New Casino for New Brunswick
It was recently announced that there would be a new casino for New Brunswick. The new casino would be located in northwestern New Brunswick in Edmundston.
Grey Rock to Open in New Brunswick
In order to open the new casino in New Brunswick, Sonco Gaming has entered into an agreement to provide casino services in Edmunston, located in the northwest of the province. The agreement to open this casino facility is between Sonco Gaming and the Madawaska Maliseet First Nation.
A spokesperson from the Casino New Brunswick, Craig DeMarta, commented on the excellent location of the new casino, saying: "This project will allow for gaming entertainment to be provided in a region in New Brunswick that benefits from proximity to the borders of Quebec and Maine."
For those that may be concerned about the addition of another casino facility and how it will affect the current casino in Moncton, DeMarta noted: "We believe this facility will complement our existing casino in Moncton which services the greater Moncton market and can pull in visitors from neighbouring jurisdictions as well."
The new gaming facility will be known as the Grey Rock Entertainment Centre, and it will be operated by Sonco Gaming, the gaming operator that already runs the Casino New Brunswick that is located in Moncton. The new casino will be located at the Madawaska Maliseet First Nation's Grey Rock Power Centre. While the gaming centre will first be opened on a smaller temporary site, Sonco has been projected that there will be 150 full time jobs created by the time the casino is fully operating.
New Brunswick Lotteries and Gaming Corp Approval
While the to parties, the Madawaska Maliseet First Nation and Sonco Gaming have already set up the structure for this agreement, it still needs to be officially passed by the New Brunswick Lotteries and Gaming Corporation. It is expected that this approval will be issued.
The Gray Rock Entertainment Centre will begin with 100 electronic gambling machines, but will ultimately be given permission for 200 such devices. Since there will be no live table gaming, there will be table games offered on the electronic gambling devices.
The statement released from Sonco noted that it has been estimated that the income for Grey Rock's first year of operations is predicted to be $8 million, with an amount of $1.2 million that will go to the New Brunswick provincial government.
