Durham Live casino will be opened at the beginning of April. The Ajax-based casino will attract interested customers and cause additional problems with traffic. The opening ceremony is expected to last two weeks.

More About the Venue

Durham citizens are impatiently waiting for the brand-new casino project. According to the words of a local consultant, Tim Arnott, the hotel and performing arts venue will be kicked off in the fourth quarter of 2020.

He added:

“It’s a soft opening. We not expecting the same kind of surge we would see normally.”

The venue will have 2300 slot options and 100 table games. It is expected that Friday and Saturday will record the biggest number of visitors.

Commenting on the traffic around the venue, the security manager of the facility, Ian Nelson, had the following words to say:

“We’re trying to impact the community as little as possible. One-way traffic on Church will be easier to control and easier to predict traffic.“

At the moment, there are 3600 parking spaces around the casino complex. The opening of the venue will come with a filled capacity of the two-deck parking garage. Visitors are advised to use the services of the shuttle bus to reach the location. Police will also put road signs and organize more frequent controls to help with traffic issues.

About the Project

Durham Casino is set to be one of the most visited sites in the city of Pickering. It will feature a Las-Vegas vibe and stretch over 333,000-square-foot of gaming space. Together with the casino venue, the operator will include a five-star hotel with 225 rooms and a concert venue accepting 2500 people. The project is called Durham Live and its costs are estimated at $2 billion. The construction has been taken by Pickering Developments, a member of the Triple Group of Companies.

The brand-new casino venue will also support the local workforce. It will bring 7500 jobs to citizens. The gambling venue will be connected with the hotel, concert hall, and restaurants.

Media Statements

Commenting on the significance of the new venue, Pickering Mayor, Dave Ryan, said:

“From a tourism perspective, Durham Live has the potential to be one of Ontario’s top-five tourism destinations. Tourist dollars are a direct adrenaline shot into the local economy.

“The economic spin offs will benefit those shops and businesses outside of the site as well. Further, Durham Live will act as a magnet for visitors and help promote other tourist attractions across Durham Region.”

It is expected that the new project will bring about $1.3 billion in incremental annual GDP to the region and over $625 million in annual tax revenues.

Source: Gilligan, Keith. “No gain for us': Casino traffic impact will be felt mostly in Ajax“. Durham Region. February 26, 2020.