The slot machines will continue to operate at Ajax Downs for another three to five years while the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation decides the future of the casino.
OLG spokesman Tony Bitonti said the corporation has a lease agreement in principle with site owners. The current lease was set to expire at the end of March.
Other than the odd scratch ticket, I don’t gamble. That likely has more to do with the fact I’m cheap rather than actually not enjoying one of history’s oldest forms of entertainment.
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) has been an important figure throughout the province for many years. OLG has been apart of the Town of Innisfil since 2001, providing hundreds of jobs for people in the surrounding area. The economic benefit for being a host community has been quite substantial for the past 12 years. Georgian Downs has been a hotspot since its opening, benefiting the economy and tourism each year. A number of changes in technology, demographics, and shopping patterns have caused the OLG to restructure its current business model. Beginning in 2012 OLG has started modernizing its gaming corporation throughout Ontario.
Sudbury city councillors are in agreement that they want a new casino for the city to be more than a casino.
At its Tuesday night meeting, council voted unanimously on a motion stating that the city is interested in a casino that comes with extras like a hotel, a convention centre or an Ontario Hockey League arena. The vote sets the stage for negotiations with the private company the province selects to run Sudbury’s casino.
Town councillors may try one more roll of the dice.
On Monday night, councillors were told there could be an opportunity to host a casino in Collingwood — and it would be more than just a 300-slot gaming facility.
OLG is pleased to announce that it has reached a lease agreement in principle for its slots operations at Ajax Downs.
OLG has provided the site holder with a Letter of Intent, which sets out the general intentions and business arrangements, subject to approvals, between OLG and the site. OLG previously announced it has reached agreements in principle for its slots operations with 11 other site holders.
“We are pleased to have reached lease agreements in principle for our slots operations at 12 of 14 sites,” said Rod Phillips, President and CEO of OLG. “We continue to hold discussions with the remaining site holder and are hopeful that a positive outcome to those discussions is near for all facilities.”
OLG hopes to finalize the agreement with the site holder by March 15, 2013.
“We have longstanding and positive relationships with our site holders and look forward to working with them in the future,” said Phillips.
TORONTO – The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), together with the Ontario Charitable Gaming Association and Commercial Gaming Association of Ontario have made further progress in the revitalization of charitable bingo at Boardwalk Gaming in Pembroke with the introduction of new electronic games.
The goal of this revitalization is to ensure local charities have a viable way to fundraise to support local programs; to enhance local charitable operations and support local employment at the gaming centres; and to offer customers a new entertainment experience.
“Through the introduction of new electronic games, we are able to provide customers with new gaming choices and improve their customer experience” said George Sweny, Senior Vice President of Charitable and iGaming at OLG. “The revitalization of gaming at bingo centres will provide a new source of revenue for local charities to continue their important work in communities.”
Boardwalk Gaming Pembroke now offers customers the choice of new electronic games or the traditional paper-based games that have been played at bingo centres for years.
“Adding new electronic products to our traditional paper-based games enables us to revitalize the charitable gaming industry and provide a sustainable source of revenue for our associated charities to continue their important work in communities” said Lynn Cassidy, Executive Director of the Ontario Charitable Gaming Association.
The introduction of these new devices follows a successful 2005 pilot program which introduced e-bingo at six sites in five communities throughout the province which resulted in a significant increase of revenue raised for local communities. Since the launch of the pilot program, more than $43 million has been raised for Ontario charities.
“Boardwalk Gaming & Entertainment is pleased to partner with the local Charities in Pembroke, and Laurentian Valley Township, alongside the OLG to ensure the survival of charitable gaming in the Ottawa Valley” said Tom Aikins, Regional Manager of Boardwalk Gaming. “We are excited to present new bingo play options now and into the future as new products are added.”
More charitable gaming centres across the province will complete their revitalization in the coming months.
Backgrounder Charitable Gaming in Ontario
OLG is working closely with the Commercial Gaming Association of Ontario (CGAO) and the Ontario Charitable Gaming Association (OCGA) to revitalize the province’s Charitable Bingo and Gaming industry. By developing and introducing new products and technologies that will invigorate the traditional charitable gaming experience, more money will be generated for thousands of local charities across the province. The revitalization initiative is intended to preserve and enhance funding for charities across Ontario while creating economic benefits, including employment opportunities, at local charitable gaming centres.
