The Gambling Industry in Ontario
The Government of Ontario created the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLGC), a Crown Agency, on April 1, 2000 by merging the Ontario Casino Corporation (OCC) and the Ontario Lottery Corporation (OLC). More recently the name was further changed to Ontario Lottery and Gaming, or OLG.
Ontario has experienced an unprecedented expansion of gambling opportunities where public access and involvement with gambling has increased enormously. Prior to 1994, the only types of visible gambling sites were racetracks, lottery booths and county fairs. There were no casinos or slot machines In Ontario. The first casino was built in Windsor in 1994 and was considered to be a temporary site. There are now a total of 28 permanent casino operations 4 commercial casinos (2 are now in Niagara Falls), 6 charity casinos, and 18 racetracks (17 with slot machines) and approximately 10,500 lottery retailers. There are also over 5,000 break open ticket sellers and 125 bingo operators in the province that are licensed to conduct charitable gaming activities.
Ontario is home to the sixth largest lottery network in North America. OLG operates 12 lottery games through more than 10,500 retailers across the province. More than $2 billion worth of lottery tickets are sold each year. The Lotto 6/49 and Lotto Super 7 alone generate sales of close to $7 million per week. OLG also markets 75 types of instant tickets, and sponsors Big Link Bingo, which electronically links 50 communities and 170 bingo halls. More than 30,000 jobs are directly related to gambling here in Ontario.
Gambling in Ontario is a business with revenues that exceed cinema showings, movie rentals, sporting event admissions and live theatre combined. In Southern Ontario, 93% of residents are within a one-hour drive of a casino or slot machine facility. This is one reason why some believe that the expansion of gambling has reached the saturation point.
Some Facts About Gambling in Ontario
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In 2005, 63.3 per cent of Ontario adults say they have gambled at least once in the past year.
Gambling in Ontario is an $8 billion entertainment business with revenues that exceed cinema showings, movie rentals, sporting event admissions and live theatre combined.
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Ontario has the sixth largest lottery network in North America. The Ontario Lottery and Gambling Corporation (OLG) operates 12 lottery games through more than 10,500 retailers across the province. More than $2 billion worth of lottery tickets are sold each year. The Lotto 6/49 and Lotto Super 7 alone generate sales of close to $7 million per week. The OLG also markets 75 types of instant tickets, and sponsors Big Link Bingo, which electronically links 50 communities and 170 bingo halls.
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Ontario's three commercial casinos, Casino Rama, Casino Windsor and Casino Niagara, had a combined gross income of $148 million per month in 2002/03. These casinos also create more than 29,000 direct and indirect jobs.
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Since 1998, six charity casinos have opened in the province. From these operations, Ontario charities are guaranteed $100 million annually.
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As of March 2003, 15 of 18 Ontario racetracks housed over 8,650 slot machines, which are played by close to 40,000 patrons per day. The proceeds from these slots, over $1 billion per year, benefit the racing industry, tack operators and local communities.
These statistics were collected from the Ontario Lottery and Gaming website which can be accessed at www.olg.ca
Other sources of information include the websites for SANO www.camh.net and Statistics Canada www.statcan.ca.
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