Hoping to salvage and save the cash-need city, Toronto’s city council is pinning its hopes on the building of a new casino, yet the chances of it ever being built is unrealistic.
It seems that no one at the Toronto Legislature in Queen’s Park is willing to take upon himself to back the idea of casinos as a way to cure the ailing old city. Last week, city counselors voted in favor of a $750 million expansion of the gaming facilities of the Woodbine racetrack, hoping that the legislature would take the hint and lift its ban on new casinos being built, and to allow more slot machines to be installed, and to permit games like blackjack and roulette. Brian Ashton said that it was time to re-evaluate the viability of building a new casino in Toronto.
Mayor David Miller felt the belt buckle getting tighter. Although he does not approve of a new casino in Toronto, he does approve of adding new gaming facilities in the Woodbine racetrack. The racetrack already has 1,700 slot machines, with more planned. More than two years ago, former economic development and trade minister Joe Cordiano released a 36-page review of Ontario gaming in which he concluded no new casinos or racetrack slot facilities could be built. In his opinion, the new casinos would merely take revenue from the existing gaming facilities, some of which already face financial difficulties.
The province's Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. owns four privately operated commercial casinos – two in Niagara Falls, one in Rama, near Orillia, and another in Windsor. All face stiff competition from casino across the border in New York State and Michigan and Ontario’s ban on smoking in public places. In addition, the Canadian dollar has surged to 95 cents (U.S.), and that does not help matters. Because the Greater Toronto Area is home to one-third of the Niagara casinos' players and half of those at Casino Rama, a Woodbine facility would likely draw business from the existing casinos. Obviously, Toronto city councilors aren't especially concerned about whether the other casinos lose revenue, but with a provincial election in 79 days, the Liberal government certainly is.
Indeed, Finance Minister Greg Sorbara, his party's campaign chair for the Oct. 10 vote, made that clear on Friday. "We have a policy on casinos and I don't think that's about to change," he told reporters when asked if Queen's Park would ease Toronto's fiscal crisis by allowing a new gambling house here.
| 
