By Mark Scott
Buffalo, NY – The grand opening of the new, $1 billion Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort was held Tuesday afternoon in Niagara Falls, Ontario. It becomes the region's biggest casino with 200,000-square-feet of gaming space.
Everything about the new casino is big. There's a huge fountain that cost $10 million alone. There's a resort hotel with 368 rooms and suites, all with a view of Niagara Falls. There's a 1,500 seat theatre, where singer Paul Anka performed Tuesday night.
Even before it opened, Niagara Falls Mayor Ted Salci said it's already spurring millions of dollars in new development.
"It's really working as a catalyst for investment in Niagara," Salci said. "We've seen several high rise hotels developed because of the initial casino. We already attract 14 million people a year to Niagara Falls. So, we're expecting this casino to attract 40,000 people a day."
Salci said that would make it the biggest tourist attraction in Canada. Yet, Salci admits this is not coming without some cost to the city.
"I'm actually pressing the provincial government for more funding," Salci said. "Because of the large number of people we have visiting our city, the wear and tear on the infrastructure is substantial. I'm currently negotiating with the conference to increase the compensation we receive for hosting this casino."
Pending regulatory approval, the casino will open to the public at noon Thursday.
The nearby Casino Niagara, originally envisioned as temporary, will continue to operate, largely says Salci, as competition for the Seneca Niagara Casino on this side of the border.