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By Leah Murray

Casino by Vanshaw officially reopens

Jan 5, 2017 | 11:54 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — The locks and chains are off, and patrons are once again returning to the Casino by Vanshaw.

Casino by Vanshaw, which was suddenly locked out on Monday as a result of a rent dispute between the casino and the Medicine Hat Lodge, reopened Thursday morning. A steady stream of people could be seen going through the doors in the first hours.

Vanshaw Enterprises, the parent company of the casino, and Mayfield Investments, the Lodge’s parent company, have been embroiled in a legal dispute over who should be paying rent for Elements Entertainment Lounge, located inside the casino.

The lounge was built to meet an Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission requirement to provide food and beverage service to the casino’s patrons. Issues arose about whether the lounge was part of the casino’s leased area.

A judgement delivered in October ruled in favour of the Lodge. The judge said the Lodge would be in a position to terminate its lease with the casino, but also added “it would not be acting in its best interest” to terminate the lease, according to the judgement.

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But the legal battle isn’t over. The lawyer for Vanshaw Enterprises said the company is appealing the court’s decision. The appeal is scheduled for July 2017.

Casino president Kevin VanDerKooy declined to speak on camera, but said in a statement the casino would be looking to move to a “more community supportive location.”

VanDerKooy did not speak in detail about where they planned to move, but said in a statement on Wednesday, “We seek a healthy relationship with a landlord and for that reason have been working on the possibility of exciting new premises for some time now.”

 

by Leah Murray

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