OLG introduced a pilot program in 2005 to test electronic versions of existing paper-based bingo games to six charity bingo centres in five communities in Ontario. These pilot centres in Barrie, Kingston, Peterborough, Sudbury and Windsor have since raised $43 Million for local charities.
Following the success of this pilot project, OLG is beginning a phased rollout of a new suite of electronic games to other charitable gaming sites in the province. This new breed of charitable games will offer customers more choice and complement existing paper bingo games. Offerings will include:
The new games will allow Charitable Gaming Centres to offer more customer choice, be more competitive and appeal to a broader demographic, while providing a new gaming entertainment experience from traditional bingo and casinos.
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. Proceeds from OLG’s operations help support Ontario’s hospitals, amateur sport through the QUEST FOR GOLD program, recreational and cultural activities, communities, provincial priority programs such as health care and education, and local and provincial charities.
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The day when you can pick up a Lotto-Max ticket with your double-double or choose your winning numbers with your tablet or smartphone might not be that far off.
Collingwood appears to be back in the game.
Councillors weren’t keen on supporting a stand-alone 300 slot machine facility, but they appear to be willing to look at an integrated destination resort casino.
Comments in Susan Sherring’s February 16th article are incorrect. OLG’s position has been consistent since our dialogue began with the City of Ottawa last year.
The City will have approval of the location of a casino. This has been made clear in a variety of public forums including: Mayor’s letter to Council, September 24th/12; OLG’s presentation to Council, October 03/12; and the City’s news release, October 10/12. The ongoing role of the City was further clarified in our correspondence to the City Manager, November 23/12. A number of these documents are available on the City of Ottawa’s website and have been reported in the media.
Location must be agreed upon jointly by three parties – City of Ottawa, OLG and a regulated private operator, once they are selected.
OLG is currently seeking operators through a transparent and competitive procurement process. This is underway in Ottawa and in eight other municipalities.
The selected private operator will take over operation of the OLG Slots at Rideau Carleton facility. Discussions on any changes they may propose will begin between the operator, the City of Ottawa and OLG after procurement is complete.
OLG and Ottawa have enjoyed a successful relationship. Since opening in 2000, our 250 employees at OLG Slots at Rideau Carleton have hosted 2 million visitors annually and helped generate over $45 million in revenue for the City. Like every OLG gaming facility, profits are used to support priorities like health care and community infrastructure.
Rod Phillips
OLG President and CEO
Not only are the slots going to remain at Georgian Downs, but the town could actually receive increased revenue.
A new revenue-sharing agreement with Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) was shared with Innisfil councillors earlier this week.
It’s a gamble that could have a huge pay off for Belleville. But with every gamble, there are some who feel the city could elso roll craps.
It likely won’t be until autumn before the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation announces what municipalities will be playing host to new casinos in the province, but The Friendly City seems to be among some of the most likely cities to get a facility and Mayor Neil Ellis says if that’s the case it can only bring positive spinoffs.
Now that Peterborough City councillors have mapped out locations and talked numbers, they’re looking to find out how the community feels about bringing a casino to town.
During a meeting on March 5, the City is inviting the public to have their say on the issue. Staff need to know whether people in Peterborough feel the downtown is a suitable spot for a gaming facility, and how they feel about hosting a gambling a operation in general, says Malcolm Hunt, director of planning with the City.
A new casino would likely have no impact on crime in Peterborough and would not require any additional police resources, city police Chief Murray Rodd said Wednesday.
“The impact is virtually nothing with respect to crime,” Rodd said, responding to a question after his presentation at the Downtown Business Improvement Area breakfast meeting. “It just doesn’t seem to have any real impact in terms of violence, assaults. It doesn’t seem to translate into additional work for the police.”
Ford and Chicago mayor both want a casino, Feb. 16
Your article comparing gaming proposals being considered in Toronto and Chicago did not mention that Toronto has actually hosted a gaming site since 2000: OLG Slots at Woodbine Racetrack.
Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation chairman Paul Godfrey says Brantford has a strong casino that will retain its base of gamers as the provincial agency seeks to expand gambling revenues across Ontario.
The OLG has plans to expand Ontario’s gaming revenues by $1 billion by 2018 through attracting private-sector investment in five new casinos and existing facilities across the province.
