Right on time with reopenings, there's a new casino in Quebec! The Grand Royal Wôlinak Casino in Wôlinak near Bécancour opened its doors on February 28. The Abenaki of Wôlinak Council hopes that this new attraction will increase interest in the community as a whole.

Opening week was a success for the casino.

"Last week, we had close to 3,000 people come and see us," Dave Bernard, General Director of the Abenaki of Wôlinak Council, told MTL Blog. "We anticipated 2,000 to 3,000. We didn't think we'd reach 3,000 from the start but we're very happy with the response from the public."

Local businesses have also given the casino a warm welcome. "Even the local restaurants have encouraged us!"

The casino consists of gaming machines as well as poker and blackjack tables. There's also a smoking section, complete with a negative pressure ventilation system.

While construction is ongoing, the casino currently has two restaurants up and running. "We have our gastronomic restaurant, the Ginko."

"Then we have our sports bar, the Octogone, which will have finger food on the menu," Bernard said, adding that the Octogone will host March Madness viewing events.

The casino is continuing to expand. "Now that we've built our casino, we're going to start building our performance hall, which will seat 2,500 audience members." The hall is slated to open in the fall.

Bernard pointed out that the casino is creating additional full-time and part-time jobs in the community. So far, 30 community members have been hired.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.