The Ontario Lottery Corporation announced on Wednesday that it has issued a request for proposals to up to five companies that had formerly expressed interest in operating casinos in the Canadian province.
Tony Bitonti, a spokesperson for the OLG, said that they have estimated an approximate period of 17 to 18 months from the day the RFP was issued to the first day the selected casino operator will start providing services at certain gambling sites. Mr. Bitonti said that the OLG is likely to announce its decision on which of the candidates has been selected early in 2017.
The bidding process commenced in 2012 with the issuance of a request for interest. The OLG wanted to inform itself on whether there were companies to be interested in operating casinos in the province. A request for pre-qualification was then issued in order for the regulator to be able to determine which one of the candidates had the necessary experience and funds to operate a fully-fledged casino and a number of other gaming properties.
Once a winning bidder is chosen, it would have to agree on taking over existing gambling operations in the northern part of the province, that is – in Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay, building new gambling venues in North Bay and Kenora, and take over the Sudbury Downs harness racing in Greater Sudbury.
Mr. Bitonti explained that the RFPQ phase was the one that took the longest time but officials wanted to make sure that all companies that had expressed interest in taking over all gaming bundles in the northern and southwestern parts of Ontario were capable of building new facilities and running the existing ones in the best possible way.
The OLG spokesman said that there were between three and five bidders. Entering the RFP stage, the bidding companies were invited to take part in the final step before a provider is eventually selected. The preferred candidate will be expected to purchase the Sault and Thunder Bay Casinos from the OLG. The operator will also be allowed to run a full-scale casino at Sudbury Downs.
The winner will have the right to choose whether the casino would be built at the existing property or somewhere else. However, if the operator decides to relocate the existing gambling operations, this will have to be approved by “the city, the service provider, and the OLG.” The decision will also need to be backed by the Government of Ontario.
