Casino Niagara 
Opening Gala

7,000 Expected to Attend Gala Preview

Date
Dec. 6, 1996

About 7,000 invited guests are expected to attend a Gala Preview of Niagara's newest wonder, Casino Niagara Saturday evening. The festivities are slated to get underway at 6:30 p.m., with opening ceremonies at 8 p.m.

Domenic Alfieri, president of the Ontario Casino Corporation, will act as Master of Ceremonies for the evening. Alfieri will call upon William Saunderson, minister of economic development, trade and tourism, to make the opening remarks for the occasion.

Other speakers featured during the ceremonies will include Niagara Falls MPP Bart Maves, Niagara Regional Chairman Brian Merrett, Niagara Falls Mayor Wayne Thomson, Ontario Casino Corporation Chairman Gil Bennett and Casino Niagara President Larry Woolf.

Casino Niagara will officially open at about 8:15 p.m. with a ribbon cutting in the Falls Avenue atrium of the complex. Al Fagan, a member of the city's "Yes Casino" committee, will pull the first ceremonial slot machine of the evening.

Woolf will pull a ceremonial switch which will set off a spectacular indoor/outdoor laser show, fireworks, waterfalls and other special effects inside the complex.

From 8:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. the 7,000 guests will get to try their luck at the 123 gaming tables and the 3,000 slot machines in the casino. Hors-d'oeuvres and beverages will be prepared by the Casino Niagara culinary team.

About 3,000 people are currently employed at Niagara's newest attraction about 80 per cent are from the Niagara Region. Directly and indirectly, the casino will create a total of 6,000 jobs in the region and 9,000 jobs throughout the province.

Construction of the $160 million project has also created an additional 600 person years of employment. Ninety per cent of the labor force used was local.

The province's newest casino is expected to attract 16,000 visitors a day and gross $650 million a year.

Casino Niagara will be open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Casino Niagara is located at 5705 Falls Avenue, Niagara Falls, Ont. the former site of Maple Leaf Village. The casino's observation tower, slated to open in May 1997, will offer an observation deck and include features that will promote attractions in the area.

Casino Niagara has also made space available to the Niagara Falls Canada Visitor and Convention Bureau which will manage a booth that will carry information about the region.

In addition to gaming, the casino will offer a number of amenities. The fine dining restaurant is named Farfalle Italian for butterfly in honor of the Niagara Parks Commission's soon-to-open butterfly conservatory.

The casino will also offer a market-style restaurant and a café. The landlord of the complex will also provide a Hard Rock Café and a European village-style food court.

Visitors to Casino Niagara will also appreciate retail services in the complex that will include men's and women's high-end accessory stores, a fragrance shop, a jewelry store and a liquor store showcasing Niagara wines.