Sue Leslie said this week that she is encouraged by discussions conducted between an Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association subcommittee and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. regarding the establishment of a new gambling product that will integrate horse racing into the province’s gaming modernization.
An article in the Guelph Mercury has cited Leslie, OHRIA’s president, as saying that the discussions have examined more than 20 options for products.
The report has cited Leslie as calling for patience in regard to the process.
In the article, the OHRIA president states that Ontario racing needs “new revenue lines sooner rather than later.” She went on to say, “In terms of the big picture, I'd like to think we could progress to something in 2015 that we might be able to get up and workable, but at this point, I sure couldn't guarantee it. But we're trying. Everyone is trying and everyone is co-operating."
In speaking of the 20 options for products, generally, Leslie was quoted as saying, "Every product has so many 'ifs, ands or buts.' We're weighing them all, both from a marketability point of view, the actual legalities legislatively, federally and provincially and for the impact on other OLG products and horse racing. It's very complex. It's hard sledding going through them all. They have divided things up between what can be done short-term and what is going to take a longer process to go through.”
To read the article in its entirety, click here.
(With files from the Guelph Mercury)