Gambling Part Three : Follow the Money

 In 2007, The Ontario Ombudsman stated in his report  The Province of Ontario is addicted to gambling revenues. Given the revenues shown in the latest 2011  press release from Chris Bentley's office, it is not surprising. 

Chris Bentley Web site Press Release: Fall 2011

OLG DISTRIBUTES $990,790 TO LONDON

SAULT STE. MARIE – The City of London received $990,790 today for hosting OLG Slots at Western Fair District. The payment was for the host municipality’s second-quarter share of slots revenue (July to September 2011). To date, London has received more than $44.4 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 Western Fair District opened on September 28, 1999. Since opening, the facility has attracted more than 14 million visitors.

....In total, OLG issued more than $19 million in second-quarter non-tax gaming revenue payments to 23 municipalities that host OLG Casinos and OLG Slots-at-racetrack facilities. To date, OLG has distributed $797.1 million to these host municipalities.

In 2011/2012, the province will allocate $120 million in gaming revenue to support charities through the Ontario Trillium Foundation

Articles in other publications show that many provincial and municipal governments have come to depend upon the income from the gambling industry.

June 24, 2011 Toronto Star article

OLG reports record $2 billion in profits, $11.6 million in bonuses

Highlights:

• Ontario’s gambling monopoly has hit a $2 billion jackpot for provincial coffers.
• The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation reported the “dividend” to Queen’s Park on record revenues of $6.7 billion in 2010-2011.
• The $2.068 billion in profit being turned over to the provincial treasury is $193 million more than in 2009-10 and is the largest windfall since 2003.
• OLG revenues were up $400 million from the previous fiscal year.

City trying to prevent loss of $47,000 from casino: negotiations underway Sault Ste. Marie This Week Nov. 23, 2011

On short notice Monday, Bitonti was unable to provide the precise number of loyalty card customers at the Sault Ste. Marie Casino. He did email, however, that the estimated loss to the city for the fiscal year 2012 (April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2012) as a result of IRFS changes, would be $47,000. He stressed also that because of the transition payments the OLG was making until Jan. 1, there would be no financial affect on municipal revenues for 2011.

Bitonti added, "And the Sault will still get about $1.45 million as its share of the slot revenue." (Search Factiva for full article- Choose Please Select a Database))

Gambling 2010   Perspectives on Labour and Income Autumn 2010
Highlights

• * Net revenue from government-run lotteries, video lottery terminals (VLTs), casinos and slot machines not in casinos rose steadily from $2.73 billion in 1992, before levelling off and remaining at around $13.7 billion since 2007 ($13.75 billion in 2009).1
• * Net revenue from casinos continued to represent one-third of the gambling industry (34%) in 2009, while revenue and representation were up for lotteries (26%) and down slightly for both slot machines outside casinos (mainly at racetracks) (21%) and VLTs (19%).
• * Average gambling revenue per person 1 8 and over in 2008 ranged from $115 in the three territories to $830 in Saskatchewan, with a national average of $520.2
  
  

  ---

 Datamonitor 360 report 2011 (Search the Datamonitor 360 database for full report - Choose Please Select a Database)
Casinos and Gaming in Canada
Market value
The Canadian casinos & gaming sector grew by 2.4% in 2010 to reach a value of $16.2 billion.
Market value forecast
In 2015, the Canadian casinos & gaming sector is forecast to have a value of $19.5 billion, an increase of
20.4% since 2010.
Market segmentation I
Casinos is the largest segment of the casinos & gaming sector in Canada, accounting for 38.8% of the
sector's total value.
The Canadian casinos & gaming sector had total gross gaming win of $16.2 billion in 2010, representing
a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.1% for the period spanning 2006-2010.
The casinos segment was the sector's most lucrative in 2010, with total gross gaming win of $6.3 billion,
equivalent to 38.8% of the sector's overall value.
The performance of the sector is forecast to accelerate, with an anticipated CAGR of 3.8% for the fiveyear
period 2010-2015, which is expected to drive the sector to a value of $19.5 billion by the end of
2015.

 A game of trust : Ombudsman report : investigation into the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation's protection of the public from fraud and theft   2007