On a day in which it was announced that construction is expected to begin "shortly" on Woodbine Live!, the City of Mississauga, just across the border from Woodbine Racetrack, has officially thrown its hat in to the ring in an effort to land expanded gaming locations
within its borders.
Mississauga Council has passed a motion to transform older bingo halls into electronic gaming centres to mesh with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp.'s modernization of provincial gaming.
An article by the Toronto Star has quoted Councillor Sue McFadden as saying that, “bingo halls are dying because people are all going to Woodbine and Mohawk.”
McFadden also said that she thought it would be "great" if a full-blown casino came to Mississauga, citing how gaming has helped the Town of Milton and the City of Windsor.
The Toronto Star report has also quoted some councillors that are against the introduction of a full-blown casino in Mississauga, and cites the possibility of the issue being addressed in the future via referendum.
On the same day in which the Mississauga news broke, it was also announced that The Cordish Companies, the Woodbine Entertainment Group's partner in the massive, yet stalled Woodbine Live! expansion at Woodbine Racetrack, will be breaking ground on the project "shortly."
According to a report by the National Post, The Cordish Companies issued a statement explaining that “there is no better site for a full casino in North America than Woodbine Live!”
The Cordish Companies also stated, “Woodbine Live! is in an excellent position to commence construction shortly with zoning, public incentives in the form of a TIEG (tax increment equivalent grant), private financing, as well as both anchor and inline tenants committed. The Cordish Companies has an unparalleled record of developing first-class casino/entertainment complexes, and Toronto, as one of the great cities in the world, lends itself to this kind of development.”
Woodbine Entertainment Group President and CEO Nick Eaves conveyed the same sentiment earlier this week to The Globe and Mail when he stated, “One of the great benefits we have is complete flexibility. We own 680 acres of land. It is an existing racing and gaming operation and we are equipped to respond in whatever way we and OLG think best meets the market demand.”
By now we all know that MGM
By now we all know that MGM Grand has come to Toronto looking to build a casino resort & that they don't want anything to do with slots at racetracks. I guess we all know what the Liberals hidden agenda was. They will sell off 60,000 jobs without a thought of the hardship they will be causing to the racing industry & rural Ontario with the (hopes) of making more profit.We have an Industry that is already in place & making them over one billion dollars a year (for sure) plus 285 million in direct taxes. It produces over 2 billion dollars a year & puts it right back into rural Ontario.Why would the Liberals want to reley on the USA to do what say they will ? If they are anything like our government I would not believe a word that they say.A bird in the hand Duncan & McGuinty,a bird in the hand. This is a morally currupt decission that they have made & they made with no reguard for the thousands of their constituants & their families. They know full well what they are doing to rural Ontario & they don't give a hoot.Is this the kind of government that we want? I think not . Let's go to the poles.
Well just to let Sue
Well just to let Sue McFadden know, our main Casino here in Windsor is actually losing money and is the reason that our track is closing.We don't need anymore Casino's. The Slots are making more than enough money for our municipalities.