the technology system used at the Power Ring at Scotiabank Place to spur excitement from the crowd, such as announcing a jackpot winner across the multi media chain.
In 2001, Casino du Lac-Leamy underwent a major $210 million renovation, where a hotel, conference center and theater were added to the complex.
Today the casino sees over three million visitors annual and employs over 1,600 people.
Declining Figures Prompt Upgrade
According to the OLG, Casino du Lac-Leamy has seen declining figures in the past few years, and revenues decreased 2% in 2010-2011.
As such, in order to keep revenues up and to compete in an increasingly competitive market, decisions were made to begin a new upgrade.
The casino is depending on its 15 year presence in the market, as well as its focus on customer support to remain ahead in the competition, even if another casino should be constructed in Ottawa.
