UPDATE: The Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association (OHRIA) has announced that two additional years of funding has been secured for horse racing in Ontario. The Wynne government has extended the financial commitment to the horse racing industry under the budget clause for OLG modernization. The annual $100 million in government support, along with breeder support through the […]
Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association
Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) president and CEO Stephen Rigby has issued the following letter, dated October 15, 2015, to Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association (OHRIA) president Sue Leslie to provide the horse community an update on the integration of horse racing into the OLG’s modernization plans. Dear Ms. Leslie, As you know, over the […]
For the first time, representatives from the horse racing industry, the Government of Ontario and crown agencies are working together in support of a sustainable industry. Following government direction first announced in October 2013, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) and the Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association (OHRIA), are working with the Alcohol and […]
The cancellation of Ontario’s Slots at Racetrack Program (SARP) has necessitated a lengthy and critical review of how the province’s vital horseracing industry might move forward to a future of profitable growth and true self-sustainability. This is, by no means, a simple task or one to be taken lightly. Patchwork “fixes” are not an option […]
The Ontario Racing Commission (ORC) is pleased to announce the approval of the revised allocations of the Pari-Mutuel Tax Reduction (PMTR) to support and encourage the horse racing industry in Ontario. This is in keeping with the ORC’s mandate to implement the components of the 5-year Horse Racing Partnership Plan (HRPP), as approved by the Ontario government. As […]
The NDP responds to the Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association questionnaire: 1. Do you agree with this statement and will you support racetracks as sites for expanded gaming centres? Yes, the Ontario NDP agrees that tapping into the potential of racetracks as gaming centres should be a top priority. We have to rely on a […]
The Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association (OHRIA), has asked candidates who are running for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to sign a pledge indicating they will be a ‘Champion of Horse Racing and Breeding’ if elected on June 12, 2014. Several politicians have sent responses, which OHRIA has posted on value4money.ca and will continue to do […]
Premier Kathleen Wynne and the Liberal Party respond to the Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association questionnaire: Q: In their 2013 report, the Ontario Horse Racing Industry Transition Panel stated: “…one of the most important aspects of integration: [is] the use of racetracks as gaming centres. Ontario communities support enhanced gaming opportunities at tracks, and new […]
The Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association wants candidates who are running for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to sign a pledge indicating they will be a ‘Champion of Horse Racing and Breeding’ if elected on June 12, 2014. “OHRIA has taken this step because we’ve seen the importance of working with MPPs from across Ontario […]
The Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association (OHRIA) was not surprised by the findings contained in the Auditor General’s Report on the Ontario Lottery and Gaming’s (OLG’s) Modernization Plan considering the devastation the horse racing and breeding industry has endured since the cancellation of the Slots at Racetracks Program (SARP). “It is troubling when your own […]
The Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association (OHRIA) is pleased with the personal attention and progress that Premier Kathleen Wynne has given to ensuring the survival of the province’s horse racing and breeding industry. The recently negotiated five-year deal, which provides the industry with some stability, is much appreciated. The ultimate survival of the industry, which […]
Rural Ontario knows the pain the Region of Waterloo is feeling as they brace for the massive layoffs Blackberry has recently announced. Since the cancellation of the Slots at Racetracks Program last year, job losses and business closures in Ontario’s horse racing industry are more than double the expected worldwide losses of Blackberry as they […]
According to the Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association (OHRIA), since the end of the slots-at-racetracks program in 2011, approximately 9,000 jobs have been lost and 3,000 owners have pulled out of the industry. Taking into consideration stats from 2010, which indicated that each owner invests an average of $279,000 per horse annually, with the loss […]
The Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association (OHRIA) is concerned that the integration of horse racing into the OLG’s Gaming Strategy will be impossible if the existing OLG Modernization Plan continues to go forward. The OLG’s announcement of the RFPQs (Request for Pre-Qualification) for their Southwest Gaming Bundle puts Ontario’s horse racing industry at further risk […]
If you weren’t at City Hall on Tuesday, you will likely have heard by now that Toronto City Council voted against expanded gaming at Woodbine Racetrack. In the end, it was a very close vote – 24 to 20, as opposed to the 40-to-4 vote against a downtown casino. Needless to say, we are shocked […]
