“One of the goals is to have something that works for both groups. But it is important to develop a firm revenue stream for horse racing, so that it does not (only have) government funding. We want to develop and integrate a product between the OLG and horse racing that helps promote growth in racing, increase purses and ensures its survival.”

Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) spokesman Tony Bitonti has commented on the province's gaming integration strategy in an article published in Torstar newspapers on Friday. This past Monday, the Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association (OHRIA) announced in a news release that representatives of OHRIA and OLG are ready to sit down to decide the specifics of how horse racing can best be integrated into the province’s overall gaming strategy.

“Horse racing comes under federal legislation while the OLG is under the Criminal Code and provincial legislation,” Bitonti was quoted as saying in the Torstar report. “We are starting this integration with racing from square one so we have to find the product that will work best with the provincial and federal laws.”

The report states that meetings will begin before the end of this month.

(With files from Torstar)