Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation is ready to continuously support its host communities down the road despite the gaming expansion taking place. The Crown corporation overseeing the Ontario gaming field made it clear that the municipalities of Ajax and Scugog would continue receiving regular casino cash allocations and additional support even though the casino venues they host are shut down right now.
Casino venues and gaming halls have many ways in which they can support their host communities. One of those is the regular gaming revenue allocations they have to make to the local community and its various programs and organizations directly benefitting from them. Durham municipalities are some of the areas receiving added benefits from the ongoing gambling operation in the region.
Casino Allocations Continue
Great Canadian Gaming Corporation oversees Casino Ajax and Great Blue Heron Casino, two of the most popular gaming venues in the Durham region. The unprecedented situation has made it impossible for the two venues to continue their regular operation with patrons. Mid-March, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation announced its decision to shut down all brick-and-mortar casino venues and gambling halls in the province.
This included the two aforementioned casino venues that are currently in an indefinite lockdown. Local players frequenting them now resort to the online gaming offerings PlayOLG.ca has up for grabs, as the provincial lottery leader has encouraged them to explore its online platform. It has been recently confirmed that Casino Ajax and Great Blue Heron Casino would continue supporting their host communities.
This means that Ajax and Scugog are about to continue receiving the support they are eligible for. The regular payments are based on an already established formula for allocations covering all 26 Ontario gaming venues overseen by the gambling corporation. Casino Ajax gives back a percentage of its slot machines gaming revenue at the end of every quarter of the year. The community managed to bag some CA$7,080,900 for three quarters of the 2019 fiscal year.
Agreements in Place
The last payment for the 2019 fiscal year was made this January and it amounted to CA$1,851,508. Three months later, it is time for the next regular quarterly payment coming from the casino venue and Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. It is projected to happen over the next couple of weeks, as the unprecedented situation would not get in the way of the community support happening.
Up until this point, Ajax has been bagging casino cash ever since April 1, 2013. Scugog, on the other hand, has a commercial fee-for-services agreement with the Crown corporation allowing it to bag money on a regular basis. The beginning of this month saw the municipality receive its allocation amounting to CA$231,925.90, as township spokeswoman Lori Bowers confirmed. Great Blue Heron Casino is projected to bring the township some CA$874,000 every year.
The arrangement is mutually beneficial and in return for the cash, Scugog takes care of the roads leading to the tribal casino venue. This includes care during the winter months, as well as repairing throughout the year. The current arrangement is set to cover the years until March 31, 2027 or for a total of nine years and three months. Prior to the 2016 agreement, the municipality bagged revenue allocations from the casino venue.
