A model photo of the casino. Courtesy SIGA.
The President of the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority says the new casino build in Lloydminster is on time and on budget.
Official construction on the casino began in early September by the Border Tribal Council. Crews spent the summer months conducting ground-work.
While SIGA President Zane Hansen says the work-crews did experience some weather delays he says construction is on time.
“We are not going to waste any time, so once it’s done we will get the word out and we are targeting an official opening time for late August early September (2018),” he said.
Hansen says he expects the casino to have a strong economic impact on the region.
“The casino is expected to create over 140 jobs,” he said. “All of our partners at all of our casinos set up community development corporations and they invest in community initiatives, so you will see a lot of development on that front as well.”
The economy in Lloydminster is heavily reliant on the oil and gas industry and the sector is currently experiencing a downturn. However, Hansen says he is still confident in the casino being a viable money making option in the Border City.
“You always watch the economy an all fronts, but there is a large regional population here and that is what we look at,” he said. “To us it is still a diverse economy, so we don’t have any fears that way.”
The casino is expected to create 140 jobs and will cost 24.5 million dollars to build.