Press Room

Taking a gamble on Alexis First Nation

A casino within a 20-minute drive of Whitecourt is a step closer to reality. At the end of last month, a site blessing was held near the junction of Highways 43 and 32 north to officially begin construction of the Eagle River Casino and Travel Plaza.

Mark Ladan, Whitecourt Star
October 18, 2006

A casino within a 20-minute drive of Whitecourt is a step closer to reality. At the end of last month, a site blessing was held near the junction of Highways 43 and 32 north to officially begin construction of the Eagle River Casino and Travel Plaza.

The project is being developed in a partnership between Alexis First Nation and Paragon Gaming Inc. Paragon.

The total capital investment of the project is about $63.5 million. It will include a 2,500-square foot conference centre, 106 hotel rooms, 160-seat restaurant/lounge and a convenience store/gas bar/card lock truck stop. Initially, the gaming room will have 200 slot machines and 12 table games.

When it is complete in the fall of next year, it’s expected more than 175 employees will be needed to operate it.

Getting the casino built and open in Alberta’s tight labour market is a challenge that Paragon is up for. Project development manager Ryan McQuilter said the company would endeavor to use local labour and sub-contractors wherever possible.

"We’ve also done quite a lot of work with Alexis First Nation, determining their job readiness level and what we’d like to do also, is to not just operationally but also during construction, is employ as many band members as possible," said McQuilter.

The location of the casino was chosen because the high traffic along Highways 43 and 32 and because of its proximity to Whitecourt.
McQuilter said the operation is modeled after similar facilities on highways entering the Las Vegas area.

"Where you’re actually deriving a lot of your gaming market from the actual highway traffic and so that’s why we’re including this truck stop component. What we would like to see – we all know how busy Highway 43 is with commercial trucks – is that they spend the night in our facility or stop in, grab a quick bite to eat and have a little bit of entertainment."

Paragon will also be going after the Whitecourt and area market, providing an entertainment alternative for residents.
The annual projected economic impact of the casino is about $34.2 million. The partnership with Paragon will provide "a projected revenue stream of around $17 million" for Alexis First Nation.