Experts are split on the issue of whether a downtown casino would harm or benefit Hamilton’s economy in the long run.
Month: December 2012
Bingo Centre Partnerships a Vital Part of Charitable Funding
Across Ontario, local charities rely on charitable bingo and gaming centres as an important source of funds for the services they provide to their communities.
Recognizing how vital this local support is, OLG began a partnership seven years ago with charities and charitable gaming operators to revitalize the sector by providing new products to appeal to a broader clientele.
The result is today’s bingo centre is becoming a very different place from even a decade ago when charitable bingo and gaming started seeing a sharp decline.
Toronto must deal with casino, transit: City manager
Despite the fact City Hall could be plunged into a mayoral byelection in the new year, the city’s top bureaucrat says council will need to weigh in on the future of transit in the city and whether to bet on a Toronto casino.
Those two major issues — explosive enough on their own — won’t be able to rest on the back burner pending the outcome of Mayor Rob Ford’s ongoing political predicament.
Toronto City Manager, Joe Pennachetti, on the issues
While he wants to hear from residents, Mr. Pennachetti cites one key benefit in giving the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation the go-ahead to build a casino: If it yields about $100-million in revenue to the city per year, it could solve the municipality’s structural deficit.
“If a casino is done right, it doesn’t have to take away from our city and what we’re proud of. We’re not Las Vegas. We don’t want that moniker of being casino town,” he said. “But if it’s done right and we don’t impact our existing theatre and cultural scene, it’s possible to have something here.”
Bundling casinos a joy for Gananoque
The way the mayor of Gananoque sees it, the casino location issue has swung back in her town’s favour.
At the end of November, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation announced it would “bundle” the northern and eastern gaming zones it had created only last spring.
The upshot is that any private casino operator coming to eastern Ontario (excluding Ottawa) will have to set up in three zones — in the Peterborough area, Belleville and either Kingston or Gananoque.
OLG prequalification process seeks private sector operator for Kenora casino and four other Northern Ontario gaming facilities
The second phase of a provincial selection process is underway to find a private sector company interested in operating five casinos in Northern Ontario, including a new gaming facility hotel/convention centre located in the Kenora area.
Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission (OLG) is following up on its request for Expressions of Interest from participating municipalities by releasing Requests for Pre-Qualification proposals to interested gaming companies.
OLG begins lottery privatization process
Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation began its process to modernize – or privatize – the province’s lottery industry.
It has issued a Request for Pre-Qualification (RFPQ) to “pre-qualify” service providers for the day-to-day operations of lottery services.
Potential service providers which are interested are asked to submit applications to demonstrate their experience as it relates to the lottery business by April 4.
City of Toronto to host casino consultation meetings in January
The City of Toronto will be taking the question of whether there should be a casino built in city limits to a number of neighbourhood meetings in January.
The city-wide consultation will take the form of a series of community open houses, as well as an interactive website.
Brockville joins casino fight
Brockville is backing Gananoque and the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands in their fight to keep the local casino.
City councillors have unanimously endorsed a resolution stating council “supports the current location in the Township of Leeds and Thousand Islands for the OLG Casino Thousand Islands.”
Building an innovative and modern lottery industry
Today, OLG began the process of pre-qualifying service providers for the day-to-day operations of lottery in Ontario. This is the next step forward in modernizing the province’s lottery industry.
Through a Request for Pre-Qualification (RFPQ), potential service providers are being asked to demonstrate their experience as it relates to the lottery business. This includes:
- Success in developing customer driven growth strategies;
- Ability to operate complex and dynamic businesses;
- Access to the resources, tools and technology needed to operate a sustainable lottery business; and
- Capacity to lead the transition of customers, retailers, employees, along with technology, to a new operating model.
“By modernizing our lottery business, we will increase efficiencies, expand options for lottery sales, and introduce new games and innovation to the system,” said Rod Phillips, OLG President and Chief Executive Officer. “We want to make playing the lottery more convenient and engaging for our customers.”
Eight million adults in Ontario played the lottery each year. But while the Ontario adult population has grown by 11 per cent over the past 10 years, the number of Ontarians playing lottery games on a regular basis has remained static.
By introducing new technologies and sales channels, OLG will enhance convenience and make the lottery experience more entertaining. This includes making it easier for customers to buy lottery tickets at grocery and drug store checkouts. Around 90 per cent of adult Ontarians shop monthly at grocery and drug stores yet only 9 per cent and 7 per cent, respectively, of OLG lottery revenue is generated at these locations.
In the future, OLG will continue its role in the conduct, management and oversight of lottery. This includes setting the overall strategy for lottery and managing the market by approving channel strategies and products.
OLG will also continue to prevent and mitigate the effects of problem gambling through its Responsible Gambling program, which is recognized internationally by the World Lottery Association’s certification program.
For more information on today’s RFPQ launch, read the backgrounder.
OLG TAKES NEXT STEP TO MODERNIZE LOTTERY IN ONTARIO
TORONTO – The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) today began the next step forward in modernizing the province’s lottery industry by issuing a Request for Pre-Qualification (RFPQ). The purpose of the RFPQ is to pre-qualify service providers for the day-to-day operation of lottery in Ontario.
