Toronto Approves New Racetrack Casino

If things proceed according to plan, Toronto will have a new casino at the Woodbine Racetrack. There are already 2,700 slot machines in operation there. The current proposal, just approved by the Toronto city council, involves expanding the slot machine capacity to 5,000 and introducing 120 tables for casino games like craps, roulette, and blackjack.

The proposal was passed last week by a reasonable majority, but definitely not an overwhelming one. 25 councilors voted in favor of the expansion, while 19 voted against. Toronto Mayor John Tory was one of those who supported the venture. He said, “My support for taking this proposition to the next stage does, however, arise out of a profound determination that I have to see more jobs become available in the northwest corner of the city, an area that has been starved for jobs and opportunity for a long, long time.”

CEO of Woodbine Entertainment Group, Jim Lawson, spoke about the other benefits of adding the casino to the racetrack. He said that it would boost Ontario’s horse racing industry. The complex would then be operative round the year and not just during racing season. It would have the potential of attracting 12 million visitors annually, which is double that of the current level. According to initial estimates, the expansion of the property could generate an additional tax revenue of anything from CA$7 million to CA$11 million for the city.

With so much opposition in the council, several negative effects of the proposal were also discussed. Most important of these was the possible increase in gambling addiction among Toronto residents. The mayor assured that problem gambling would be given due attention while implementing the plan and all required safeguards would be introduced. Several councilors did not buy the concept of job creation. They averred that jobs at Woodbine would be created at the cost of jobs in other parts of Toronto’s hospitality and leisure industry. Councilor Mike Layton stated that it was the duty of the council to come up with more responsible ways of securing job growth in the area and revenue growth for the city.

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) is the nodal agency responsible for overseeing the execution of the project. It will start looking for an operator to run the new casino. During the next few months OLG will study the proposals and ask for more information as needed. Once a vendor is approved by the council, the physical expansion can move ahead.

Online Casino Articles

A listing of the newest online casino & gambling related articles that have been added to Canadian Casino Sites can be found featured in the listing below.