August 10, 2012

Public meeting scheduled for possible North Bay, Ontario casino construction

The City of North Bay, Ontario has scheduled a public meeting for August 22 to get residents’ feedback on the possibility of developing a casino in the city.

According to a recent North Bay city staff report, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) issued a request for information in May to solicit input from the private sector. In that report North Bay is identified as one of five zones being considered for the establishment of a new gaming facility. The zone, named N5 by OLG, allows for up to 300 slot machines, according to the city staff report.

In order to be considered as a site by OLG, municipalities must seek public input and the council must pass a resolution supporting the establishment of the gaming site. OLG currently has 24 gaming facilities. The agency plans to issue requests for proposals to private gaming service providers interested in the opportunity to establish new gaming facilities in the OLG designated zones. Those service providers would be responsible for constructing and developing the sites, obtaining relevant approvals and operating the sites under the oversight of OLG and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.

All gaming revenue would go to OLG, which would pay service providers a percentage of revenue.

In the 29 zones, OLG would define the boundaries in which a service provider could establish a site, the maximum number of gaming positions and betting limits and the types of games offered.

The proposed zones could be changed based on information received from the RFI.

DCN DIGITAL MEDIA

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