Chatham's new casino is almost ready for local residents to try their luck.
An email that was sent out to My Club Rewards Card Members at Gateway Casinos says the Dresden slots will shut down at 8 p.m. on Sunday, July 14, 2019, ahead of a soft-launch opening at the company's new location at the corner of Richmond Street and Keil Drive in Chatham.
The doors are set to open at the new building in Chatham at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, July 16.
Gateway's Director of Communications and Public Affairs Rob Mitchell told Blackburn News that the contractor in charge of the construction will hand over the keys to the building on July 1 before officials spend the following two weeks preparing for it to open to the public.
"That's when our gaming techs go in and they start running machines and we set up the tables," said Mitchell. "[The construction team] will clear out all of their construction gear... and then our techs will go in and fire up all of the gaming equipment and run it through to make sure all of it works."
Mitchell is also clarifying that the move from Dresden to Chatham will not result in any layoffs.
"There is one staff member from Dresden who is not relocating to Chatham and that is by their own choice," said Mitchell. "The entire staff is coming over."
The grand opening for Chatham's casino is set for Thursday, August 8 with special events, promotions, giveaways, and food features to follow throughout that weekend.
The new casino is expected to bring 200 jobs to Chatham, one hundred of which will be moved from the existing Gateway Casinos Dresden location.