Gateway Casinos confirms purchase of Kingsway property in Sudbury

While not confirming plans for a casino, Gateway Casinos confirmed this week they have bought property on The Kingsway in the city.

Years after the Kingsway Entertainment District failed, the operators of Sudbury’s casino have confirmed they have purchased land in the same area.

Gateway Casinos had planned to build a new casino on the Kingsway property, located near the Moonlight Beach area of the city, on land owned by Sudbury developer Dario Zulich.

Costs ballooned

The casino was supposed to be built alongside a new Sudbury Arena and a hotel, but years of legal battles delayed construction. By the time those hurdles had been cleared, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and costs ballooned from around $100 million to more than $200 million.

The project was cancelled in July 2022. Mayor Paul Lefebvre, elected in October 2022, is instead moving ahead with a $200 million events centre downtown.

Gateway, which had planned to move from its current location in Chelmsford to the larger casino on The Kingsway, was badly hit by the pandemic and went largely silent on its long-term plans for Sudbury.

But on Thursday, spokesperson Rob Mitchell confirmed the land purchase.

“Gateway can confirm that the company has purchased a parcel of land at 2700 on The Kingsway,” Mitchell said in an email.

“The sale took place on June 30, 2025. At the present time, Gateway has no further public statement to make regarding any potential future development at the site.”