The provincial government is proposing a plan that would modernize the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. (OLGC), which would increase revenue by more than $1 billion annually and create 2,300 jobs.
However, the changes are not a result of the Drummond report, which suggested closing one of two OLGC headquarters, one of which is located in Sault Ste. Marie.
Changes include reconfiguring the number of gaming sites, ending the Slots at Racetracks program on March 31, 2013, and allowing a new casino in the GTA.
“We are focused, more than ever, on balancing the budget while continuing to provide the best education and health care in the world,” Finance Minister Dwight Duncan said in a news release. “Modernizing OLG's operations and business model is an example of how we are ensuring our assets are delivering the greatest value to taxpayers.”
Upon its release on Feb. 15, the Drummond report caused concern amongst Saultites for its suggestion that the headquarters, which is stationed in the Robert Bondar Centre on Sault's waterfront, could be threatened with closure.
The plan to overhaul the OLGC is a result of a government directive, issued in July 2010, to review its land-based gaming operations and lottery distribution network to see how revenue could be optimized.
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