Northern Ontario casino turns 25 in ‘interim’ location, but new site not in the cards

Odds are the interim site that still houses Sault Ste. Marie’s casino after 25 years will keep hosting slot game and poker enthusiasts for the foreseeable future.

There is no firm plan to erect a permanent building to replace the structure on Bay Street that first welcomed gaming enthusiasts on May 19, 1999.

The 63,000-square-foot site was to be turned over to City of Sault Ste. Marie when a permanent facility was built. In 1999, Ron Barbaro, then chair of Ontario Lottery Corp., said the existing building that cost $25 million to build might become the permanent site.

A spokesperson for Gateway Casinos, service provider in the Sault since 2017, said the British Columbia-based gaming and entertainment company is focusing on exiting sites where space is leased.