A casino in the city could generate between $3.7 million and $4.8 million in revenue for the municipality, which could be used for capital projects in the community, a city report shows.
It’s a rough estimate of the direct financial benefit to the municipality if a casino is built in the community.
So, the compromise worked. Councillors voted to make Hamilton a “willing host” to a casino, picked Flamboro Downs as their choice of location, but agreed to look at other sites if a potential operator shows Flamboro isn’t viable.
Frankly, after almost a year of debate, it’s not unlike council’s original position of last April.
With a handful of prospective private-sector bidders having already made the trip, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. (OLG) chair Paul Godfrey trekked through the Brantford Casino Friday reinforcing the agency’s confidence in the facility’s future.
Godfrey toured the casino after meeting with Brantford Mayor Chris Friel, Ward 5 Coun. and finance committee chair David Neumann, CAO Ted Salisbury and director of economic development and tourism John Frabotta.
After months of heated, divisive and often nasty debate, councillors have made a unanimous decision that puts the casino question on the back burner for at least another year.
Councillors voted Thursday to designate Flamboro Downs as the preferred location for a casino — but agreed they’d ultimately consider other sites if private gaming operators can prove Flamboro isn’t viable.
Ontario’s new premier says the province needs to stay out of casino talks and let municipalities like Hamilton make decisions for themselves.
“It’s a contentious issue,” said premier Kathleen Wynne on a conference call with local reporters Thursday afternoon. “Differences of opinion are evident in governments and in communities, and that’s what makes it contentious.”
On Monday, February 11, 2013, Rod Phillips, President and CEO of OLG appeared on Bob Bratina’s Hamilton, which airs on Cable 14 in the Hamilton Area. Mr. Bratina is the mayor of Hamilton. During the interview Mr. Phillips discussed OLG’s modernization.
The interview can be found on YouTube.
Three new hotel developments in the city are an early sign of a coming casino-related boom for Belleville, the city’s mayor says.
The Ontario government has chosen the Belleville-Quinte West district for a future casino, with a decision expected later this year, possibly by fall.
The head of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation says Hamilton will have not one, but two opportunities to say yes or no to a new casino.
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation’s hopes for a new casino in Waterloo Region is pinned on one simple requirement — they need you to gamble more.
But that doesn’t mean a proposed casino here would drain revenues away from other local businesses as some critics suggest, according to the president Rod Phillips.
RE: Subdue the OLG monster: horse racing hall of famer, Community Voices, Review, Jan. 24
I would like to clarify information in a letter that appeared in your publication on January 24.
Dear Mr. McLean:
I’m looking forward to attending your Chamber of Commerce meeting next week. Thank you again for the invitation to speak to the group.
In advance of next week, I thought it would be beneficial if I answered the comprehensive questions you posed just prior to the New Year.
Read the full text of Mr. Phillips’ Letter to the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce.
OLG President and CEO Rod Phillips had another opportunity to reach out through the media to Ontarians to discuss key issues. On the morning of Monday, February 4, CBC’s Matt Galloway invited Mr. Phillips to the CBC Toronto studio to be a guest on its popular morning show Metro Morning. The lively discussion focused on the debate about a GTA gaming entertainment centre, OLG’s role in the process and where people can go to find out more information about Modernization.
Read the full interview transcript.
To listen to the full interview, please visit cbc.ca.
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, the provincial agency responsible for the regulation of gaming, has initiated a new modernization plan that aims to maximize revenues to the provincial government by placing new facilities in areas of greatest customer demand. The plan also calls for enhanced benefits for host communities such as more quality jobs, private sector investment, and tourism opportunities.
This is an important first step in the public debate. By having a full public dialogue on the pros and cons of this issue, the community and elected officials will have all the facts on which to make their decision.
Downtown is Peterborough’s entertainment centre. Theatres, bars and restaurants have always clustered there, more noticeably and successfully in the past decade.
And while it has the ring of cliché, downtown really is the heart of the city. Of any city.
So if a casino comes to Peterborough, downtown is where it should be.
If you’re in the gaming business, now is the time to start looking around for potential casino sites.
Companies interested in running area gaming sites are now submitting requests to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), says an OLG representative, which means it’s possible they’ll start searching out potential spots to expand or relocate facilities.
A Toronto casino has become controversial, but Paul Godfrey wants people to trust him when he says it will be good for the city.