According to a report on CTV National News, the owners of the Great Blue Heron Casino, the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation (MSIFN), north of Toronto, believe they got a raw deal from the government with the launch of iGaming in Ontario and new land-based operations in the area. The Great Blue Heron Casino is situated in Port Perry and it opened in 1997.

Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto opened recently and the billion-dollar property along with new venues in Ajax and Pickering, not to mention the advent of commercial “free-market” online casino gaming in the Ontarian province, have the First Nations operator more than a little nervous about the future of its operations that provide much-needed revenues for the tribe. Their Chief, Kelly LaRocca. States it a bit more boldly and believes the government has broken promises and shorted the community on agreed-upon operating terms.

Owned Operated and Managed by Three Different Entities

The MSIFN owns the casino which is managed by Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation and operated by Great Canadian Entertainment. An agreement by all three parties entered into in 2016, and spelling out the MSIFN’s expectations does not rhyme with the reality on the ground today, according to the Chief.

“I’ve had major concerns around each casino opening and expansion,” LaRocca said. “It’s an existential threat for our economic driver and the community here. The community feels they were misled by the government.”

One bone of contention seems to be live entertainment that Great Canadian has booked at all properties in the area, except presumably Great Blue Heron, with Live Nation even though there is a new entertainment center slated for the older casino. Chief LaRocca said nobody has informed her of an opening date for the 500-seat venue, but other reports indicate an opening in the fall of this year.

The Chief said, “I’m not seeing a guarantee that the list of entertainers will be shared amongst the [Great Canadian Entertainment]

.”

The casino has seen other recent capital improvements including an expanded gaming area with new slot machines and table games as well as a 100-key hotel that opened a free short years ago.

However, the Chief must look out for the welfare of the Nation that relies on revenue from the property it owns – in fact, it’s so important that all of the parties will be involved in a mediation that will take place to see if all the terms of the 2016 agreement are being met. The mediation could also result in more gaming seats being opened at Great Blue Heron to help it meet the targets promised. The casino transitoined from a “charity casino” to a commercial casino in 2016 with the agreement.

According to the Chief, the casino is“the economic foundation and lifeblood of <the>community. It has brought us clean drinking water, enhanced health-care services and education,” she said.

No Delusions about Mediation

LaRocca explained that the community has clarity in their expectations of what mediation can bring,

“You know, if parties come willingly to the table and open to all matters of possibility, then a mediation works well. If parties come to the table closed and with preconceived notions of how things ought to go, with no room for movement, then really, it’s not meaningful open discussion. So we’re just trying to be cautious with what our expectations are and willing to go the distance should we need to go to mediation.”

The Chief says the Pickering casino violates a proximity agreement in the 2016 document and says they were not consulted on that before the Pickering venue was approved and opened.

“We’d like the agreements that we entered into in 2016 to be honored. What that means is to have a protected territory that is honored by the OLG.

“The way they handled Pickering and Ajax… we will be looking for them to acknowledge it and for some kind of compensation for that.”

She’s also concerned about the effect of iGaming on the market, fearing the opportunity for people to simply go online to play casino games is costing them money.

“We’re interested in discussing iGaming and the rollout of that and the impact on gaming in our community, in our facility, and on other land-based facilities,” LaRocca said.

“I’d be mighty upset at the onset of iGaming, especially after having poured in hundreds of millions of dollars into various land-based gaming facilities, only to turn around and have their market share scuttled. But I suspect that the service providers have been compensated for that.”

The 2016 agreements states in part: “The Province and the First Nation intend that the Great Blue Heron continue to operate and be commercially viable.”

However, the Chief sees the proliferation of newer and bigger casinos as an existential threat to the Great Blue Heron.

“The Ford government have broken their word to our community. It’s hurting a lot of Indigenous people and we are going to have to take issue and fight against the cannibalization of gaming.”

Source: Facing commercial competition, Great Blue Heron tribal casino owners look for better deal with Ontario government, CDC Gaming Reports, July 5, 2023

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Great Canadian Entertainment has announced that Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto is set to open June 20, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. local time. The highly anticipated opening, next to Woodbine Racetrack, will open a huge gaming floor of more than 300,000 square feet and all of the Las Vegas-style amenities Canadians have come to expect from the legacy lottery casino operator.

Meanwhile, Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario subsidiary, iGaming Ontario’s (iGO) spokespersons were at the Canadian Gaming Summit in Toronto last week and iGO’s Martha Otton, executive director told a panel discussion and its sizable audience that the sectors participants are “crushing it”.

Neither Great Canadian’s press release nor iGaming Ontario’s comments addressed any possibility of unmovable objects being met with irresistible forces.

