Ottawa·Timeline

18 years of a downtown casino

Here's a timeline of the downtown casino in Windsor, Ont., from its opening in 1994 to a move four years later and then with a major rebranding four years ago.

1994 to 2012: the changing face of Windsor's casino and how business has changed

1993 | The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation selects a joint venture of Caesars World, Circus Circus Enterprises and Hilton Hotels to build and operate a state-owned casino.

1994 | Interim casino opens in September as Ontario’s first casino (former Art Gallery of Windsor and spot of new art gallery).

1998 | July 29: Permanent casino opens at 377 Riverside Dr. E. on Windsor’s riverfront overlooking Detroit's skyline, blocks away from the interim facility.

1999 | Three new casinos open across the river in Detroit, Mi.

2006 | Windsor casino opens Canada’s first licensed sports book, but the Criminal Code of Canada prohibits betting on single sporting events.

May 2006 | Casino goes smoke-free to follow the Smoke Free Ontario Act

2007 | Harrah’s announces it is rebranding the casino, "Caesars Windsor," after 14 years as "Casino Windsor." OLG announces a $400 million expansion.

2008 | June 19: Casino opens a second hotel tower, a 5,000-seat space for shows and 100,000 square feet of convention space.

2008 | Three Detroit casinos open new hotels to attract visitors

2012 | There are now 2,927 employees working at Caesars Windsor, down from about 5,000 employees at the peak of its business in 2000.