First country to grieve over Toronto’s launch of new C$1 billion casino
Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation has recently expressed its discontent with Canada’s new and largest casino which launched this week in Toronto, Ontario. The First Nation believes that it was unfairly treated by the local government as it claimed that the launch of the new casino could negatively impact its operations and even threaten its very existence.
The First Nation located north of Toronto, owns Great Blue Heron Casino but it is operated by Great Canadian Entertainment and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. Back in 2016, the tribe inked a revenue-sharing agreement with Ontario, which states that the province and the Nation want the casino to continue work and be commercially viable in the long run.
-Province Violates Agreement
In an interview, Chief of the Nation, Kelly LaRocca said that the Great Blue Heron Casino was the economic foundation and backbone of the tribe’s community. She explained the property brought clean drinking water and improved healthcare services and education for the Nation. But she believes that Ontario breached the terms of the deal, as it launched several new casinos over the last few years.
Since the signing of the agreement in 2016, OLG launched a new casino in Pickering in 2021 and has another one in nearby Ajax. Meanwhile, this week, the province saw the launch of Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto, which is now the largest gaming facility in the country and is located in near proximity to Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto.
The new gaming location boasts 145 table games, 4,800 slot machines, 10 dining amenities, and a soon-to-launch hotel and concert venue. However, these new premium offerings have raised alarms among Indigenous communities who also operate gambling operations, leading them to believe that the local market has become oversaturated and affects their operations.
But, GCE vice-president Chuck Keeling does not agree with the tribe’s claims. He noted that the operator completely understands and respects the chief’s opinion about the new casino creating an uneven playing field. He also remarked that the company is trying to demonstrate its commitment to that property by investing tens of millions of dollars.
Ms. LaRocca argued that the tribe’s agreement with the province included that Great Blue Heron Casino would be protected and no new gaming property could proliferate that. However, Scott Blodgett, a spokesperson for Ontario’s Ministry of Finance pointed out that the government has never made such a deal with the First Nation and only has a revenue-sharing agreement with MSFIN.
- Tension over the iGaming Sector
This is not the first squabble between the First Nation and the province of Ontario, as previously the tribe was unhappy with the introduction of the provincial iGaming market for private operators. MSFIN argued that the new regime would severely impact its gaming operations in the province and that it was not consulted on the matter by the local government.
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