Officials of Woodbine and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation gathered to celebrate the city’s annual casino revenue share as a host community. As home to OLG’s Gateway Casinos Woodstock, the city received around CA$1.57 million coffers for the fiscal 2022-2023. The city was even presented with a cheque in a short ceremony at the South Gate Centre.
Proceeds from OLG’s casino operations are shared with its host communities via the Municipality Contribution Agreement. Payments are based on a formula consistently applied across all casinos through a graduated scale of gaming revenue at each hosted site. Since 1994, host communities have collected more than CA$2 billion in non-tax gaming revenue.
Celebrating its Partnership with OLG
At the ceremony at the South Gate Centre, Mayor Jerry Acchione and other city officials accepted a cheque worth nearly CA$1.57 million from OLG. The mayor said that the city is fortunate to have such an active collaboration with the Crown, and explained casino funding has had a far-reaching impact on the city and its economy.
Mr. Acchione also added that these allocations from the province not only help local capital projects and special events but also allow residents to access programs at a reduced cost via a fee assistance program. In his words, the funding also helps non-profit organizations which deliver services via the community grants program.
The latest cheque from OLG was for April 2022 and March 2023 for hosting Gateway Casinos Woodstock, which operates 285 slot machines, and electronic gaming tables with blackjack and roulette. After the ceremony, city officials ran a tour of the facility while underlining some of the key programs they deliver to older adults in the city.
OLG’s Senior Municipal Relations Manager, Kathleen Devine said the Crown is pleased to be a massive part of Woodstock. She said that every year all of OLG proceeds are reinvested in Ontario to support provincial priorities. This includes initiatives from infrastructure to crucial local programs, community festivals and more. All are contributing to a stronger community.
More Ontario Communities Get Their Payments
Just recently, Brantford also celebrated an important casino proceeds milestone. Via the current, Municipality Contribution Agreement, the city has now received over CA$97 million for hosting Elements Casino Brantford, formerly known as OLG Casino Brantford. It has helped the city with various investments in civic centres, physician recruitment, Canada Day events and more.
OLG has also sent out its quarterly gaming payments to other municipalities in Ontario, including Niagara Falls, which as usual captured the largest portion of it. As a hotspot for tourists, the city which hosts Fallsview Casino Resort and Casino Niagara, is again one of the larger beneficiaries as it received over CA$5 million for the second quarter of 2023-2024.
Source: “Woodstock earns $1.57M as a casino host community” The Sarnia Observer, November 8, 2023
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