canmark
Active Member
Toronto Star: Tim Hudak calls for Ontario to privatize gambling
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The City of Toronto has been told to expect a provincial hosting fee of $50 million to $100 million per year for a downtown casino-resort — significantly less than a consultant’s estimate hailed by casino proponents.
Tony Bitonti, spokesman for Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp., confirmed the estimate of up to $100 million appearing in city materials prepared for public consultations on a casino, which include public meetings that start next week.
The sinking revenue estimate could make the high-stakes proposal for a downtown casino a tougher sell when council has final say in April.
Mayor Rob Ford’s executive committee approved the consultations in November, after receiving a city-commissioned Ernst & Young report speculating that the province might fork over up to $168 million a year.
The committee directed the city manager to try to refine the figure before public consultations. Ford, however, was clearly buoyed by the consultant’s prediction that the fee, plus increased property taxes, could flood more than $200 million a year into city coffers.
He told reporters in November: “I’ve always said I will support a casino if it is creating good-paying jobs, and the numbers that I’m seeing, if it is going to bring in $200 million a year, absolutely I’m voting for it.”
$100 million for the City every year isn't exactly just a drop in the bucket. $100 million a year could pay for a heck of a lot of infrastructure.
And there's nothing stopping the Province from investing their share of the profits into Toronto infrastructure projects as well.
I agree, also dont know why the Toronto Star is so against and negative of a downtown Casino![]()
I'm opposed to gambling in general, so no, I'm not ok with that actually.
I was responding to AG's contention that those of us who didn't want a casino downtown would support offshore internet sites -- I responded that I don't support gambling in any form so my opposition isn't a NIMBY thing.So because you're against it means that you should be able to deny it to others? I happen to enjoy occasionally going to a casino and playing some blackjack.
I happen to be against going to uptight douchy nightclubs, but that doesn't mean I actively try to prevent new ones from being built, or from discouraging people to go them.
I wonder what the anti-Toronto Casino people have to say about on-line betting thats about to flog Ontario
According to Dwight Duncan.........Online gambling, a recent expansion proposed by the OLG, is going forward because Ontarians already spend hundreds of millions of dollars a year on Internet gaming sites based off shore.
Gee, i bet these same people are OK with that![]()
I was responding to AG's contention that those of us who didn't want a casino downtown would support offshore internet sites -- I responded that I don't support gambling in any form so my opposition isn't a NIMBY thing.