Landmark Development

Great Canadian Entertainment is betting on its in-person offering of entertainment, massive gaming space with over 4,800 slot machines and 145 table games situated in 328,000 square feet of gaming space – Canada’s largest casinos and one of the biggest in North America capturing in-person-gamblers’ attention and holding it through other amenities as well on 33-acres of fun with a great location near the Highways 401 and 427 interchange.

In addition to innovative modern architecture and a location adjacent to the popular Woodbine Racetrack, visitors will also find a 400-room hotel, a vast array of on-site dining, and a 5,000-person live entertainment venue.

While the new venue there cost some $1 billion it is also expected to generate about $500m in annual economic impact.

Great Canadian Entertainment CEO, Matthew Anfinson said of the opening: “We are thrilled to announce that our highly anticipated new casino will open on June 20. With meticulous attention to detail, state-of-the-art amenities, and a commitment to exceptional guest experiences, our landmark entertainment resort is a game-changer in Toronto,” said the CEO.

The company noted that the existing Casino Woodbine would continue operations without interruption until the new venue opens for a seamless transition. The release also noted that there will be a “PlaySmart Centre on the gaming floor, filled with engaging interactive tools and valuable responsible gambling resources available for all players.”

Ontario iGaming “Crushing It”

While the first quarter of business for iGaming in the province isn’t complete, so there are no final numbers available yet, Martha Otton of iGo told attendees at the Canadian Gaming Summit in Toronto on Wednesday that GGR or gross gaming revenues were “3.5 times as large as Q1 last year, “ according to a report on CDC Gaming Reports.

Other panel members discussing the first full year of legalized and regulated iGaming in the province included board chair of iGaming Ontario, Dave Forestell; Ontario Attorney General, Doug Downey, and Tom Mungham, chief executive officer of AGCO – the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario a crown agency responsible for the actual regulation of alcohol, gaming and horse racing sectors and cannabis retail stores in Ontario.

A study commissioned by iGO and provided by Deloitte was released at the discussion which estimates some 12,000 “full-time-equivalent” jobs had been created by liberalizing online gambling in Ontario and had boosted the province’s GDP contribution of some CAD$1.6 billion with $900m of that on labor income.

Of the more than 12,000 jobs, Otton said: “…whether they’re direct or indirect jobs in the market and an average salary well above the provincial average. They’re good jobs for this province coming here.”

The Deloitte report, “Economic Contributions of Ontario’s Regulated iGaming Market,” not only examines the economic impact of a more openly competitive model in the province but also the decision to keep the lottery involved. The former model was run through a hybrid crown corporation with the government being one stakeholder and the Ontario Lottery being the other. The current model brings dozens of competitors to the market while maintaining ties to the lottery.

The Deloitte report projected the potential for an additional 10,000 new jobs, a further boost to $4.7 billion in annual GDP, and the possibility of breaking the $2b mark in government revenues within the first decade of operations.

The report said that igaming employment is over 40% more lucrative than private sector employment with average earnings of over $100,000 per year and noted that some sectors participating include those with skills in mathematics, technology, engineering, and science.

Government sector benefits would include a boost in revenue from last year’s $470 million provincial earrings to nearly one and a half billion in revenue in 2031-32 based on the 20% revenue-share model used in Ontario; federal revenue increasing to ^47m from $238m, and a nearly two-fold increase in revenue for Ontario municipalities from $54m to $115m.

Source: Ontario’s regulated online gaming market generates 12,000 full-time jobs, CAD$1.6B economic impact, in first year, CDC Gaming Reports, June 14, 2023

Great Canadian to open Casino Resort Toronto on June 20, G3 Newswire, June 14, 2023

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Gaming and hospitality operator Great Canadian Entertainment announced today it has agreed upon an exclusive partnership with Live Nation Canada that will bring some of the biggest names in music and comedy to its venues in Canada.

Live Music and Comedy Shows

The agreement reached between Great Canadian Entertainment and Live Nation Canada will see the live entertainment company serve as the exclusive booking agent for the events while both partners will promote the programming jointly.

Gavin Whiteley, chief marketing officer of Great Canadian Entertainment, commented on the development, thrilled that Great Canadian partnered with “the premier live entertainment promoter in the world,” Live Nation Canada.

“This partnership will bring some of the biggest and most exciting artists to our exceptional venues, providing guests with unforgettable experiences they will cherish for years to come,” Whiteley said.

Great Canadian Entertainment currently operates 25 gaming, entertainment and hospitality facilities in Ontario, British Columbia, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, and is planning on opening the country’s largest casino resort, Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto, later this year.

