Casino Regina
Encyclopedia
Casino Regina is a casino located on Saskatchewan Drive in Regina, Saskatchewan
, Canada
. It operates in the city's former union station
, a Tyndall
and ashlar
stone structure completed in 1912. The casino is owned and operated by Sask Gaming
.
The Beaux-Arts style Union Station was constructed in 1911-12 and was actually Regina's third train station; the first is now a museum in Broadview
, Saskatchewan. The station was completed the same year the deadly "Regina Cyclone
" struck the city, tearing through Wascana Park and gutting part of the downtown area. The building underwent a major expansion in 1931, and the original façade was redone in a simpler Art Deco
style with Tyndall stone. As well, terrazzo floors, marble support columns and plaster molded ceilings where added to the interior.
In the early 1990s, cutbacks to rail services throughout Canada
lead to the closure of Regina's Union Station. The Station had been an important part of Regina's history and heritage since its opening in 1912. After the station's closure, its fate remained unknown for several years. Union Station was designated as an official heritage site
in 1991.
By 1995, a $37 million construction project began to convert the vacant station into the province's first casino. In 1996, Casino Regina opened.
The building contains old railway police jail cells in the basement that were used for transporting prisoners, and shows evidence of a tunnel representing a system of underground passages said to stretch several blocks east of the casino and south all the way to the stately Hotel Saskatchewan
. How these tunnels were used is anyone's guess, but one could likely assume they were used for illegal activities, perhaps rum running during prohibition
, for one. And there are rumours that Chicago
gangster Al Capone
was familiar with Regina and her tunnel system. These tunnels were destroyed during the construction of the Cornwall Centre
, a major downtown shopping complex.
Inside, positioned on a wall in the central hall, is a schedule board displaying the arrivals and departures on the day the train station closed back in 1990. The hall itself, formerly the station's main concourse, features a high ceiling with simple chandeliers and a clock near the top of the back wall.
The casino houses some 800 slot machines, 35 table games, and an 8-table poker room, as well as a larger room for its almost daily poker tournaments. The 800-seat Show Lounge features entertainers, and meals are served in The Last Spike and Rail Car restaurants, as well as in the CPR Lounge. Regularly scheduled Union Station historic tours are another attraction, as are the nightly LED shows.
Casino Regina is a notable employer in the city, employing 664 people, over fifty percent of whom are Aboriginal
.
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It operates in the city's former union station
Union station
A union station is the term used for a train station where tracks and facilities are shared by two or more railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently between them...
, a Tyndall
Tyndall Stone
Tyndall stone is a dolomitic limestone quarried from the Selkirk member of the Ordovician Red River Formation, in the vicinity of Tyndall, Manitoba, Canada. It was first used in 1832 for building Lower Fort Garry, and has since become popular for building purposes throughout Canada and the United...
and ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
stone structure completed in 1912. The casino is owned and operated by Sask Gaming
Sask Gaming
Saskatchewan Gaming Corporation is a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Saskatchewan established in 1996 to set-up and operate the Casino Regina. In 2002 Sask Gaming opened Casino Moose Jaw. Sask Gaming is regulated by the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority...
.
History
Broadview, Saskatchewan
Broadview is a community in Saskatchewan along the #1 highway, the Trans Canada Highway, east of the provincial capital city of Regina. The local economy is based mainly on agriculture.-History:...
, Saskatchewan. The station was completed the same year the deadly "Regina Cyclone
Regina Cyclone
The Regina Cyclone is the popular name for a tornado that devastated the city of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada on June 30, 1912. At about 4:50 p.m., green funnel clouds formed and touched down south of the city, tearing a swath through the residential area between Wascana Lake and Victoria Avenue...
" struck the city, tearing through Wascana Park and gutting part of the downtown area. The building underwent a major expansion in 1931, and the original façade was redone in a simpler Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style with Tyndall stone. As well, terrazzo floors, marble support columns and plaster molded ceilings where added to the interior.
In the early 1990s, cutbacks to rail services throughout Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
lead to the closure of Regina's Union Station. The Station had been an important part of Regina's history and heritage since its opening in 1912. After the station's closure, its fate remained unknown for several years. Union Station was designated as an official heritage site
Heritage site
A Heritage Site is a location designated as important to the cultural heritage of a governing body such as a township, county, province, state, or country. It is a non-moveable object such as a historic site or national monument, but it may include several sites grouped together such as...
in 1991.
By 1995, a $37 million construction project began to convert the vacant station into the province's first casino. In 1996, Casino Regina opened.
Description
Hotel Saskatchewan
The Hotel Saskatchewan is a grand hotel located in downtown Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, overlooking Victoria Park.One of a chain of hotels constructed and owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway, the railway's earlier hotels, such as the Château Frontenac in Quebec City, the Chateau Lake Louise and...
. How these tunnels were used is anyone's guess, but one could likely assume they were used for illegal activities, perhaps rum running during prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
, for one. And there are rumours that Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
gangster Al Capone
Al Capone
Alphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...
was familiar with Regina and her tunnel system. These tunnels were destroyed during the construction of the Cornwall Centre
Cornwall Centre (Regina)
For other uses of the name "Cornwall Centre" see Cornwall CentreThe Cornwall Centre is a shopping mall in downtown Regina, Saskatchewan. It offers a variety of stores on two levels, and is anchored by The Bay and Sears. It also offers a large food court and is connected to two above-ground parkades...
, a major downtown shopping complex.
Inside, positioned on a wall in the central hall, is a schedule board displaying the arrivals and departures on the day the train station closed back in 1990. The hall itself, formerly the station's main concourse, features a high ceiling with simple chandeliers and a clock near the top of the back wall.
The casino houses some 800 slot machines, 35 table games, and an 8-table poker room, as well as a larger room for its almost daily poker tournaments. The 800-seat Show Lounge features entertainers, and meals are served in The Last Spike and Rail Car restaurants, as well as in the CPR Lounge. Regularly scheduled Union Station historic tours are another attraction, as are the nightly LED shows.
Casino Regina is a notable employer in the city, employing 664 people, over fifty percent of whom are Aboriginal
Aboriginal peoples in Canada
Aboriginal peoples in Canada comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The descriptors "Indian" and "Eskimo" have fallen into disuse in Canada and are commonly considered pejorative....
.