The Rideau Carleton Raceway in Ottawa, Canada, will become a Hard Rock International-operated property in the fall. It will then undergo a $350 million revamp by the company in 2019. (Ottawa Citizen)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe Seminoles announced on Tuesday that they had won a bidding process to build a casino complex at the Rideau Carleton Raceway, in Ottawa\u2019s rural south.<\/p>\n
The project will be a joint investment between Hard Rock International and the owner of the track, Rideau Carleton Raceway Holdings.<\/p>\n
$350 Million Expansion<\/b><\/h2>\n Under the terms of the licensing deal, struck with the state operator-regulator Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp (OLG), Hard Rock will take over control of the current gaming facility\u2019s operations this fall, with expansion development beginning in 2019.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThat will involve a $350 million transformation of the existing property into a hotel-casino resort with a 2,000-seat music venue.<\/p>\n
It will comprise a complete remodel, rebrand and significant expansion, leading to an economic development boost,\u201d according to a press release from Hard Rock.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe multi-phase project is expected to potentially create 1,900 construction-related jobs and 2,000 direct and indirect ongoing jobs,\u201d it claims.<\/p>\n
Gaming Limitations <\/b><\/h2>\n The casino has been a long time coming after an initial 2012 idea to create a casino license for downtown Ottawa was buried by a barrage of objection from local residents.<\/p>\n
At the same time, the Liberal provincial government\u2019s decision to ban slots at the Rideau-Carelton Racetrack was threatening the future of racing at the track.<\/p>\n
By late 2013, the city council had said it would only support a new casino if it were built at the racetrack, and only if it were limited to 21 gaming tables, on top of the existing 1,250 slot machines.<\/p>\n
While the gaming limitations were a far cry from the initial vision for a new casino in the region, Jim Allen, Chairman of Hard Rock International, told the Ottawa Citizen this week that his company hoped there might be more leeway in the future.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say we\u2019re hedging our bets,\u201d Allen said. \u201cWe certainly understand what the scope is today and we understand what it could be. We\u2019ll take one step at a time through the process itself.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\u201cWe believe there\u2019s a lot of opportunity to grow and prosper in the area,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Additional to its expansion into Ottawa and Atlantic City<\/a>, Hard Rock International says it is still committed to building a $1 billion casino in northern New Jersey, close to New York City, should voters change the law to permit it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Seminole Tribe of Florida, fresh from expanding into New Jersey through the purchase of the Trump Taj Mahal, is set to export its Hard Rock Casino brand even further north, to Canada, specifically the nation\u2019s capital, Ottawa. The Seminoles announced on Tuesday that they had won a bidding process to build a casino complex […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":50487,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,10,18],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Hard Rock International Wins Right to Build Ottawa Casino<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n