Saskatchewan may have a ninth casino

The Saskatchewan Liquor And Gaming Authority granted conditional approval for a new CAD20 million (US$15.8 million) venue.

Canada.- The Canadian province of Saskatchewan could add a ninth casino, after the Saskatchewan Liquor And Gaming Authority granted conditional approval for a new CAD20 million (US$15.8 million) venue for the border city of Lloydminster. The gambling facility would be operated by the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA.) The construction will not begin until a local community consultation process has been formulated and completed.

Don McMorris, the minister responsible for the Saskatchewan Liquor And Gaming Authority, said that it will be up to the community and SIGA to determine the exact type of consultation, which may include a plebiscite.

“Once that’s complete, they’ll put a formal request into the Saskatchewan Liquor And Gaming Authority that will then ask for the construction of a casino in that area,” McMorris explained. “That’s really the community’s responsibility. We’re saying that we’re kind of conditionally in agreement with it but it really does need to be a local decision that is made.”

The new casino would straddle the provincial border with the province of Alberta and it would offer four to five gaming tables alongside approximately 250 gaming machines, a 250-room hotel and a 1,500-seat convention centre.