With the new casino project finally approved by City Hall, the city of London in Ontario, Canada, could soon become home to one of the state’s largest and most diverse gaming facilities. On Tuesday, lawmakers voted 9-5 in favor of the city’s gambling expansion and passed two other motions on the location of new casinos and prevention of problem gambling.
Following Monday’s public meeting, in which London’s Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee approved extended gambling, the city council granted formal permission for increased gaming options in the community. This includes up to 1,200 slot machines and 50 table games to be offered in London, which currently has OLG slots in the Western Fair District. The company operates over 700 slot machines and various electronic table games such as poker or blackjack. But old slot sellers can now be replaced by new, larger facilities that will provide more slot machines and game tables with dealers.
The council’s approval allows the construction of a proposed casino complex by Gateway Casino and Entertainment, a major service provider of OLG’s Southwest game bundle that includes OLG slots in Western Fair District, now called Gateway Casino London. Along with London’s only gaming facility, gateway acquired several other gambling facilities owned by the Ontario Lottery and gaming company (OLG), namely the OLG slots in Clinton, Dresden, Hanover and Woodstock and the operations of OLG Casino Point Edward. 카지노사이트
The casino operations and services agreement between the gambling operator and the OLG was signed , according to which Gateway will be responsible for all day-to-day operations and assets at these facilities for the next 20 years. Indeed, with its expansion in Ontario, the company has become Canada’s largest gambling and entertainment provider. Now, we propose to build a new casino in the Western Fair District, which costs an astonishing investment of C$142 million. However, more permits from local governments and states are needed for the project to move forward. Gateway is also currently negotiating for land acquisition on the Western Fair site.
Problem Gambling Risk Awareness
London City Council approved the idea of casino expansion and voted 13-1 in favor of a new casino location proposal. While not a binding vote, the decision clearly demonstrated city officials’ preference for the Western Fair District as a venue for future game expansion. Under Gateway’s plan, the new casino complex will now be located on the Slotsfeller site, where the company pays $6 million a year to the Western Fair. But Gateway claims cheaper lease deals could put $142 million into new projects.
Apart from discussions and decisions on the best places for game expansion and full-fledged casinos, the city council also passed a motion to investigate opportunities for casino revenue to be used to help the community. The civil administration will have to report again on how it can eliminate the potential risks of increased gambling. According to city politicians, London could use its share of casino revenue to mitigate the harm of gambling to the community. This includes the study and treatment of problem gambling as well as the prevention of gambling addiction.