"Premier, Why Are You Walking Away?"

Published: September 11, 2012 04:16 pm EDT

"I ran the largest racetrack operation in the world for Frank Stronach for eight years. I know a little something about what casinos want. There's no casino operator in the world that's going to take only 20 per cent for investing and putting up a casino in downtown Toronto. Those casinos will want at least 30 per cent."

Racing Future CEO Dennis Mills recently discussed the impending consequences of the McGuinty Government's plans to withdraw from the Slots-At-Racetracks Program on Newstalk 1010 with Jim Richards. Mills is baffled as to why the Ontario Liberals would simply walk away from a partnership that contributes over $1.1 billion into the treasury.

"We keep coming back to this word 'subsidy'. I'm looking out my window and I see the Air Canada Centre. Every single one of those boxes that are bought by corporations to help sustain the Toronto Maple Leafs are tax write-offs. That is like a tax grant, there isn't a business in our city that doesn't receive some form of government assistance. And what the horse industry contributes in rural Ontario, for grain growers and farriers, blacksmiths, for 55,000 people...exporting our brand all over the world."

The discussions also broaches a downtown Toronto casino, which Mills points out would take at least three years to complete. This move doesn't compute with Mills, as the government is then losing out on guaranteed revenue from the slots-at-racetracks program in the meantime.

"I'm not against a downtown Toronto casino to stimulate our conventions and our tourism and everything else, but you can have both. You do not need to destroy rural Ontario by shutting down the partnership.

"Very few city people understand the contribution that rural people make to the whole economy of Ontario. Let's face it, very few city people and a lot of your listeners just don't understand the cycle and the system of how rural Ontario functions. We're now appealing to city people to get engaged in this debate and hopefully they can talk to their city MPPs and let's sustain the sport."

Richards even agreed with Mills and went so far as to say "It didn't add up...I don't see the math on how this helps them get anywhere."

The full interview is available below.

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