According to the latest information, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation might announce the name of the operator, which is to run the OLG Slots at Kawartha Downs and a potential casino property in the area of Peterborough, by the end of June 2015.
The OLG did not provide comprehensive information on the bidding process and when exactly an announcement is to be made, but confirmed that this will happen in the upcoming three to four weeks.
Tony Bitonti, spokesman for the OLG, commented that the regulator is entering the final stage of the request for proposal from gambling operators and the winning bidder is to be announced by mid-2015. As Mr. Bitonti pointed out, once the new operator is determined, it will take between three and six months for it to be handed over the operations of both OLG Casino Thousand Islands and OLG Slots at Kawartha Downs.
Furthermore, the winning operator will also have to start planning the construction of the new gambling venue in the Belleville or Quinte West areas. The OLG said that it had qualified three operators for what is known as the East Gaming Bundle.
In 2013, the Ontario government decided to privatize OLG’s gambling operations, in order to modernize those and thus, generate greater revenue for the province. Back then, the City Council of Peterborough announced that it would like to have a fully-fledged casino on the territory of the city. However, the Cavan Monaghan Township Council argued that both the Slots at Kawartha Downs and a potential new casino should be located in Fraserville.
Mr. Bitonti said in 2014, when there was an ongoing request for pre-qualification, that as many as three bidding operators would be picked. Upon completion of this preliminary stage, the selected three operators submitted requests for proposals, in which they had to provide details on how the potential casino site would be structured.
It will be up to the winning operator to determine where and whether a fully-fledged casino will be launched.
Taso Christopher, Mayor of Belleville, commented that the city is definitely among the shortlisted locations for the potential new gambling venue. Yet, he noted that they had not been informed on how short exactly the list is and when they are to expect the regulator’s final decision.
City officials said that if Belleville eventually gets a casino, it will feature about 300 slot machines and 180 table games.
