The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation has started to issue its payments to Ontario municipalities for hosting gaming properties in their territories. Most recently the Crown agency completed its non-tax gaming revenue payments to Sault Ste. Marie for the hosting of Gateway Casinos Sault Ste. Marie. The payment for the second quarter of 2021 is in the amount of CA$325,000.
So far, the agreement between the Crown corporation and the municipalities of Ontario has brought them more than CA$1.76 billion in non-tax gaming revenue for the host of the casinos. Since 1999, the city of Sault Ste. Marie has received approximately CA$32 million from the agreement, which is used for the funding of the local economy in numerous sectors.
Q2 Payment Now Issued
On October 21, 2021, the OLG has officially issued its second-quarter non-tax gaming revenue payment to the City of Sault Ste. Marie for the hosting of Gateway Casinos – Sault Ste. Marie. The quarter stretches to the period of July 1, 2021, to September 30, 2021. The Crown pays municipalities under the Municipality Contribution Agreements, and the sum is determined by a formula-based graduated scale of gaming revenue at the site.
MPP for Sault Ste. Marie, Ross Romano, stated that he is quite pleased with the province’s safe reopening plan and the City of Sault Ste. Marie could benefit from the operational casinos once again. Mr. Romano says that the financial proceeds from casinos are used to support vital services in the local communities thanks to the Municipality Contribution Agreement.
In accordance with the provincial reopening plan, casinos in Ontario were allowed to reopen doors on July 16, 2021. Then, in consultation with the OLG, each service provider determined their own reopening date for their properties, which was based on their ability and readiness to restart work under the new health and safety protocols.
Then by the time of August 16, 2021, all gaming properties in Ontario managed to renew operations and welcome back patrons. Now, with the reopening of gaming amenities in the province, the Crown’s service providers and operators will be able to renew their development plans and continue to contribute to the long-term welfare of casino offerings in Ontario.
Relocation of Jobs
Previously, Mr. Romano expressed his desire to see more OLG jobs being relocated back to the head office of the Crown agency in Sault Ste. Marie. Currently, out of the 1,300 OLG positions, 800 are situated in the Crown’s office in Toronto as most positions from Sault Ste. Marie have been transferred there over time. Mr. Romano says that the positions are of huge importance to the population of Sault Ste. Marie and wants to see a reversal of the trend.
Federal Audit Now Published
Recently, the federal government of Canada published the results of its audit of the OLG performance that was conducted last year. The report conducted by an internal division of the federal government states that Crown agency’s officials have been involved in several irregularities including misuse of corporate credit cards, overcompensation of staff raises in comparison to other state-run institutions, and several other violations.
Source: “OLG second quarter non-tax gaming revenue payment tops $325,000”, SooToday, October 21, 2021
