High above the gambling floor in the Salon Royal, guests dove into mountains of food,from cooked lamb chops and shrimp to a variety of cold salads. Since it was the first day of the mayoralty race for the new amalgamated city of Gatineau, both candidates, Hull's Mayor Yves Ducharme and Gatineau's Mayor Bob Labine, worked the room. Rheal Leroux,director of the Francophonie Games was there, revving up for an African safari with a stopover in Italy. Arriving together were three familiar faces, former politicos all, Allan Higdon, Claudette Cain and Jim Watson, now Canada's tourism chief, who said the casino is the biggest tourism destination in the region, surpassing the number of visitors on Parliament Hill.