The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) is seeking a private gaming operator in the “West GTA,” which includes the slots facility at Grand River Raceway here.
On Oct. 20 the OLG announced it is “continuing its procurement process for land-based gaming by issuing Request for Proposal (RFP) documents to pre-qualified proponents.”
The operator will likely be chosen in the fall of 2017, so nothing should change at the Elora facility at least for another year – and perhaps longer.
“I expect, for us, the operations will be at least status quo for the time being,” raceway general manager Ted Clarke said on Oct. 20.
The OLG’s “West GTA gaming bundle” also includes slots at Flamboro Downs in Hamilton and at Mohawk Raceway in Campbellville, as well as the OLG’s Casino Brantford.
OLG spokesman Tony Bitonti said choosing one operator for each area offers “better economies of scale.”
In the “West GTA,” the operator will take over the Brantford casino and the lease agreements at the three slot facilities.
The successful operator is expected to sign a 20-year agreement with the OLG.
The plan allows the addition of dozens of gaming tables at slot sites and any expansions or changes will be up to the operator.
Clarke, for one, would welcome gaming tables in Elora.
“It’s a job creator,” he said, adding the new games would also bring more visitors to the raceway facility.
The OLG stipulated in 2013 that any facility in the Waterloo-Wellington area has to be located at the Elora raceway.
Going forward, it will be up to the private operator where to locate slot facilities once current leases expire.
“Absolutely, they’ll make those decisions,” Bitonti said.
However, he added, changes to business plans – which the operator has to submit for each facility – must be approved by the OLG and the province.
In Elora, the OLG’s seven-year lease at the Grand River Raceway expires in March 2020, Bitonti said.
The operator could technically move the slots facility at that time, but Bitonti has said that is not likely.
“We’re looking for operators to run those facilities where they are,” he said in 2013. In fact, the OLG specifically chose locations like Elora to align gaming facilities with existing horse racing operations, he added.
OLG officials say details about the RFP will not be released while the process is ongoing.
