Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) has announced that it is making a fourth quarter (January 1 to March 31) payment totalling $456,891 to the Township of Centre Wellington for hosting Elements Casino Grand River.
For fiscal 2021-22, Centre Wellington has received $1,622,262 in gaming revenue. Since the gaming site opened in December 2003, Centre Wellington has received $36,100,334.
According to OLG, the payments to host communities are based on a formula consistently applied across all gaming sites in Ontario, using a graduated scale of gaming revenue at the hosted site. Payments to host communities are part of OLG’s commitment to Ontario – 100 per cent of OLG’s profits are reinvested in the province.
“Municipality Contribution Agreements are an important source of funding for municipalities, and help deliver critical services that the people of Ontario enjoy,” said Peter Bethlenfalvy, Minister of Finance. “Land-based casinos create good, local jobs and play an important role in supporting in our economy, and the government will always support a strong and vibrant gaming sector in Ontario.”
The health and safety of customers, employees and host gaming communities remains a priority for OLG and its service providers. Gaming sites in Ontario were subject to public health restrictions through most of the fourth quarter, including closures for a period of 26 days, which had an impact on gaming revenues and the payments to host municipalities. Casinos were able to open at full capacity as of February 17, 2022, and all remaining public health restrictions were lifted as of March 21, 2022.
Service providers have invested an estimated $1.8 billion in private sector capital development across the province. Since 2017, five (5) new casinos have been built in Ontario and a number of other casinos have also been recently enhanced and/or expanded.
During the fiscal year 2021-22, host communities have received $82,942,969 in non-tax gaming revenue and, to date, host communities have received more than $1.8 billion in non-tax gaming revenue.
“OLG is a crown agency that contributes to a better Ontario by delivering great entertainment experiences for our customers. Acting in a socially responsible way, OLG conducts and manages land-based gaming facilities; the sale of province-wide lottery games; Internet gaming; and the delivery of bingo and other electronic gaming products at Charitable Gaming Centres. OLG is also helping support the horse racing industry in Ontario. Since 1975, OLG has provided approximately $55 billion to the people and Province of Ontario to support key government priorities like health care; the treatment and prevention of problem gambling; and support for amateur athletes. Each year proceeds from OLG’s operations also support host communities, Ontario First Nations, lottery retailers and local charities across the province.”
