Sarnia's racetrack casino set for five-year extension after planned closure

Gateway Casino Sarnia will stay open beyond March 31, 2026, after the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) backed away from closing it. A five-year extension is in the works.

OLG spokesperson Tony Bitonti confirmed by email that the agency is extending its Optional Slots at Racetracks Program. The Sarnia Observer's report was carried by CDC Gaming Reports.

The extension preserves more than 40 local jobs. It also keeps hosting revenue flowing into the city's reserves, which the report described as cash-strapped.

Closure had been announced

In September 2025, OLG said it would end the lease for the casino at Hiawatha Horse Park on London Line by March 31, 2026. Michelle Eaton, OLG's senior vice-president of corporate affairs, told the city by email that the casino would close on or before that date. The 150-slot casino employs about 46 people. Its 53,000-square-foot building has a gaming floor of about 22,000 square feet.

The city receives about $100,000 a quarter as its five per cent share of revenue, or roughly $400,000 a year. Sarnia News Today reported those figures at the time. OLG had offered one more year of funding under the Municipality Contribution Agreement after the closure.

Mayor Mike Bradley called the planned closure "the last thing the city needs right now." He asked Premier Doug Ford to have OLG explain its business case.

OLG launched the Optional Slots at Racetracks Program in 2019 as a temporary measure, and it had been scheduled to end on March 31, 2026. Slots at Hiawatha had closed in 2012, and an official reopening ceremony was held in January 2020.

Owner pleased

Jim Henderson, who owns Hiawatha Horse Park, said everyone involved was pleased with the outcome. He had been seeking another extension before OLG's original decision.

The Sarnia decision came as OLG also extended the program at other Ontario racetracks, including Kawartha Downs near Peterborough.