Place your bets on September for Gaming centre opening

If all falls into place as hoped, Prince Rupert’s newest entertainment centre will open its doors to the public in September. The Chances gaming centre is taking shape on 1st Avenue East on the old Legion property. And as the walls get closed in and the entrance way begins to beckon from the top of the hill, plans are in the works to bring in the gaming machines, giant television screens and comfortable chairs to make Chances one of Prince Rupert’s more exotic choices.

The Daily News had a front page story on the latest developments on this long anticipated addition to the city’s entertainment scene.

Gaming centre is shaping up to be a winner
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Friday, June 22, 2007
Pages one and five

Standing outside the Chances Community Gaming Centre in the muddy parking lot, Craig Briere has his finger stuffed in one ear and a cell phone in the other.

Ignoring the noise of a half-dozen contractors nailing siding and welding beams, the business manager for the new Chances Community Gaming Centre is talking about the kind of chairs he wants for the sports lounge - deep, dark, comfortable chairs that customers will sink into fireside as they watch a panel of televisions or view the traffic on the waterfront through floor-to-ceiling windows.

With construction going full tilt, Briere believes he will need those chairs in the next three months.

"We hope to have the Chances Community Gaming Centre open in September," said Briere of the $13-million facility. "The lower level convention centre will hopefully open mid winter."
Outside, contractors are busy installing the red wood siding (it matches the nearby historic Pillsbury House) that will be lined with cedar pillars to help the building fit in to the natural surroundings.

"The catch phrase we have been using for the feel of the building is rustic elegance," he said.
Plans are in place for landscaping the outside and lighting that will not only be functional, but highlight the architectural elements of the building.

Inside, contractors will be working with cultured and granite stone among other high-end materials. Floor-to-ceiling windows and patios on both levels will showcase the stunning view of the Prince Rupert harbour.

The buildings' two floors (16,000-square-feet each), patios and mezzanine encompass a whopping 39,000 square feet, 10,000 more than the nearest gaming facility in Prince George.

On the upstairs gaming floor, there will be 125 slot machines, 120 electronic bingo positions, and room for another 150 people in the restaurant, lounge and patio.

"It's a big space, we will be able to handle lots of people," said Briere.

While the gaming centre floor is one large 16,000-square-foot room, different areas will be defined by dropped ceilings, lighting, decor and flooring.

"Everywhere there will be slot machines and electronic bingo, there will be carpeting," said Briere. "The lounge and restaurant will be all hard wood.

"The whole design of the building is to draw you from the entrance to the water. It flirts the idea of the water and scenery."

Both levels of the facility have full kitchens - upstairs includes a lounge split into three areas; the fine dining restaurant and patio as well as a concession selling panini's and subs near the electronic bingo area.

Meanwhile, the downstairs convention centre also has its own full-service kitchen.

The two levels will be connected by elevator and a grand stairway with chandelier. The stairway can be closed off with heavy double doors. The idea behind the separate outside entrance to the convention centre, said Briere, is to allow people to host events with those under the age of 19 while ensuring no one under age makes it onto the gaming floor.

The convention centre on the lower floor includes one large ballroom that can be divided into three separate rooms, each with access to the patio and the catering kitchen.

Technology is a large part of the construction taking place on the site. There are more than 200 cameras that will link into the security system and each slot and bingo machine is hooked up via cable to another central system.

To allow for the movement of machines, the carpeting will be laid in panels on a raised floor, so the cables can be moved without destroying the carpeting.

"Every slot machine needs data and power and every bingo machine needs data and power," he said.

And the large heating, ventilation and cooling system will allow staff to modify the temperature in each area on the centre.

A lot of work has gone into getting the building to this stage. Located on the site of the former legion building, contractors drilled some 400 18-foot-deep holes into the bedrock to the anchor the building on its footing.

"The whole thing has been designed to the highest standards," said Briere.

He wants people to feel like they are in a quality facility, one that you would find in any major urban centre.

"We see this as a showcase for the whole Pacific Northwest," he said. "People should feel at home - that it's an elegant yet fitting facility for Prince Rupert."