At this stage in the process, potential service providers are being asked to demonstrate their experience as it relates to the lottery business. This includes:
- Success in developing customer driven growth strategies;
- Ability to operate complex and dynamic businesses;
- Access to the resources, tools and technology needed to operate a sustainable lottery business; and
- Capacity to lead the transition of customers, retailers, employee and technology to a new operating model.
“By modernizing our lottery business, we will increase efficiencies, expand options for lottery sales, and introduce new games and innovation to the system,” said Rod Phillips, OLG President and Chief Executive Officer. “We want to make playing the lottery more convenient and engaging for our customers.”
Based on the responses it receives from the RPFQ, OLG will identify service providers eligible to receive and respond to the Request for Proposal (RFP), the next stage in OLG’s procurement process for modernizing lottery.
Following the RFP, OLG will select a qualified service provider to be the Lottery Integrator, Technology Lead and Marketing and Sales Lead.
The service provider will be responsible for recommending strategies to maximize the growth and success of the lottery business, developing products and marketing plans, operations, and process and cost optimization. It will also serve as a single point of contact for OLG by being responsible for everything subcontractors do and ensuring they deliver on OLG’s modernization requirements.
In the future, OLG will continue its role in the conduct, management and oversight of lottery. This includes setting the overall strategy for lottery, managing the market by approving channel strategies and approving products.
OLG will also continue to prevent and mitigate the effects of problem gambling through its Responsible Gambling program, which is recognized internationally by the World Lottery Association’s certification program.
The issuance of this Lottery RFPQ follows a successful Request for Information (RFI) process, through which OLG received more than 30 submissions.
“We’re very pleased with the level of interest in our business and the extent of the information provided to us through the RFI,” said Phillips. “It’s clear that there is a lot of interest in the opportunities Ontario has to offer when it comes to lottery.”
OLG has two impartial advisors providing oversight on the integrity and fairness of the procurement process.
Once the modernization of lottery and gaming in Ontario is complete, OLG will have increased its net contribution to the province by $1.3 billion annually, while creating thousands of jobs and driving more than $3 billion in capital investment across Ontario.
Interested service providers must respond to the Lottery RFPQ by April 4, 2013.
OLG will continue to issue RFPQs for the modernization of gaming in Ontario. The first wave of gaming RFPQs was released on Friday, November 30, 2012.
All RFPQs will be available on MERX™ (www.merx.com/olg). MERX™ charges a fee to download this type of material.
Additional information is available in the media section at www.OLG.ca:
- OLG Backgrounder, which provides more details about the Lottery RFPQ and OLG’s Modernization Procurement Process
- Summary of the Lottery RFPQ
OLG is a provincial agency responsible for province-wide lottery games and gaming facilities. Since 1975, OLG lotteries, Casinos, Slots, and Resort Casinos have generated more than $36 billion for the benefit of the Province of Ontario. Gaming proceeds support Ontario’s hospitals, amateur sport, recreational and cultural activities, communities, provincial priority programs such as health care and education, and local and provincial charities and non-profit organizations through the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
“Know Your Limit. Play Within it”
THE ONTARIO PROBLEM GAMBLING HELPLINE 1-888-230-3505
Disponible en français
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BACKGROUNDER- LOTTERY REQUEST FOR PRE-QUALIFICATION
OLG has initiated the next phase of the procurement process to modernize the lottery in Ontario by issuing a Request for Pre-Qualification (RFPQ). The RFPQ will allow OLG to pre-qualify service providers for the day-to-day operation of lottery in Ontario.
Interested service providers must respond to the RFPQ by April 4, 2013. The RFPQ is available on MERXTM (http://www.merx.com/olg).
Background
In March 2012, OLG delivered a report to the Minister of Finance, outlining a proposal to modernize lottery and gaming in Ontario. The report contained three key recommendations:
- Become more customer-focused
- Select qualified service providers for specific day-to-day operations of Lottery and Gaming; and
- Renew OLG’s role in the conduct, management and oversight of Lottery and Gaming.
OLG’s modernization of lottery and gaming in Ontario is underway and once complete, OLG will have increased its net contribution to the province by $1.3 billion annually, while creating thousands of jobs and driving more than $3 billion in capital investment across Ontario.
In the spring, OLG initiated a fair and transparent procurement process by releasing two Requests for Information (RFIs) — one for Gaming and one for Lottery — to solicit feedback from potential service providers. OLG received more than 30 responses to its Lottery RFI from a wide range of organizations, including lottery operators, marketing firms, technology providers, suppliers and others.
Purpose of the Lottery Request for Pre-Qualification (RFPQ)
The RFPQ will help OLG determine the skills and abilities of potential service providers.
The RFPQ asks interested service providers to demonstrate experience as it relates to the lottery business, including:
- Success developing customer driven growth strategies; Ability to operate complex and dynamic businesses;
- Access to the resources, tools and technology needed to operate a sustainable lottery business; and
- Capacity to lead the transition of customers, retailers, employees and technology to a new operating model.
Interested service providers must also have submitted an application for registration with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).
