It was last July that Toronto City Council finally agreed that the Woodbine Entertainment facilities in Rexdale could become a full-fledged resort casino. Now we wait. It is hardly going to happen overnight. It is just that we have high hopes for Woodbine to become the premier casino resort location in Canada.
Of course, we are biased. We have always loved Woodbine. The racing cards are always exciting. They serve wonderful food—from fine dining to stand-up service in the concourse, Woodbine has always meant a ‘Happy Meal’ to us. And the slots there have been a poor stopgap while we waited for the real action.
It is not that we are going to take all our action from Rama. We live 30 minutes away and Rama is our turf. Woodbine will be an option though just an hour down Highway 400. We will welcome Woodbine as a special treat. Horse racing might be dying off but we still love the opportunity to challenge the tote.
And we think the civility of the horse people mixed with the whales of the casino environment will create a charmed world. Not just world-class but unique. It will shame Monte Carlo. It will set a new standard over Vegas. It will challenge Macau.
It is very simple. Woodbine knows how to respect people. Rama is pretty good, though at times, a bit inconsistent, but the dealers and pit supervisors, craps crews and servers are, on the whole, friendly, courteous and well trained. Compared to the service at those lower-class dives in Niagara Falls, Ontario, you really can appreciate Rama.
Mind you, our favourite is that little Casino du Lac-Leamy in Gatineau, Quebec. It is too small for a really good time but we often enjoy a brief visit when in Ottawa. It is certainly classy compared to that dump in the old Expo grounds in Montreal. And as for Windsor, Ontario, the casino there treats you well but it seems to us that the architect had never seen a real casino. That place does not feel right.
But everyone compares casinos to Las Vegas. You can do that if you wish but we were in Vegas back when the town had some class. We were there back in the golden era when the Desert Inn ruled in Paradise, Nevada. And then they let in all those day-trippers from Los Angeles.
We think Woodbine Entertainment can bring back that “D.I.” style.
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Copyright 2016 © Peter Lowry
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