The Belleville City Council approved on Monday the establishment of a special bylaw that would authorize the city to ink a deal with Great Canadian Gaming Corporation for the construction of a casino there.
City Councilors voted unanimously in favor of the resolution, which will be prepared by specially appointed officials and will be considered by the Council. After the vote, representatives for Great Canadian, the company behind the proposed casino project, presented the city with more details about their venture.
The city will be located on Bell Boulevard and will likely occupy a 48,000-square-foot site. It is expected to employ 300 people, most of which will be residents of the area. Representatives also said that the gambling venue will probably be ready by the spring of 2017.
The OLG had its own delegation during the Monday meeting. Officials for the corporation, led by Director of Municipal and Community Relations Jake Pastore, commented on the revenue the new casino is expected to contribute to the city. They explained that 5.25% of the first C$65 million generated by the venue’s electronic games will be given to the community and will be distributed to various important causes. What is more, 4% of the income from table games will also go to the city.
Belleville Mayor Taso Christopher welcomed both the OLG and the Great Canadian delegations and what they said, an indication that he is well-disposed towards the construction of a casino in his city.
There have been quite serious talks about the establishment of a gambling venue in Belleville over the past year, as Great Canadian won the exclusive right to run all gambling operations in Ontario’s East Gaming Bundle, with the city being part of the jurisdiction.
As part of its agreement with the OLG, the operator has already taken control over Thousand Islands Casino in Gananoque and the Slots at Kawartha Downs. And the said deal with the gaming corporation also contained a provision for the construction of the Belleville Casino.
Previously, officials for Great Canadian have told media that they are ready to spend C$40 million on the project. Another C$13 million is to be spent on the renovation of the Gananoque-based gambling venue. The gambling company paid C$50.4 million for the exclusive right to operate the East Gaming Bundle facilities.