The RFPQ process will enable OLG’s procurement department to identify qualified service providers to be eligible to receive and respond to the Request for Proposal (RFP) — the next stage in OLG’s procurement process for modernizing lottery.
Lottery Service Provider
Following the RFP, OLG will select a qualified service provider to enter into an agreement with OLG to be the Lottery Integrator, Technology Lead and Marketing and Sales Lead.
The service provider will be responsible for recommending strategies to maximize the growth and success of the lottery business, developing products and marketing plans, operations, and process and cost optimization.
Subject to OLG’s overall conduct and management of gaming activity, the service provider will also be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the lottery business, including:
- Identifying innovative opportunities for the growth of lottery in Ontario
- Acquiring all lottery-related equipment and terminals owned by OLG
- Serving as a single point of contact for OLG in implementing lottery modernization
- Developing future lottery IT architecture
- Performing or subcontracting all lottery services
- Assuming responsibility for the acts and omissions of its subcontractors
- Assuming existing contracts
- Complying with operations controls, as defined by OLG
- Assuming existing employees in respect of the lottery business
- Financing all of the activities noted above.
The service provider will be granted the exclusive right to operate lottery in Ontario for a term of 10 years with the possibility of extensions.
Modernizing the Lottery in Ontario
The modernization of OLG’s lottery business has three goals:
- Introduce a new sales channel for lottery products – by expanding options for sales to include multi-lane checkouts at major retail outlets (in grocery, drug and big box stores);
- Enable further innovation of the lottery business – by allowing more rapid development and deployment of new lottery games, as well as increasing the capacity of the lottery network for non-lottery purposes; and
- Increase operational efficiencies – by engaging a service provider in assuming the responsibility for the day-to-day operation and upgrade of its network of existing lottery terminals.
As new channels and technologies emerge, opportunities will arise to further meet customers’ needs by improving the lottery playing experience by making it more entertaining and engaging.
OLG’s Role within the Modernized Lottery
OLG will continue its role in the conduct, management and oversight and remain the “operating mind” behind the delivery of lottery in Ontario. This includes setting the overall strategy for lottery, and managing the market by approving sales channel strategies and products.
OLG will also continue to prevent and mitigate the effects of problem gambling through its Responsible Gambling program, which is recognized internationally by the World Lottery Association’s certification program.
OLG will expect the service provider to recommend approaches to the operation of the lottery that would improve customer service, increase lottery revenue and/or increase net profit to the province.
What are the next steps?
Service providers pre-qualified through the RFPQ process will be invited to take part in the RFP stage of the procurement process. The successful service provider will be selected from this group. OLG will issue the RFP for the modernization of lottery in 2013.
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SUMMARY OF LOTTERY REQUEST FOR PRE-QUALIFICATION (RFPQ)
Barrie listens to casino debate tonight
The Downtown Barrie BIA would welcome a casino – if it’s small and would compliment a hotel/convention centre, says BIA managing director Craig Stevens.
Thursday night, Stevens will be at a special meeting to hear OLG officials talk about the next phase of modernizing the gambling industry.
Pickering back in the casino lottery
Pickering made the right move for its residents by declaring itself a willing host for a casino.
Whether it truly wants one is another story, but the City in a 4-3 vote this week approved a motion by Councillor David Pickles stating the City is a willing host for an Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation gaming facility. It also asked staff to look into the expected financial benefits and other impacts, and expressed support for revenue sharing among municipalities within the same gaming zone: Pickering, Whitby and Ajax.
Casino question a gamble
The city wants to know if it’s time to hold ‘em or fold ‘em.
The question is whether to open a casino in downtown Barrie.
A public meeting in council chambers Thursday from 7 p.m to 9 p.m. will offer the public both a chance to hear from Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. (OLG), and ask questions of the city’s committee members who are reviewing the notion of gambling in Barrie.
Pickering declared a willing host community for future gaming
A casino could be coming to Pickering after council declared the City a willing host.
Idea of Pickering casino revisited
The idea of hosting a new casino in Pickering is returning to council.
Councillor David Pickles will be introducing a motion at the council meeting on Monday, Dec. 10 requesting staff report back on the anticipated financial benefits and other impacts if Pickering were to host a casino. The motion would also express council’s support of revenue-sharing among Pickering, Ajax and Whitby, the three municipalities encompassed within the Province’s C3 gaming zone.
Mayor vows to ‘do anything’ to keep casino in Gananoque
Erika Demchuk, mayor of Gananoque, knows that the future of her community’s casino is really out of her hands.
And while she didn’t support a passed motion this week to begin negotiations with a high-powered lobby group in an effort to help gather support to keep the OLG Thousand Islands Charity Casino in Gananoque, she said she’ll do all she can to keep the facility right where it is rather than in rival Kingston.
Hudak wants to get the Ontario government out of the gambling business
It’s time the Ontario government got out of the gambling business, Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak said Monday, hinting that he also wants to privatize liquor sales.
The cash-strapped government, facing a $14.4-billion deficit, needs to re-evaluate everything it does to get out of businesses that are better run by the private sector and instead concentrate on services like health care and education, added Hudak.