Recently, Ontario introduced retail sports betting at several land-based casinos across the province, and its addition will benefit not only patrons but host communities as well. For instance, the Township of Centre Wellington, which hosts Elements Casino Grand River, will receive four per cent of the revenue from the property’s in-person sports wagering activities.
In October 2022, Ontario officially introduced retail sports betting across several brick-and-mortar casinos in the province. Several of the local casinos have debuted their full-scale sportsbooks, meanwhile, others have implemented sports betting kiosks at their gaming floors, allowing their patrons to legally wager on a plethora of sports events from all around the globe.
Receiving 4% of Sports Betting Proceeds
Elements Casino Grand River is among the land-based properties to introduce regulated retail sports betting to its offerings. However, the casino does not operate with a sportsbook, but it offers the product via two sports betting kiosks, which started work on October 28, 2022. Now, the township of Centre Wellington will get four per cent of the sports betting revenue.
However, the gaming expansion of the casino raised some concerns in the Centre Wellington council. Coun. Barbara Lustgarten-Evoy is worried about locals’ health and wanted to confirm with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation that with the addition of sports betting for the public, the township was not adding to the health and wellbeing of people.
In response to her, CAO Dan Wilson confirmed that the Crown corporation takes some of the responsibility for the health of the customers. He said that the OLG is mindful of player health and the well-being of bettors, and it should be mentioned that the casino property also offers a PlaySmart Centre, which helps patrons gamble in a responsible manner.
As with any other casino host community, the township also invests the gaming revenue from the casino in good causes. Most of the gaming funds it receives are put mainly into capital projects such as road work and bridge construction. Last year, the township received CA$1,205,365 from the casino. This was lower than usual, due to the casino closures in the province.
The First Operator to Offer It
Elements Casino Grand River is owned by the OLG but it is operated by Great Canadian Entertainment Corporation. In October 2022, the company which recently rebranded became the first Ontario casino operator to offer retail sports betting at its properties. As of now, four of its provincial amenities operate Great Canadian Sportsbooks at their premises. While the other four implemented sports betting kiosks.
The four casinos that offer sports wagering via full-on sportsbooks are Great Blue Heron Casino & Hotel, Pickering Casino Resort, Elements Casino Brantford and Shorelines Casino Belleville. While Casino Woodbine, Shorelines Casino Peterborough, Shorelines Casino Thousand Islands, Elements Casino Mohawk, Elements Casino Grand River, and Elements Casino Flamboro offer it via sports betting kiosks.
Source: Gault, Jesse “Centre Wellington to get 4 per cent of casino sports betting” Elorafurgustoday.com, December 13, 2022