The brand-new CA$1 billion ($749 million) casino resort with a 400-room hotel, expanded covered parking, and multiple on-site dining options, will also feature a 5,000-person entertainment venue, The Theatre, where famous musicians and comedians will also perform once the resort opens to the public.

Other venues that will feature through the strategic alliance with Live Nation Canada will be the brand-new The Arena at Pickering Casino Resort, River Rock Casino Resort, Hard Rock Casino Vancouver, Molson Canadian Centre at Casino New Brunswick, and The Schooner Showroom at Casino Nova Scotia.

Committed to Elevating Guest Experience

Seeking to elevate the experience at Great Canadian Entertainment’s live venues from coast to coast, the partnership is the latest display of the company’s commitment to delivering world-class entertainment and experiences to its guests across all its casino and hospitality venues.

Leveraging Live Nation Canada’s global presence, vast industry network and relationships with artists and musicians, Great Canadian Entertainment is expecting to raise the bar by offering a wide range of events and the best live experiences nationwide.

One of Great Canadian’s 12 Ontario venues, Casino Woodbine, hit the newswires in April after awarding a massive CA$3.2 million ($2.4 million) progressive jackpot to a Toronto-based solutions contractor and Great Canadian Rewards member, Marcelo Loyola.

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A Toronto-based solutions contractor is now $3.2 million richer after winning a massive progressive jackpot at Casino Woodbine. Loyola shared that Casino Woodbine was a favorite entertainment spot for him and his girlfriend, with her going upstairs to play the slots while he played the tables downstairs.

Man Claims His Late Girlfriend Helped Him Win the Jackpot

Loyola says he felt his girlfriend’s spirit with him when he went to the casino just two weeks after her passing. Although he is a table games player, he decided to play his girlfriend’s favorite slot machine and even played it the way she did, stopping the machine mid-spin to try and get the three ‘Jackpot’ icons to line up. It worked, and Loyola saw ‘Jackpot, Jackpot, Jackpot’ before he started screaming and running around.

The win drew a crowd of onlookers and casino staff who were just as excited as the winner. Loyola shared that a lot of people at the casino knew about his girlfriend’s passing and gave him their condolences and congratulations at the same time. He said it was an incredibly emotional story that was hard for him to tell, but he knew for a fact that his girlfriend was with him that night, and it could not be a coincidence.

Great Canadian Congratulates Loyola on Jackpot Win at Casino Woodbine

Robert Katsavelos, general manager of Casino Woodbine, shared that they are thrilled for Loyola and excited to see him take home such a huge payout, especially after such an emotional time. Katsavelos added that it is an amazing story in so many ways, and they are glad Loyola has chosen to share it with them.

While Loyola is super happy about his win, he wishes his girlfriend were beside him to share it. He plans to buy a new home for his parents, visit his brother and his family in British Columbia, and invest some of the winnings. Loyola shared that he wants to take care of the people he loves, just like he and his girlfriend took care of each other.

Casino Woodbine, which is owned and operated by Great Canadian Entertainment, will soon be transformed into a modern Vegas-style gaming resort experience with the opening of the brand new CAD1 billion ($737.7 million) Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto this summer.

Great Canadian Entertainment, founded in 1982, is Canada’s premier gaming and hospitality company with 25 gaming, entertainment, and hospitality facilities across Ontario, British Columbia, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. The company is committed to investing in and offering opportunities to people in the communities in which it operates, supporting over 1,400 charitable and non-profit organizations across Canada.

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The new gambling venue to be opened by Great Canadian Entertainment this summer will be called Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto, the gaming and hospitality giant has announced.

Once completed, the CA$1 billion entertainment hub next to Woodbine Racetrack will house a state-of-the-art casino, a 400-room hotel, a 5,000-seat live entertainment venue, and a range of on-site dining options.

READ: Best Canadian casino sites in 2023

Meanwhile, the current Casino Woodbine will remain operational without any disruptions until the grand opening of the new destination.

Matthew Anfinson, Chief Executive Officer of Great Canadian Entertainment, said, “We see this as an unprecedented opportunity to introduce an entirely new, world-class experience in Canada that will bring together the best in casino gaming, exceptional live entertainment, dining, and accommodation in one very special place.

“We are very excited to reveal more about what this landmark destination will feature and what our guests can expect in the coming weeks, including the announcement of an opening date. 

“This project has been several years in the making, and we are thrilled that we are close to bringing it to life.”

Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto will feature a PlaySmart Centre, in collaboration with Ontario Lottery and Gaming, that will provide players with resources and expertise on responsible gambling to assist them in establishing and sustaining healthy gaming practices.

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