Centre Wellington Township received $504,255 on April 19 for hosting OLG slots at Grand River Raceway.
The payment was for the host municipality’s fourth-quarter share of slots revenue (January to March). To date, Centre Wellington has received more than $13.9-million in non-tax gaming revenue.
Payments are made on a quarterly basis according to the government fiscal year, which runs April to March. OLG Slots at Grand River opened on in late 2003. Since opening, the facility has attracted more than 4.4 million visitors.
“Over the past seven years, OLG Slots at Grand River Raceway has contributed more than $13.9-million in gaming revenue, significantly improving the local economy and strengthening the community,” said Guelph Liberal MPP Liz Sandals. “This strong partnership between the Township of Centre Wellington and OLG provides ongoing support for key initiatives and important projects that benefit all citizens of Centre Wellington.”
In total, OLG issued more than $16.9-million in fourth-quarter non-tax gaming revenue payments to 23 municipalities that host OLG Casinos and slots at a racetrack facilities. To date, OLG has distributed $759.5-million to those host municipalities.
Each municipality receives five per cent of the gaming facility’s gross slot machine revenue from the first 450 slot machines, and two per cent from any additional machines over that number. Funds are used at the discretion of the municipality.
Tracks and their horse organizations also share the revenue generated by the slots program, with 20 per cent of gross slot machine revenue split evenly between the two groups. Since the launch of the program in 1998, more than $3.41-billion has been shared between racetrack owners and the horse groups.
In 2010-11, the province allocated $120-million in gaming revenue to support charities through the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF).
Every year, the government of Ontario allocates two per cent of gross revenue from slot facilities to the province’s problem gambling program for research, treatment, and prevention programs. The amount for fiscal 2010-11 was budgeted at $39-million.
OLG is a provincial agency responsible for province-wide lottery games and gaming facilities. Since 1975, OLG lotteries, casinos, slots, and resort casinos have generated more than $32-billion for the benefit of the province.
Gaming proceeds support Ontario’s hospitals, amateur sport, recreational and cultural activities, communities, provincial priority programs such as health care and education, and local and provincial charities and non-profit organizations through the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
