After less than a year of construction, Great Canadian Gaming Corporation has announced that the first new casino for the province of Ontario is set to open tomorrow offering a selection of 450 slots alongside 18 gaming tables and a VIP mixed-games area.

The $31 million Shorelines Casino Belleville, which is also set to have a patio area, a small stage for live entertainment, a lounge and an all-glass buffet restaurant complete with outside views, will welcome its first players from 5pm local time on Wednesday following a special ceremony featuring a variety of live acts as well as commemorative giveaways and promotions.

“We are absolutely thrilled about the grand opening of Shorelines Casino Belleville and are excited to showcase the best of entertainment, gaming and dining the Shorelines Casino brand will offer within the regional marketplace,” said Craig DeMarta, Operations East Vice-President for Vancouver-based Great Canadian Gaming Corporation.

The Canadian operator via its Ontario Gaming East Limited Partnership subsidiary spent approximately $38.7 million in September of 2015 in order to acquire the eastern gaming bundle for Ontario from the Ontario Lottery And Gaming Corporation. This gave the firm the rights to operate the Shorelines Slots At Kawartha Downs facility near Peterborough and the Shorelines Casino Thousand Islands in Gananoque along with permission to construct a new casino for the area around the city of Belleville.

“We are so very honored to be in the position to open a gaming entertainment facility of this magnitude in Ontario, especially considering the last casino opened in the province ten years ago, said DeMarta. “As a company with over 30 years of gaming experience, we are confident in our ability to create and deliver an exceptional overall entertainment experience.”

In an effort to address problem gambling concerns, Great Canadian Gaming Corporation explained that Shorelines Casino Belleville it to additionally offer the interactive PlaySmart Centre. A first of its kind in Ontario and due to be operated in partnership with the independent and non-profit Responsible Gambling Council, this area has been designed to give players more information and support than is usually afforded via brochures and static signage.

“It will be first of its kind in Ontario,” Andy LaCroix, Ontario East Executive Director for Great Canadian Gaming Corporation, told The Belleville Intelligencer newspaper. “No other property has it right now. This one is more interactive with displays. It’s the first of that brand in the province. Most of them use brochures and flyers [but] this will have televisions and interactive pods.”

In return for hosting the 48,000 sq ft Shorelines Casino Belleville, the city of some 93,000 people is reportedly due to receive 5.25% percent of the first $49 million generated from electronic gaming along with 4% of table gaming revenues to spend as it sees fit.

“It’s good for employment and the economic component,” Belleville mayor Taso Christopher told The Belleville Intelligencer. “It will be interesting to get our first check. [We are] looking forward to the end of April to get our first check.”